Synapse PSVR2 review – An utterly mesmerizing roguelite making full use of Sony’s rig

Synapse is a truly exhilarating shooter bolstered by an intriguing narrative, a handful of addictive roguelite hooks, and some masterful implementation of PSVR2’s unique features. While it may not be a mainstream system seller, it’s a must-play title for those who own Sony’s new hardware.

Die and die again. It’s a loop we’ve seen countless times over in the gaming industry in recent years as roguelikes and roguelites become more prominent. Lose your progress upon faltering but embrace key learnings along the way to help get that one step further on your next run.

Taking what works best in the highly addicting genre, Synapse throws you into the midst of some uniquely stylized FPS action that takes full advantage of the PSVR2 rig. Through its exceptional game design, moment-to-moment gameplay becomes all but hypnotic as you rush through stages in a ‘flow state’, taking down foes with not just the weapons in your hands, but the powers in your mind too.

While it still has some minor shortcomings with an overall lack of variety and some progression quirks, it’s nonetheless a thrilling adrenaline rush that no PSVR2 owner should pass up.

Synapse – Key details

• Price: $34.99 USD | £29.99 | $53.95 AUD
• Developer: nDreams
• Release date: July 4, 2023
• Platforms: PlayStation 5 (PSVR2)

Synapse trailer

A must-play PSVR2 shooter

After a brief introduction you’re quickly thrown into the hectic loop of Synapse. Much like other roguelite greats before it, here you’ll find a number of stages to clear in each run, all with their own randomized variables in play. The further you make it, the harder things get.

Starting with just a standard pistol and a limited batch of ammo, your goal is to take down a set number of enemies in each stage to progress. While you can make it through the opening levels with just your handy sidearm, you’ll need a number of key upgrades to have any hope of clearing later arenas as the difficulty ramps up drastically.

These upgrades come in the form of more powerful weapons like Shotguns and SMGs, but also through a batch of unique perks. Upon clearing a stage, you’re given a choice between one of two power-ups. These help to define your playstyle for that particular run as you can lean into perks that benefit your weapon at that point in time.

Looking to deal more damage up close with your Shotgun? There’s a perk for that. Rather knock enemies back with well-placed pistol rounds? There’s a perk for that as well. And making it all the more sweet, each weapon and each ability also comes with multiple tiers to advance, allowing you to grow more powerful throughout a given run, without having to pivot your entire build along the way.

FPS fundamentals are absolutely stellar in Synapse. Gunplay feels expertly refined, hit detection is fantastic, kills are endlessly satisfying, and enemy variety keeps you on your toes through each playthrough. The cover system is also superb here too, as you can effectively use any bit of terrain as makeshift cover, blocking your body from incoming fire while peeking out to land potshots when it’s safe. In a clever move, you can even use the environment to reload, smacking your pistol down into the side of a stone wall to jam the next magazine in.

Though while it makes for a great shooter in its own right, where Synapse truly comes alive is with its phenomenal use of PSVR2’s eye-tracking capabilities.

Eye-tracking implemented to perfection

Other games have certainly attempted to showcase the power of PSVR2’s eye-tracking since its arrival, whether it be through Horizon’s menus or Rez Infinite’s aiming, but none have found a way to effectively implement it quite like Synapse.

Here, the totally optional feature feels like a vital element that immerses you in the action on a whole different level.

Just by looking at objects in the environment, you’ll see their color change. By first highlighting them with your eyes, you’re then able to manipulate them through the Sense controllers. Picking up crates to remove enemy cover, lifting a platform as you ascend to new heights, or even snatching grenades out of the air and flinging them back the other way, advanced maneuvers all become near-automatic thanks to the exceptional use of eye-tracking.

After getting your bearings, you quickly feel like a god among men, sprinting through the most chaotic battlefields, looking every which way, throwing explosives, launching targets off their feet, and altering the environment as you please. It’s an unending joy and something players just have to experience themselves to fully comprehend on a visceral level.

It would be so easy for something like this to fall apart. On paper, it sounds exciting, but in practice, any given hiccup could ruin the flow. Yet Synapse pulls it off flawlessly. It’s the most seamless execution of eye-tracking I’ve experienced thus far and the single best implementation in a game design sense as well.

Lacking variability & minor progression setbacks

While Synapse is an absolute treat for the most part, that’s not to say there’s no room for improvement. Where it ultimately struggles is in its limitations.

After just a few runs, you’ll begin to notice the lack of variety on display in more ways than one. Stages all remain the same, meaning you’ll soon know every twist, turn, and enemy spawn point. Just four weapons gives you a restricted arsenal. But arguably the biggest factor is the lack of distinct perks and upgrades.

It can feel rather light on the roguelite side when after just a few hours, you’ve all but seen everything on offer. Not to say that a VR game of this quality needs to be endlessly replayable like a Hades or a Binding of Isaac, for instance. But a little extra depth would certainly go a long way, and perhaps through future DLC we might see the pool of options expand.

Furthermore, how you go about acquiring new permanent upgrades outside of runs can also feel a little restricting. By completing a set of challenges, you’ll earn upgrade points that are then used to boost your health, improve store items, or buff your eye-tracking powers.

However, the nature of these challenges often requires you to play in a certain style. After a handful of lengthy runs, ticking off the basic tasks, the remaining upgrade points can feel quite obtuse to acquire. On one hand, you could spin it as a positive, having to mix up your playstyle. But on the other, when you’ve got a good thing going, it’s not ideal setting out with a worse strategy in mind, purely to tick off a particular challenge.

And as a final point on the limitations of Synapse, for a game with such brilliant combat, it’s a shame there’s no smaller mode to enjoy it in bite-sized doses. A typical run can take 40-60 minutes. Upon dying, it can be tricky committing to another attempt right away knowing how long it’ll take. Even just a bland combat arena or basic survival mode to quickly run around in smaller sessions would be an ideal way to keep players engaged outside of the main path.

When you’re firing on all cylinders, hitting your targets, dodging incoming shots, and wreaking havoc with your eye-tracking-charged mind powers, Synapse is a breathtaking spectacle.

The Verdict – 4 / 5

Owing to its highly polished mechanics and stunning implementation of unique PSVR2 features, you’ll be eager to scratch the itch and get through “one more run” time and time again.

Reviewed on PS5