Synthesis: Mind, Body and Soul
- February 15, 2020
- Out of Bounds Playground
Get on SteamSynthesis is a hack n’ slash adventure with a twist, you don’t have a body! Swap between foes to maintain your health and gain valuable abilities that will aid in you in your quest.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique concept of possessing enemies, which adds an interesting twist to the gameplay.
- Despite its flaws, the game shows potential and creativity, especially considering it was developed by students.
- Some players found the game to be a fun short experience, appreciating its atmospheric and colorful design.
- The game suffers from poor optimization and performance issues, running poorly even on high-end hardware.
- Gameplay is described as bland and repetitive, with clunky controls and lackluster combat mechanics.
- The overall execution feels unpolished, with inconsistent art styles and a weak story that detracts from the experience.
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by clunky controls and a lack of polish, leading to a generally bland experience that detracts from enjoyment. However, some players find value in exploiting the game's mechanics, turning it into a speed challenge, while others appreciate the unique character-switching feature despite its shortcomings. Overall, the gameplay offers a mix of frustration and potential, but fails to deliver a consistently engaging experience.
“But, being able to really push the game and break it using its core mechanic allows you to turn synthesis into something of a speed game while also allowing you to appreciate what the developers were trying to do.”
“Although I can't score it high because I have been playing AAA titles for ages, this one is a good short game which has beautiful graphics and a unique gameplay that involves character switching at the right time to save yourself.”
“Gameplay control and handling is pretty clunky too, but the game does 'work' well enough that it could be played... it's just not fun due to the defects, and it's not just game design and polish problems.”
“The gameplay is bland.”
“Gameplay!”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as medium quality, with some reviewers noting a reasonable effort in level design and art style, but ultimately falling short of expectations. Performance issues, such as low frame rates, have been reported, particularly on certain hardware configurations. While some players appreciate the visual appeal and unique gameplay mechanics, others criticize the lack of variety in character design and overall execution.
“It appears a reasonable amount of work went into level design, art style, and backstory here.”
“This one is a good short game which has beautiful graphics and a unique gameplay which involves character switching at the right time to save yourself.”
“The graphics are medium quality at best, but the art style has its charm.”
“No matter what resolution or graphics settings, I can only get ~25fps at ~40ms. I've run into this issue before with Unity and UE4 games; I'm not sure if they have issues with GTX 900 cards or FX processors.”
“The voicing and dialogue feels stiff, standard, cliché, and generally bad, and the graphics are medium quality at best. So far, basically everyone looks exactly the same and has the same actions. I don't feel there's any logic in the story or things that happen. For example, one time a person I jumped out of and left on an 'island' surrounded by lava repeatedly just jumped into the lava and died. So for me, it's basically a 'slash and shoot' game where I can switch bodies with any enemy.”
- story3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story in the game is criticized for feeling hastily constructed and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that the dialogue and voice acting are clichéd and poorly executed. Additionally, the narrative logic is questioned, as characters exhibit nonsensical behaviors, leading to a perception of the game as primarily focused on action rather than a coherent storyline. Overall, the effort put into the backstory and level design does not translate into a compelling narrative experience.
“The voicing and dialogue feels stiff, standard, cliché, and generally bad, and the graphics are medium quality at best.”
“I won't even get into the story of the game, because I feel like it was slapped on at the last minute.”
“It appears a reasonable amount of work went into level design, art style, and backstory here, although hard work doesn't guarantee a good product.”
“I won't even get into the story of the game, because I feel like it was slapped on at the last minute (the voice acting also leaves a lot to be desired).”
“The voicing and dialogue feel stiff, standard, cliché, and generally bad. The graphics are medium quality at best, and so far, basically everyone looks exactly the same and has the same actions. I don't feel there's any logic in the story or the events that happen. For example, one time a person I jumped out of left on an 'island' surrounded by lava (so I could jump back that way later) repeatedly jumped into the lava and died. So for me, it's basically a 'slash and shoot' game where I can switch bodies with any enemy.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant stuttering even on high-end hardware like the GTX 1080 Ti, detracting from the overall experience. Many feel that poor optimization undermines the game's potential, making it frustrating to engage in combat.
“The optimization could use some work, as it affects the overall gameplay experience.”
“This game would have been visually stunning if it had better optimization, allowing for smoother combat and more engaging encounters.”
“Improved optimization would enhance the gameplay, making it easier to take on multiple enemies without frequent deaths.”
“Something's wrong with the optimization, or the game engine, or something.”
“I have a GTX 1080 Ti and even on ultra settings, the game stutters most of the time.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized as atmospheric, mysterious, and colorful, creating an engaging and immersive experience for players. Its puzzle elements further enhance the intriguing ambiance, making it a captivating free-to-play title.
“This is a nice free-to-play atmospheric, mysterious, puzzle-like, and colorful game.”
“Atmospheric, mysterious, and colorful all at the same time.”
