The new Free2Play shooter Synced aims to shake up the genre with completely new mechanics. After a rather questionable first presentation, the shooter has reinvented itself and now looks really good. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to play it again at gamescom 2023. However, he is still not entirely convinced.
What kind of shooter is this?
- Synced was announced back in 2021 with the promise that there has never been anything like it before.
- The idea behind the shooter: Nanites threaten humanity in a dystopian setting. You have the power to control these little bots and can manifest them as “Nanos”, strong companions with special abilities.
- In terms of gameplay, the shooter strongly resembles Destiny. However, there is no “Open World”, but rather several missions on different maps, which are sometimes more open and sometimes more linear. You can play either purely in PvE or in PvEvP: solo or in a team of up to 3 players.
Synced will be released on September 9 for PC and will be completely Free2Play. A release for PS5 and Xbox will follow later. In the game, there is a Battle Pass and a shop where you can purchase cosmetics and new characters for current information. The exact monetization is yet to be decided.
Here’s how Synced plays: At its core, Synced is a classic PvE shooter. The gameplay is quite simple to explain: I start a mission, receive a short briefing, and then follow the instructions in the hub.
The tasks in the missions I know from the gamescom event as well as from the beta usually proceed similarly. Kill enemies, collect loot, and at the end defeat a large boss.
In the optional PvEvP mode, there are other teams you compete against. Whoever has the most points at the end (or is the last standing) wins. However, this mode is not needed at all, as the truly exciting aspect is the pure PvE.
My colleague Christian Fritz Schneider from GameStar has also played it and feels similarly puzzled after the playtest as I do:
A robust shooter with cool, fresh features
Synced offers some mechanics that I haven’t seen or at least haven’t seen developed like this in a shooter. Three factors make the game really good for me already:
- Nanos and characters are a cool mechanic and allow for many combinations of specialists and skills.
- The gunplay is fun, and there are some really crazy weapons involved.
- The game is engaging and entertaining: you get into it quickly, and a round ends after 10-30 minutes.
The idea is to build your own playstyle, essentially your own “loadout.” During testing, I could choose from one of 6 different “runners” with dozens of different weapons, special perks, and one of 4 “Nanos.” Depending on the runner and nano, the abilities complement specific playstyles:
- one nano is a pure long-range fighter, another sets up a shield, while another exposes enemies.
- Nanos either directly intervene in gameplay or stick “onto the arm” of the player, where they provide passive bonuses.
- especially in co-op, you can perfectly strategize with friends regarding who plays how and in what way to best approach a mission to complement each other.
The sheer variety of weapons is a point I find particularly appealing. In classic categories like sniper, LMG, and shotgun, there is a standard arsenal, but also completely crazy weapons like a sniper rifle that shoots black holes.
Games are played in rounds lasting roughly 10 to 30 minutes. At certain stations, you can purchase upgrades for the ongoing round, which can lead to exaggerated synergies, as known from such “roguelite” approaches. Enemies can also drop permanent perks for character customization.
I had a lot of fun already in the beta. For my colleague Maik Schneider and me, Synced is a really good shooter, especially after the initial announcement and the first gameplay looked rather flat.
When we were finally able to get our hands on it for the first time, it was already clear that a solid shooter is emerging here:
Wants too much, offers too little
Nevertheless, I still doubt whether the game will really be a big hit. I am sure that Synced will attract more than just a few hundred people to take a look at it. After all, it is Free2Play.
Especially specialists and tinkerers will want to spend a lot of time here. This was already similar in The Cycle, where one could let loose and dive deeper into the mechanics to significantly improve. However, that is exactly what is in Synced’s way.
The game seems to target casual players with its rather short rounds and the choice of characters and weapons according to my assessment. Therefore, I see several reasons that could hinder Synced’s success:
- All systems are very complex. Anyone who wants to see everything must engage with the game. As a casual player, you see very little.
- For hardcore players, there is simply a lack of replay value. The missions are all very similar and eventually just become no challenge anymore.
- The PvP mode is actually redundant; the PvE is all you need from Synced.
Especially PvP is probably intended for experts, but I predict big problems with toxic opponents and cheaters. That is the fate of every Free2Play shooter, and Synced will also suffer from it.
If the developers, NExT Studios, completely eliminate the PvP and instead focus on creating a cool PvE shooter, perhaps even competing with Destiny or The Division with an open world, I see great potential in Synced.
I genuinely wish the game significant success, solely because I want to see what it can become. For playing a bit with friends in the evening, the shooter is actually ideal.
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