Game

Synced is a roguelite loot shooter that struggles to stand out


Synchronized is an upcoming free-to-play third-person looter shooter developed by NeXT Studios and is Tencent’s crack for a live service game like Parts. It features roguelite bits to help it stand out to the touch, with the ability to command your own shiny gem friend to defeat enemies. But from what I’ve played so far, its lack of clarity makes monetization and mod slot machines and anything else a grueling chore that probably won’t pull you out of the billions. Other games need a lifetime investment.

I spent just over an hour with the Synced Dead Sector PVE Mode, where I collaborated with another magazine and a member of the PR team, who guided both of us through the inner workings of the mode. I jumped between a couple of Runners (classes), a poison bomber, and a doctor’s silver fox who would probably excel on Hinge. The game has a PVP mode, but unfortunately it’s not available in preview.

We started running Dead Sector which dropped us into a map reminiscent of PUBG’s original environment: an indescribable green grass plain, rolling hills and general scientific checkpoints consisting of Gray building and steel stairs. Our goal is to move between the Surges, a series of tornadoes that spawn waves of evil crystals that we must clear as quickly as possible, as the timer counts down and increases the difficulty from possible to can not.

While I’m a lover of clear objectives, my motivation to explore the map and look for safe rooms filled with loot, or indeed, is anything else, was extinguished by the need to plow further. If we procrastinate, we make things harder for ourselves, and “harder” means getting multiple hits from a goblin’s gem and immediately going down. The rewards never seem to outweigh the risks.

To help us beat the clock – and the surgeries – the game hit us with upgrade stations completely unlike the roguelike equivalent of the Screwfix catalog. As long as you have enough cash on hand, you can choose from three random upgrades that will change your character build in some way. For example, “removing Nano by hitting its Weakness will drop explosives” or “Nano stun with low health will be killed with one hit”, each comes complete with rarity and level. These stations will pop up periodically, so the Hades or Dead Cells way you can choose to upgrade your upgrades as you go on.


Runner shoots some bad guys in Sync.
Enemies have Metal Gear: Survive ambiguous energy.

However, I wouldn’t say I feel the impact of multiple upgrades, even if I know they’re up to something, if that makes sense? Like, the number of enemies that bounced off could be higher, but I want my fallen enemies to spew out a volley of fireworks or scatter explosions like they dropped explosive ball packs. However, we Runners already have our own Nano – literally – so maybe the ability to command our own baddies will provide some much-needed spark? Well… kind of.

The crux of the game is to command your own Nano companions who can hit, project, or block the bad guys for you. There are four people to choose from, each fulfilling a specific role in the class such as a big guy smashing stuff, a scout sweeping stuff, a tank blocking everything with his shield, and a hand. sniper. If you’re in heavy combat, you can press a button to send them in and crack, which makes scraps a bit easier, although it’s hard to understand the usefulness. use of other things, as “The Seer” (a spy and laser-shooter) doesn’t seem to do much, while the “Crusher” is clearly swarming the stuff around me. Maybe in much more difficult situations they’ll get ahead of themselves, but – translate my obnoxious Apprentice board room lingo for a second – I didn’t know they added much value to the Surge cleanup . Besides making things easier, it would seem silly to look for any Nano other than the giant thing that crushes everything.

So we completed about three Mutations before a HUGE MANT appeared on the map, eventually becoming a large pillar that shoots effective spikes on the ground and presents significant weaknesses. This is a surprise that we need to put ammunition on. Beat this guy and we’ll reap the rewards! Modified chip and currency to equip said chip! And then we’re going to repeat the process again, which I think is a bit more complicated but really doesn’t feel like it? After that We have reached Tyrant, the big boss of the regime.


A player collects some loot from the mod slot in Synced after defeating a powerful Surge.
Collecting loot never gets old.

And Tyrant proved to be a brief affair. Mainly because we all died in one blow of a giant crystal man, and returned to base with our spoils. On the basic part, you can open up your character menu and stick those mods into your four PVE ports – as long as you have the chip to do so. To be fair, customization seems like a deep well. You can enchant your weapons with fire or, for example, attach different attachments to change their stats. You can upgrade your mods or recycle them. You can also stick some mods on your Nano friend’s portals. Talk to the NPCs in the base and they’ll give you a list of quests to complete to earn more different currencies. It’s live service with a (slightly dead) smile, honey.

If you don’t already know, all my thoughts on Synchronization can be summed up into one indifferent pen. Not overly optimistic or down-to-earth, but I can’t see that it will create its own space against all the other mighty, mighty live service games out there. Especially when many of the game’s defining features, such as roguelike upgrades and the Nano companion, are as obvious as the old shower screen. Nothing beats it and offers anything new, even if “new” means a broken shower curtain and the floor is now flooded with soapy water. I’ll take that, to be honest.


Look at the PVE mod locations in Sync.
For some people, slots for mods, add-ons, and upgrades will be bliss. For me – a tired Destiny 2 vet – I wasn’t sure if I could be fooled.

It’s not to say that Sync doesn’t make for a pleasant experience – far from that. I really like myself! Despite being in beta, the game feels pretty slick, with gunplay that melts health bars in the same satisfying way you’d get into something like The Division or Remnant From The Ashes. If you’re a fan of numbers popping up from enemies and collecting loot, the game definitely works.

But from what I’ve played so far, I wouldn’t say it will do anything that can pull me out of Destinys or Fortnites and won’t convince me to invest all of my time in a shooter. other loot guns. Perhaps the PVP mode is where the real magic of the game lies? Probably? We’ll see, I suppose.

If you want to crack the game, Open beta starts on December 10th and continues through January 15.

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