SYNTHETIK 2

Game is an absolute mess. The non beta runs like an alpha, the public beta runs like a pre alpha proof of concept. Performance is terrible, single player balance is nonexistant, controller support feel like a far cry from even the first Synthetik. Barely functioning menus, smudgy unreadable graphics with overproduced particle systems and post processing that only serve to turn this into another dingy blur of a '20s game. I can run Synthetik 1 at 144fps at 4k on a legion go. It has functional controller input and really enjoyable single player balance. It has a beautiful style that holds up today. Everything is readable even in the heat of combat without a hint of framedrop. Now the devs are trying to feature bloat the hell out of an already rotting corpse of a game by adding useless systems like a base building mechanic that only serves to be a slower, barely usable, time wasting menu. The developer can obviously do whatever they want and their vision for the game is valid, but I cannot in any way recommend this pile of slop. Synthetik is a fraction of the cost with an exponential amount of meaningful content that respects your time and runs brilliantly. It's in my top 15 games, I really consider it a masterpiece. Synthetik 2 feels like it's an absolute insult to the spirit of the original and everything it adds serves only to tarnish the game at every turn. I really wish the dev went with extending the first game's engine to add more content or modding or something, anything other than what we're currently getting with Synthetik 2. Stay far away and go play the still brilliant and beautiful Synthetik 1.

Here we are, coming up on 4 years after an initial alpha release. When synthetik 2 started it was much slower than synthetik 1, items were all passive effects, and gunplay was primarily based on standing around. Every update brings it closer to synthetik 1, which begs the question why make a second one at all? Gunplay is worse in almost every way, and though there's variety, many weapons fail to even perform as well as the starting pistols. Burst weapons are *heavily* favored to the point of comedy. Even on escalation 1 you'll run out of ammo frequently on everything that's not a 3-shot burst. It seems like the developer wanted to build a slow, strategic game where you manage deviation and recoil, and damage types for every gun, but nothing about the actual gameplay actually facilitates this vision. Sometimes it can be fun. But then you'll crash with no way to go back to a run. Give this one a pass for now. Go play synthetik 1.

Several years into early access and I still wouldn't recommend Synthetik 2 to anyone. I don't understand why indie devs have this obsession with repackaging their games as 3D unity slop. At LEAST reach feature parity first. The original game was really shaping up and there was no reason to abandon it.

After having this game for almost 2 years, with the latest U15 test build, I can strongly recommend this game to the fans the the original SYNTHETIK and roguelike fans. The movement is less floaty but I feel like it doesn't feels as grounded as the OG game. The combat is very flashy and satisfying, complemented by the loud metallic gunfire (many modern games shy from this for whatever reason) and the banger new and returning soundtracks. The art style also have been elevated with this 3D iteration while still hold the essence of the first game, the devs clearly very talented and very proud of their works with the graphics, from UI to the icon pictures for every items and effects Strongly recommended 8/10 goated game

Totally revamped and overhauled the entire game as of a day or two ago, and it is AMAZING. Almost all the negative reviews were before this patch. It's great now!

The most pure gameplay shooter out there. After 25 years of gaming, this is all can play now - and i like it. The roque like random madness makes you wanna play again and again.

I like this this game and the new direction it is taking A fun coop and solo option if you like something rather challenging but not filled to the brim with mechanics that require from you full attention to have any chance at winning If you are coming for more Synthetik 1 you will not get it here, while it uses the same basis it is ultimately different

I just can't bring myself to like this game. Clearly a step up from the first game in terms of graphics and atmosphere. However the gameplay has me wondering if they're trying to do something new with the franchise or re-do what they've learned with Synthetik 1. ESPECIALLY with the sounds being reused from the first game. It doesn't hit the same when I get mythic items anymore or go on rampages with LMGs. I'd appreciate a brand new soundscape if I want to go on a white knuckle ride as you're gliding through the enemies all the way until you make one mistake costing your run. And it doesn't help that the game crashes randomly. Yes yes I know this is early access but bare in mind it's been YEARS since it entered early access. Everything in early access is meant to give you access to the game before it's fully released. But if the state of the game has me wondering if the devs bit of more than they can chew. I wish the Synthetik crew all the best if they reach 1.0 and beyond but it feels like it needs more time before then. If you're new to this series, I would have to say enjoy the first game before considering the sequel. Praise Zir

At this point, I'm convinced the best parts of Synthetik 1 were accidental. Skip this and play the original.

