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Synthetik is a single player tactical shooter game. It was developed by FlowFireGames and was released on March 15, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

SYNTHETIK is an unforgiving shooter rogue-lite set in a world overrun by machines. Battle from floor to floor, defeating an array of robotic forces using powerful weapons, upgrades, and quick reflexes in this gun-play focused fun-fest!

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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,161 reviews
gameplay638 positive mentions
story24 negative mentions

  • The game's energetic, synth-heavy soundtrack and sound design perfectly complement its fast-paced, tactical gunplay, creating an immersive cyberpunk atmosphere.
  • Deep and satisfying gameplay mechanics including unique manual reload systems, diverse classes, and strategic combat offer high replayability and rewarding skill-based progression.
  • The clean, crisp retro-futuristic art style pairs well with stable performance across a range of systems, making the game accessible and visually appealing.
  • The game suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, and stability issues, especially in multiplayer, which can disrupt the experience despite improvements.
  • Steep learning curve and complex mechanics lack sufficient in-game explanation, causing players to rely on external resources to understand gameplay systems.
  • Extensive grind for character progression can feel tedious and time-consuming, potentially frustrating players who prefer faster pacing.
  • gameplay
    1,602 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Synthetik: Legion Rising is widely praised for its deep, tactical, and highly satisfying gun mechanics, especially the unique manual eject-and-reload system that adds a layer of strategic urgency. The game offers intense, fast-paced top-down shooter action combined with roguelike elements, diverse classes, and a steep but rewarding learning curve that appeals to players seeking challenging, skill-based combat. While some find the numerous mechanics complex or overwhelming, mastery of the systems leads to an engaging and addictive gameplay loop with strong replayability.

    • “Synthetik is nothing short of sparks of genius, bringing headshots into the top-down perspective, turning real-world firearm mechanics and internet culture references into interesting game mechanics, all packaged into a fluent, brutal and unforgettable experience, playing the game really makes you ask: "how the hell did they manage to do this?"”
    • “The gameplay feels robust and beefy: player movement, weapon variety, strategic engagement, use of cover and tactical items, responsive gunplay - it all ties together seamlessly and makes every attempt at 'defeating the heart of armageddon' an exciting experience with tons of replay value.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is extremely satisfying, and each class offers a distinctly different way to play, especially as you level them up and unlock additional perks.”
    • “The reload and eject mechanic will definitely take some getting used to, as I have lost a lot of ammo by now doing this reflexively from other games, but I think it adds a neat, realistic touch to the overall presentation.”
    • “The gameplay itself is really flawed as they decided players should do some weird juggling act with ejecting cartridges before they can reload their weapon. Overall, the gameplay is really clunky and lacks polish; it's beneath an acceptable standard.”
    • “The game also does a terrible job at explaining things, from the main menu to important gameplay mechanics, so be prepared to look at forums or wiki, or to ask questions on the global chat in-game and hope for the best, since misinterpreting or not knowing something can lead to a restart.”
  • graphics
    423 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Synthetik feature a distinctive, clean, and crisp art style that blends retro-inspired visuals with modern effects, creating a vibrant cyberpunk and sci-fi aesthetic. While the visuals are generally praised for clarity and design, some criticisms include occasional clutter during intense action, minor graphical glitches, and a somewhat minimalistic or "chunky" look that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game runs well even on low-end systems, with visuals that effectively complement its fast-paced tactical gameplay and immersive sound design.

