Syntherapy

About

"Syntherapy is a single-player simulation game that serves as a visual novel adventure, where your choices in conversations and treatment methods significantly impact the game's outcome. Assuming the role of psychotherapist Dr. Melissa Park, you're tasked with evaluating an experimental AI named Willow, delving into the ethical dilemmas of AI sentience and the wider implications of creating artificially intelligent beings. The game also explores various mental health topics with sensitivity and nuance."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

story7 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and thought-provoking story centered around therapy and AI, with well-developed characters and engaging voice acting.
It offers a lot of replayability with multiple endings and encourages players to explore complex themes related to mental health and personal connections.
The writing is well done, and the game successfully tackles serious topics with respect and nuance, making it a valuable experience for those interested in psychology.

The game suffers from frequent bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and prevent players from completing the story.
The user interface is unpolished, with overlapping text and unclear decision-making mechanics that can lead to confusion during gameplay.
Steam achievements are not functioning properly, which is frustrating for players who enjoy tracking their progress and accomplishments.

story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The story of "Syntherapy" is centered around therapy sessions with a possibly sentient AI, featuring engaging writing and complex characters that resonate with players, particularly those interested in psychology. While the narrative is generally well-received for its depth and unique premise, some players noted inconsistencies in character relationships and encountered technical issues that hindered their experience. Overall, the game is praised for its thought-provoking themes and immersive storytelling, appealing to fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Making choices affects your relationship with different characters in the story, which will determine your ending.”
- “The writing is well done and the flow of the story fits the vibe of the overall game.”
- “A story-rich game based around therapy sessions provided to a possibly-sentient AI.”
- “This could be grating to some players since they repeat a lot and you can't change the track during story segments.”
- “I hold the relationship meters to not make any sense as they would say I have high trust with a certain person, but in a story segment that same person would be yelling at me saying they do not think I'm good and very untrustworthy.”
- “A fascinating story from clear experts on the subject matter, but presented in a slightly awkward and confusing way.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The gameplay centers around managing trust with three out of five NPCs while maintaining professionalism, drawing comparisons to Zachtronics' *Eliza*. While the game offers a serious narrative and complex characters, players have noted issues with a clunky user interface, unclear decision-making labels, and a lack of transparency regarding the consequences of choices.
- “The primary game mechanic involves maintaining a sufficiently high trust rating with three of the five NPCs while remaining professional.”
- “It’s similar mechanically to Zachtronics' Eliza, but instead of playing an average citizen facilitating therapy by an AI, you’re an actual therapist talking to an AI that has been designed to provide therapy itself but has had a breakdown.”
- “I like games that aren't afraid to be serious and not just lighthearted, featuring great graphics, a compelling story, complex characters, great music, and interesting gameplay.”
- “The primary game mechanic appears to involve maintaining a sufficiently high trust rating with 3 of those 5 NPCs, while remaining professional.”
- “However, the gameplay side of things has some wobbles -- clunky UI, unclear decision labels, and little transparency about what choices have consequences and what those consequences will be.”
- “It's similar mechanically to Zachtronics' Eliza, but instead of playing an average citizen facilitating therapy by an AI, you're an actual therapist, talking to an AI that has been designed to provide therapy themselves but has had a breakdown.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its high replayability, offering players multiple paths and outcomes that encourage revisiting the story.
- “Nice visual novel with a lot of replayability.”
- “The multiple story paths and endings make it a game you can enjoy over and over.”
- “Each playthrough offers new choices and experiences, keeping it fresh and engaging.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating and tedious, leading to an overall unsatisfying and disappointing experience.
- “This was a frustrating, tedious, and ultimately unsatisfying and disappointing experience.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any meaningful reward.”
- “I spent hours grinding, only to feel like I made no progress at all.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game has a promising story, but players frequently encounter numerous bugs that hinder progress, leading to frustration and a lack of support from developers. Overall, the stability issues significantly detract from the gaming experience.
- “The story seems good, but I kept encountering a lot of bugs. I don't think I was able to technically finish it. I kept bringing up bugs to the developers, and after a while, they just stopped responding on the discussion board. It seems like a good game and the thought is there, but it was very buggy.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience. I lost progress multiple times due to stability issues.”
- “I was really excited to play, but the constant freezing and glitches ruined the immersion. It feels like the developers rushed the release without proper testing.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate games that combine serious themes with high-quality graphics, emphasizing that strong visuals enhance the overall storytelling and character development. The integration of great graphics alongside compelling narratives and gameplay is seen as a significant factor in their enjoyment.
- “I like games that aren't afraid to be serious, featuring great graphics, a compelling story, complex characters, and interesting gameplay.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers appreciate games that feature serious themes complemented by great music, which enhances the overall experience alongside strong graphics, storytelling, and character development.
- “I like games that aren't afraid to be serious and not just lighthearted, featuring great music that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The music in this game is absolutely captivating and adds depth to the storytelling.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, creating an immersive atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”