Respect the developers for their continued investment into the game. First game was a joy to play but I truly think this game is a worthy successor withe the continued updates.

Performance issues on both low and high end devices, borderline unplayable for a fast-pace game.

While i still consider first game better and this game still has path to go for improvement i can recomend this game. -it is fun , fast paced tight controls and gameplay -feel of the game -there are not that many cyberpunk games , and "drone operator" as game is not something we seen before but also is very relevant to "current world events" -prize is more then fair , even at full prize , this game offers lots fun and content , id even argue the prize "is too low" who i rarely do , it could easily be 5$ more and i still would consider it "worth it" -every game who has coop gets bonus points -lots replayability , while current game is still WIP and lots unlocks are still vip/new content soon , its as for even right now quite repayable The less nice: -I feel that music could use some improvement , but honestly first game was "masterpiece" in music department so i not feel too bad that its not as good. - i could make list longer here but honestly aside from "waiting for more updates" and "bugs" most of it is not worth mentioning Final score for "current game" Solid 8/10 This is jugment based on "current game" you can play now i dont rewiew "what could be" or "what will be added later"

I still prefer the fast pace and (relative) readability of the first game, but 4 player co-op is pretty awesome. I think that with a few balance patches and stability touch-ups though, that this may be the perfect competition to the first game's unique gameplay and experience.

would like to see more classes, but still good variety as is. gun jamming is too often on normal/default difficulty.

As per the newest version, they've ditched the the simple panels that used to delineate your options at the beginning of the game, and now you're instead dropped in a barren army base, with different tents standing as the locations to choose the specifics of your next run. I thought the style before was quite clean and simple, but It's hardly a make or break thing for a game to have a "good menu", and it serves the part about cleanly enough. The incredible color palette serves to wrap the world in neon contrast, and the new look that made it a departure from the first synthetik seems to be growing in into its shoes. That said, the first Synthetik looked fantastic in its own right. The heart of the game, and the thing that made the first installment so incredible, is still the variety and harmony between the myriad guns, upgrades, and items that makes it so that no two runs are exactly alike. The different loadout options between classes stands to make your approach to each run feel varied as different strategies unfold. In that way, the DNA that made the first so great is certainly alive and strong in this installment. I can heartily recommend you check this out, particularly if you're a fan of the first.

What the heck is up with this new update? Who asked for this dumb menu system, these unnecessary, terrible voice-overs? What happened to the good music?!?!?!?! Houston, we have a problem, this is not the game I want!!!!!!!!

Update 15 is 1 step forward 3 steps back. Something is NOT right when you change graphics from everything low to everything high and your FPS counter stays the same. I don't care for the new base system and the new UI. Does it add to the core gameplay? As far as I can tell, no. It's just a new skin for the main menu that lags and causes more time to be wasted. New guns are always appreciated. Bosses and enemies are receiving updates and polish. Music is still good. Sound Design is still top notch quality. There's work being done, but I'm not going to be noticing them when I lose a run to stutters (literally half second frame delays) from a memory leak of some kind.

Was okay but the development has been a mess and they change so much every other update its mainly same in name only, it doesn't feel good, the visuals are gross and cluttered, random shit catches your feet so you get stuck, a massive down grade from the first one. i had high hope but they need to fix their shit, and give you the option to turn off the grating voice in the less than great homescreen/start menu level