    • “The graphics are excellent and smooth; my PC can run this gem at 60 fps, and lowering the graphics settings barely changes the look of the game. The developers deserve a major raise for such skill in graphics design.”
    • “The visuals are clean, crisp and highly polished with great aesthetics, making the gameplay feel smooth and immersive right from the start.”
    • “Visually, Synthetik really pleases the eye with a unique graphics style that is very clean and retro-inspired, but still modern in terms of effects and model definition.”
    • “The game's tutorial and interface are some of the worst I've ever seen, and combined with the terrible graphical effects I couldn't force myself to play this for more than a few minutes.”
    • “So many flashing graphical effects and screenshake that I can't play for more than a few mins without a splitting headache.”
    • “Had high hopes for this from the screenshots and description but the controls are garbage... it's a buggy mess that barely works... the graphics are bizarrely stuttery even when the fps is smooth which I can only assume is an intentional stylistic choice.”
  • music
    389 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's soundtrack is widely praised for its energetic, synth-heavy, cyberpunk and retro-futuristic vibe that intensifies alongside gameplay, providing an immersive and adrenaline-pumping experience. Many reviewers highlight the music as a standout feature that complements the tight, visceral gunplay and chaotic combat, though some note the soundtrack can feel repetitive or understated at times. Overall, the music and sound design are key elements that elevate the game's atmosphere and addictiveness, making it a must-have for fans of electronic and synthwave music.

    • “The soundtrack leans into a retro-futuristic synth vibe, with pulsing beats that escalate alongside the intensity of battle, driving momentum without overpowering the senses.”
    • “The music gets faster, louder, heavier when you perform better, weaving in and out of combat in a symphony of gunfire and pounding electronic.”
    • “The soundtrack is absolute fire, perfectly suited to rampaging through hordes of crazed robots.”
    • “Like not being able to turn off music (it comes back on after a while).”
    • “Has odd gamefeel, the mixture of stiff character movement, inaccurate guns, very loud and metallic sound design with high intensity electronic music makes me feel itchy and uncomfortable like I'm on Adderall; the game needs to calm down a bit.”
    • “Sound design is great overall, weapons sound punchy, the distorted electronic voices of your enemies are fitting, there is a variety of sound and musical cues that you will pick up really quickly, but music is a bit too bland and subdued overall, which is a damn shame and possibly the only weak point of the game.”
  • replayability
    246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews consistently praise the game's extremely high and nearly endless replayability, driven by diverse classes, randomized levels, vast weapon and item variety, and strategic depth. The roguelite elements, cooperative mode, and frequent updates further enhance replay value, making each run feel fresh and engaging. While some note occasional RNG frustrations, the overall consensus is that the game offers a richly rewarding, long-lasting experience for players who enjoy skill-based, tactical play.

    • “With its diverse classes, each possessing unique abilities and playstyles, unlockable augmentations that further enhance your capabilities, and a seemingly boundless profusion of weapons and items to unearth, Synthetik bestows innumerable hours of replay value.”
    • “Thanks to the variety of weapons and items, as well as the amount of possible classes and their loadouts, the game's replayability value is absolutely sky-high, not even mentioning the fact that you'll probably play at least 20 runs before reaching the final boss.”
    • “This game gets your adrenaline pumping like few others can, with tons of replayability to boot.”
    • “The RNG of both items, guns, and even the model variant of those cars adds endless replayability, but there needs to be some reliability, like a guaranteed gun after every boss, or else very disappointing situations become an issue to the point where even when you get good luck and win a run it feels unsatisfying because being handed a win due to the best guns and items is not really due to the actions of the player.”
    • “If you look at my and other playtime you will notice that they are rarely above 10-20 hours because unfortunately the game offers extremely little in replayability.”
    • “Music was fine, graphics were meh, gameplay was meh, controls were meh, customization was not great, and replayability was really not there for me.”
  • story
    166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal to nearly nonexistent, serving primarily as a basic backdrop focused on an android fighting rogue AI forces, with most narrative elements delivered through brief logs or intros. Players and reviewers widely agree that the storyline is not a focal point and lacks depth or character development, but this is intentional as the game emphasizes fast-paced, challenging gameplay and weapon variety over narrative. While some find the sparse lore and simplistic plot sufficient, others note the absence of engaging story content, though this generally does not detract from the overall enjoyment for fans of action-driven roguelites.

