Syntherapy

About

Syntherapy is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Crowned Daemon Studios and was released on October 15, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

If an AI were sentient, how would you know if they were malfunctioning, or experiencing a mental health problem? A story-rich game that explores mental health and AI ethics in the form of therapy sessions with a sentient AI.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

story8 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a thought-provoking story that explores complex themes related to therapy, AI, and mental health, making it engaging for players interested in these topics.
The voice acting and character interactions are well-executed, enhancing the emotional depth of the narrative and making the experience more immersive.
There are multiple endings and choices that significantly impact the story, providing a high level of replayability and encouraging players to explore different paths.

The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly with Steam achievements not functioning properly.
The user interface is clunky and unpolished, making navigation and understanding the consequences of choices difficult, which can lead to frustrating experiences.
There is a lack of save options and flowcharts to track decisions, making it cumbersome to replay and explore different endings without starting over from the beginning.

story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
9%
The story of "Syntherapy" is engaging and thought-provoking, centered around therapy sessions with a possibly sentient AI, featuring complex characters and multiple endings influenced by player choices. While the writing and themes are praised for their depth and emotional resonance, some players found the lack of a skip option for dialogue and the confusing relationship metrics detracted from the experience. Overall, the narrative is compelling, though it may appeal more to those with a strong interest in psychology and AI themes.
- “The story and main themes are very interesting, and the options presented during the course of therapy are surprisingly varied and complex.”
- “The writing is well done, and the flow of the story fits the vibe of the overall game.”
- “There are multiple endings, story paths, and many topics that force player contemplation to delve deep within their thoughts and come to a conclusion on some difficult, complex themes.”
- “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.”
- “Unfortunately, at the time of this review there is no skip option for dialogue nor any method of visualizing the different story paths.”
- “A fascinating story from clear experts on the subject matter, but presented in a slightly awkward and confusing way.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The music in the game is highly praised for its variety and ability to enhance the atmosphere, featuring a selection of low-fi, relaxing beats that complement the serious themes of the narrative. Players appreciate the option to change soundtracks during gameplay, which adds to the immersive experience and provides a calming backdrop for reflection and interaction with the game's elements. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that many would enjoy outside of the game as well.
- “You can choose different soundtracks in-game and there's a good variety.”
- “The music in the game is great and fits very well with the atmosphere, as you listen to chill lofi music.”
- “Music can be changed in between sessions to a variety of different low-fi, relaxing beats which almost oppose the heavy nature of the plot, but aid in creating a space to collect thoughts together.”
- “A soundtrack for the game would be very neat as I would definitely play it in the background while doing various things or just to relax to.”
- “This includes choosing which music you listen to, checking emails and calendar for schedules, looking at patients' files and even having a bubble popping game within the game.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
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 with complex characters and engaging mechanics, it suffers from a clunky user interface, unclear decision labels, and a lack of transparency regarding the consequences of player choices.
- “The primary game mechanic appears to involve maintaining a sufficiently high trust rating with 3 of those 5 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, with great graphics, a great story, complex characters, great music, voice acting (not a requirement for me), 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.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a deeply emotional experience that encourages players to engage thoughtfully with its themes, particularly through its therapy session narrative structure. While its focus may limit its audience, those who invest emotionally are likely to find meaningful insights. The voice acting is notably sincere and realistic, enhancing the emotional depth of the characters and their struggles.
- “All in all, this is a really thought-provoking experience, and if you dive deep into it emotionally as I did, you might just come out of the other end with some revelations of your own.”
- “The topics explored and the manner in which the story progresses through mostly the therapy sessions may limit its potential audience, but it's a game that gives back if you put in the time and emotional investment, looking for some meaningful return.”
- “All of the dialogue is fully voiced and delivered in an emotional, realistic manner, which aids in bringing each character to life.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the serious tone and overall artistic direction, others find the artwork to be merely average and lacking in detail. Overall, the visuals do not seem to be a standout feature, with many users noting a need for improvement.
- “I like games that aren't afraid to be serious, featuring great graphics, a compelling story, complex characters, and interesting gameplay.”
- “There's not a lot of graphical polish, and the artwork is just okay.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game offers significant replayability with 37 different endings and numerous choices, encouraging players to explore various paths. However, some features that could enhance the replay experience are missing at launch, which may limit enjoyment for some players. Overall, the foundation for high replayability is strong, but improvements could be made.
- “With 37 different endings and a copious amount of choices to make, the foundation is present for a game with a high level of replayability; however, some features to make this more enjoyable are unfortunately missing upon its initial launch.”
- “There are also a lot of endings that can be reached, so there is replayability in the game as you find and choose the paths to get the various endings.”
- “The addition of these features would further encourage replayability to unlock more of the many endings.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted for its realistic visual design, which contrasts with a more traditional anime or animated style, suggesting a shift towards a more lifelike representation of characters.
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that impact character growth throughout the game.”
- “While the character designs are visually appealing, the overall development and backstory are underwhelming.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating and tedious, with many expressing disappointment over the inability to skip lengthy conversations, which contributes to an overall unsatisfying experience.
- “This was a frustrating, tedious, and ultimately unsatisfying and disappointing experience.”
- “Yes, I know that it is all intended, but after a while, the conversations become tedious, especially because you can't just skip them with a mouse click or space/enter.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which hinder the overall experience and prevent players from completing it. Despite a promising story, the lack of developer responsiveness to reported issues has left many users frustrated.
- “The story seems good, but I kept encountering a lot of bugs, and 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.”
- “Bugs and glitches.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its excellent soundtrack, featuring chill lofi music that complements the overall experience beautifully.
- “The music in the game is great and fits very well with the atmosphere, as you listen to chill lo-fi music.”