To date, I've sunk about 2,000 hours into Synthetik: Legion Rising (S1). When I heard about Synthetik 2 (S2), regardless of early access status, I was pretty darn enthused. I have played the normal/base version, and I have now tried the latest beta release. It is actually painful to say, but none of these versions of S2 has been able to hold a candle to S1. I don't know if a disproportionate amount of development time has been spent on graphics and VFX, or just where things started to derail in general. In short, the fundamental and very tightly-knit rhythm of S1 just feels almost or entirely absent here in S2. To be clear, at no point was I hoping for or expecting the sequel to be some re-skin that's been enhanced and expanded in superficial ways. It's clear that the devs have a much different and more elaborate vision for S2, and I think that's great. It just doesn't appear to be panning out that way, and from the dev updates provided in the most recent release, I no longer think that things will end up cohering in a positive or enjoyable way. The underlying issues, as I see them, do not appear to be things that could be addressed in the span of a couple of updates. I'll try to outline below the different aspects of design, gameplay, and user-experience (as they are, and as they compare to S1) that I like, but primarily for the ways that I think they detract from S2. And, for context, I have played both S1 and S2 almost entirely on a steam deck. I will try to avoid criticisms relating to a lack of sufficient controller support or possible issues stemming from updates addressing steam deck compatibility. That said, I much prefer S1 on steam deck, so the issues are increasingly glaring. -------------------------------------------- PRE-GAMEPLAY/MENUS: in the beta, the game no longer launches directly into a main menu, but instead, a "base of operations" where your human character is now required to run to different buildings to either change classes/setups, to launch into a normal mission or co-op, or to explore a construction system that for me at least, is bugged (or not yet implemented), and provides no purpose to return. In older versions of S2, the main menu was a little confusing with how options were titled, but getting into the action was cleaner and more straightforward. I don't think you have any options when it comes to applying power tokens or assigning weapons to be found in weapon shops throughout runs, like you could in S1. IN-GAME UI/MENUS: the clean and concise design of S1's android stats, weapon stats, item descriptions, etc. are kind of retained. At least with my current controller setup, I have to open the map/menu, and switch to the weapon or android pages to see or do anything- including applying upgrade kits- which feels like a much clunkier version than hitting X and having a menu pop-up as in S1. This weapons page now shows you the damage across different ranges. Though, again, thinking back to S1, where you can view different hitpoint multipliers, read a brief description of ammo types and ammo variants, and do all of this without a large menu overlay that obstructs too much of your vision, this three-step process to apply an upgrade kit is a good microcosm for added bloat and often seemingly arbitrary placement of different UI elements. Additionally, there are weapon perks which I think are separate from the pros/cons of a given weapon variant. I appreciate that you can better understand these new complexities, as they are certainly more in-depth than S1's "ammo printing" variants, for example. It does seem very random, though, what perks are present on any given weapon you pickup, but almost always, you're not going to notice any differences from these elements. It ultimately feels like additional text that fills the screen. A MASSIVE issue that has only been present in the beta (I think) is that the in-game map no longer shows any chests, shops, or shrines. Only pickups. Which might decide to despawn before you can go track them down. A number of these will inevitably blend in with dead/destroyed enemy parts as they physics themselves in place, such as the currency pickups. UPGRADES: in S1, while there were absolutely a number of objectively better weapon attachments- ignoring the gold ones, and I'm looking down at you, barebone allocator- the changes conferred from most attachments felt immediately noticeable. I cannot say the same with S2. Just as with the android upgrade terminals you find in S2, the weapon upgrade terminals and shops provide what feel like very incremental bonuses. I don't remember it being the case before the beta that I would find nearly as many weapon chests as I do now. So, even if you find a much beefier weapon on the second floor of your run, there's a significant chance you find a preferred alternative before the arma chamber. I know this is a result of my choice to use upgrade kits, but I repeatedly feel like I'm wasting these kits on weapons I want or need to discard to survive in a way that was less frequent in S1. Overall, though, the abundance of these numerical and incredibly incremental upgrades to character and weapons both just do not give the same unstoppable power-curve feeling that I found and enjoy when playing S1. WEAPONS/AMMO: most of the weapons feel inaccurate, and plainly worse. There is often a divide between weapons I find in S2, where some are the only one I need to plow through, while others feel incredibly under-powered or just finicky. I know that with many of the starting weapons in S1, you could run them beyond the arma chamber, even if you had less than ideal upgrades. From my most recent run with heavy gunner, I kept receiving these dinky ARs, and got wiped pretty quickly after the first boss. I am very aware that the rogue-like randomness aspects are core components of both S1 and S2. While I am much better with S1's gunplay and mechanics, there are almost no weapons that I would consider devoid of utility. The ability to brute force your way through, relying on making tactical risks, it is (deliberately?) very dampened here in S2. The supposed powerhouse weapons in S2, such as any of the low-capacity high-damage SRs, or most specialist weapons (e.g. disc launcher, rocket launchers), even these can hardly compete with the low-tier, weak ARs. Most of the starter weapons here in S2 just feel lacking. Re: ammo types, for the wildly larger number of ammo types available in S2 compared to S1, I think I find on average a single ammo variant, once, every five runs or so. There is none of S1's cross-compatibility (you find a hollow-point AR, you get flechettes, etc.). AFAIK, you can acquire an ammo variant from specific upgrade terminals, and lord help you if you unknowingly opened it while holding your Shooty or something. I am also unsure if it's possible to read about the effects of different types of base ammo, let alone the 3-6+ variants per ammo type. The differences between variants of the same ammo type are almost impossible to notice as well. And, perhaps, the biggest offense on top of all of this, would have to be the SFX for each weapon. Sure, S1's medic FMG sounded like piddling rain, but by design. In S2, the sound design is way, way underbaked. ENEMIES/BALANCE: this is getting really long, and I'm close to the character limit. There are a lot of enemies, and it is very unclear to me why some enemies have arbitrarily massive health pools. Your ability to just shoot more to overcome shields/armor as with S1 is tuned way down. Nice variety, but the low visibility of most enemies due to the perspective/scale means that hitting weakpoints can and will feel like a crap shoot. And, most or all bosses just feel bad to fight :( I still have a lot more I'd like to say, but you get the idea. My impression is that S2 is far weaker in ways S1 was not, and in the new things S2 brings, almost all fall short, for me. Good ideas, poor implementation.