    • “Synthetik is a top down roguelike shooter in which you control an android whose sole mission is to stop a nuclear armageddon from an AI produced by Kaiba Corp.”
    • “Synthetik also features quests and events, triggered either by specific facilities or crates, or other environmental factors, these quests and events usually have a goal and reward the player for completing them, such as defense, bounty hunting, or hacking a facility.”
    • “The story is minimal and unobtrusive, delivered in brief logs and mission intros, but the world-building is serviceable enough to support the game’s focus on gameplay over narrative.”
    • “No one cares, obviously, because there's really no connection between the story and the gameplay.”
    • “The story/lore is barely there.”
  • stability
    109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally fun and well-optimized for single-player, but it suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, and freezes—especially in multiplayer and co-op modes—leading to a frustrating and unstable experience. Many users report issues with buggy controls, buggy netcode, random freezes causing deaths, and various glitches that impact gameplay consistency. Despite these stability problems, dedicated players still find the core gameplay satisfying and hope for ongoing fixes.

    • “Runs great on less than cutting edge tech, which is nice.”
    • “I think it's worth it but could be pricey for some; this is the price you must pay for niche games, but I am glad to report that this game is very polished, runs great, 60fps never drops, very light on the system, no crashes.”
    • “Synthetik is not the easiest game out there and it's definitely not bug free, but it's fun enough to forget about bugs.”
    • “The game has a severe memory leak issue that causes frequent freezes and stutters, with no available fix despite troubleshooting attempts.”
    • “The game is just a buggy mess, with weapon and item shops not appearing, crashes, extremely dark rooms until disabling 'high quality lighting', random desync and disconnect issues, hitboxes extending far beyond models causing missed hits, and quest-related bugs causing important objectives not to spawn.”
    • “The multiplayer experience is very unstable and buggy; the host's camera often gets stuck on 90% of deaths, making certain boss fights unplayable due to game freezes when the boss reaches a specific health threshold.”
  • humor
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is often described as chaotic, absurd, and amusing, with funny moments arising from gameplay mechanics like quirky reloads, unexpected item synergies, and comical deaths. The in-game community and general chat also add a layer of lightheartedness and enjoyable banter. While the humor isn't overtly clever or narrative-driven, it complements the intense, fast-paced action and creates entertaining experiences for players.

    • “However, most importantly, it has a game-wide general chat which is hilarious.”
    • “Have fun and goof around with some cool and often hilarious people while you're chilling in the main menu.”
    • “The artstyle is incredibly sleek, the movement and combat is refreshingly deep and satisfying, the random mechanics are hilarious and the community is incredible.”
  • optimization
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is mixed: it runs smoothly on mid-to-high-end and older low-spec PCs with generally good frame rates and visuals, but performance issues such as stuttering, occasional freezes, and crashes persist, especially on lower-end hardware and in certain levels or multiplayer modes. While recent updates have improved stability and fixed many bugs, several players still experience frustrating lag spikes and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, making the experience uneven across different setups.

    • “Performance: plays smoothly, even on aged or low-end hardware.”
    • “The game is optimized to even run with fine frame-rate on older machines.”
    • “Update 16 has dramatically increased performance and fixed a huge number of crashes/issues that have managed to sneak in update-to-update.”
    • “The game stuttering on Synthetik is more severe than Elden Ring and BL3 at this point; it is truly unplayable.”
    • “Performance wise it runs very, very well on decent machines but performance on old laptops and underpowered by modern standards computers is very lacking, with many people reporting 50-60 fps and lower.”
    • “There are some issues here: in some levels, for unexplained reasons, the game seems to have heavy stuttering, skipping frames consistently every few seconds, impairing the gameplay; this problem always resolves when the level is cleared and transitioning to the next.”
  • grinding
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding in this game is extensive and can feel tedious, often requiring many hours to level up classes and unlock skills, with progression heavily reliant on repetitive play and RNG. While some find the grind rewarding and integral to mastering mechanics and enjoying the roguelite experience, others note it can become frustrating and time-consuming, especially for players with limited time or preference for faster pacing. Overall, grinding is a core but polarizing aspect that deeply shapes gameplay enjoyment.