The game is incredible, don't let the recent negative reviews fool you, they're made mainly by people salty from the time it took to release the latest update. Granted it's been more than a year (you could play the alpha branch for months now though), but the work done by the devs is phenomenal with a complete rework of most systems and the engine upgraded to a new version. It's also very close to release now in its state. About the game itself : it's a great roguelite with tons of content, where you can cook gamebreaking builds ala Binding of Isaac, with a super satisfying gunplay and coop for more fun with friends. Easily one of my favorite roguelites.

Feature creep ruined this amazing game, we waited SIXTEEN GODDAMN MONTHS, just so the game could both run and function worse overall, brilliant work there clowns! A simple to use, normal menu like that found in SYNTHETIK, replaced by this god-awful top down character hub where random NPC's won't stop running their mouths at you. Oh, and there was no way to just use my mouse to shut the damn thing off, so I had to alt tab out, wonderful design there Devs! [h1] 16 YEARS WELL SPENT FOR SURE! [/h1]

After Update U15 grand operations, Synthetik 2 has really come into its own. S2 has some of the *best* roguelike mechanics of any of its peers. The cycle of movement, shooting, reloading, and ability use all come together to make for an intense and stressing moment. And the roguelike mechanics feel fair enough where you can still prepare for a specific playstyle, through the use of probability tokens ton increase the RNG chance for items to drop. All in all, a wonderful successor to one of the best indie Roguelikes. Can't wait to see what else is in stock!

It's a good top down shooter, and the roguelite gameplay aspect works great

I loved the first one and am giving a tentative thumbs up for this new major update. Will potentially change in the future, but I have high hopes for this.

The gunplay here is solid but this game feels like a step back from Synthetik 1 in a lot of ways. It may get there some day but this game has been in development for many years now and it doesn't feel like the game is consistently improving from one update to the next. For now I'd recommend waiting for full release then re-evaluating or just go back and play Synthetik 1 if you haven't before.

If you played Synthetik 1, Its like that. Nuff said. My favorite roguelike.

Banger update was worth the wait

Q U A L I T Y GA ME P LA Y QUAL ITYGA M E buy buy buy

Game good.

multiplayer when

wtf are the devs doing

Excellent game

Great gunplay

AMAZING