    • “And then there's the massive grind of character progression, which means you will start on hard mode and won't get out of it until several hours of grinding, then there's the prestige bonus, then there's the clear bonuses for the alternate modes (which require a fat chunk of metacurrency to even attempt)...”
    • “Really entertaining till you notice each class takes 20 hours to max, just so you have to reset its progression and go back to level 1 in order to unlock the final skill, before grinding it all up again.”
    • “The game also is grindy, and players in the main menu's chat who've played for 10,000 hours and have nothing else in their lives will tell ya - play 220% difficulty!”
  • emotional
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews of the game's emotional aspects are mixed, with some players appreciating the community engagement, nostalgic buddy-cop vibes, and wholesome multiplayer experiences. However, others criticize certain mechanics as detracting from simple fun, describing them as frustrating or poorly executed, which can diminish emotional investment. Overall, the emotional resonance varies greatly depending on player expectations and gameplay experiences.

    • “It's genuinely heartwarming to have any developer actively talk to the community and individuals.”
    • “What a wholesome experience.”
    • “Playing this with my best friend and it totally made me feel like we were in an 80s cyber buddy cop film.”
  • atmosphere
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its immersive cyberpunk and sci-fi industrial vibe, driven by sharp visuals, engaging sounds, and a fitting soundtrack. Its detailed sound design and gameplay mechanics effectively enhance the tension and strategy in combat, creating a memorable and authentic experience. Overall, the atmosphere complements the demanding gameplay, making it both fun and satisfying despite some minor music customization limitations.

    • “Sound design, visuals, atmosphere, gameplay quirks, progression, enemy design, and music are all on point.”
    • “The mechanics can be difficult to adjust to, such as ejecting a spent magazine before reloading or gun jamming, but they combine well into an atmosphere that has you considering your approach in every gunfight.”
    • “Overall, Synthetik is perfect if you're looking for a demanding game with a great atmosphere.”
  • monetization
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features no microtransactions or gacha mechanics, providing a fair and gameplay-focused progression system. However, it incorporates numerous complex metagame elements like daily rewards, quests, and various bonuses, which some players find overwhelming or confusing. Despite the absence of direct monetization, users note heavy advertising for the sequel and an aggressive push toward in-game promotions that can feel intrusive.

    • “No microtransactions of any kind.”
    • “There are no microtransactions or anything like that, and the XP/skill unlock system is very fair and allows you to learn as you go, so it actually serves a gameplay purpose.”
    • “Unique characters and loads of weapons to get, and no microtransactions.”
    • “All of that would be... a 'they may fix it' variable, if they didn't flood this first game with microtransactions on a game you already purchased, and ads for the second game. The second game looks like a copy/paste of this game, but with better UI.”
    • “Indie-quality game, triple-A monetization and money-begging.”
    • “Great game but I think developers are trying a bit too hard for advertisement.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is praised for its engaging design and integration with gameplay, offering players progression through unlocking new gear, perks, and levels. It complements the fast-paced action and enhances the overall experience without overcomplicating the plot.

    • “Character development includes unlocking new gear and perks, gaining levels, and engaging in a lot of shooting and action.”
    • “The game offers interesting character design alongside fast-paced gameplay and extensive customization.”
    • “It has everything desired: 'gun porn,' fast-paced gameplay, and compelling character design.”
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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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32h Median play time
102h Average play time
8-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 62 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Synthetik is a tactical shooter game.

Synthetik is available on PC, Windows and Gog Com.

On average players spend around 102 hours playing Synthetik.

Synthetik was released on March 15, 2018.

Synthetik was developed by FlowFireGames.

Synthetik has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Synthetik is a single player game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Nuclear Throne, Colt Canyon, Roboquest, Star of Providence, Nova Drift and others.