Synapse TEST: master the power of telekinesis with this PSVR 2 exclusive

THE PlayStation VR 2 is a PS5 accessory that manages to immerse players in explosive virtual worlds. Inevitably, the owners of the beast are only waiting for one thing, the arrival of new exclusives. So the baby nDreamsknown as Synapse, is born. For several months, the developers have promised a title exploiting the characteristics of the helmet of Sony Interactive Entertainment… Is this really the case? We have dissected this production, it’s time to tell you about it!

The art direction is nice.

First, let’s talk about the obvious point, the graphics. Here, we are immersed in a universe where the rock dominates. The environments are in black and white, and resemble each other (more or less) over the course of the experience. Why propose a title in monochrome? Certainly to avoid disturbing our neurons too much. And for good reason, various materials can be targeted with our eyes and controlled with the pads. During these phases, a pinkish color appears on the desired objectto make it clear to us what we are doing. In a colorful world, that would be disturbing…

Rather pleasant point, the game is fluid, we did not notice any drop in frame rate. However, small visual flaws are present, such as the clipping ; textures arise without warning, as well as certain elements in the decorations. Beyond that, the art direction is friendly overall and this “dark” side makes it possible to highlight the enemies and our actions which intensify with red tints in the image. This contrast is very pleasant!

And the sound in all this? We hear opponents from all sides, 360°. Thus, we strain our ears to understand the location of an enemy in order to flush it out, surprise it and eliminate it. Our esgourdes are therefore put to use to chase away the naughty rascals. The sound effects are well done, while the voiceovers are in English only. For those who are stuck with Shakespeare’s language, you have to lower your retinas to read subtitles. Too bad not to have offered French voices to enjoy total immersion!

Of course, what interests us here is the gameplay. As you understood, we can use our eyes to select something specific. I‘Eye Tracking is therefore part of the party! It is then enough to look at a utensil and then lift it by telekinesis. Ditto when we want to unlock a skill via an adequate tree, we ogle a skill with our peepers to obtain it, in addition to manipulation using the joystick. It’s a pleasure and it’s very practical!

It’s simply enjoyable, we feel like we’re there!

To move an object by “thought” we must use our left hand. Every movement we make lifts, pushes and/or pulls a body. Only black point on the board: the lack of precision. Various passages do not leave us time to breathe and certain gestures that we perform are not understood by the helmet. Result ? We flee or we shoot with our weapon while taking cover rather than massacring everything with our power… When it’s calmer, we chain totally delirious actions, like running over a soldier with a huge crate while popping a bomb. In short, no doubt that it will be refined over time via patches, at least, we hope.

In addition, we have the possibility of taking shelter by placing our hand on a wall. Moreover, our paws are also used for climbing anywhere. A small cliff, a rock, a pillar, grab anything and everything to reach heights and analyze the place. Besides, we can pop up a mini map in our palm to check an opponent’s position or surrounding bonuses (provided you have unlocked the ability).

Regarding the weapons, it lacks variety. Let’s say we have the classic around, namely pistol, submachine gun, shotgun or even grenade launcher. Funny thing, the functionalities of PSVR 2Sense are involved. Indeed, the triggers adapt and harden more or less according to the trigger. Haptic feedback makes us feel the recoil of a weapon. The more powerful it is, the more the vibrations are amplified. A real treat ! But wait, that’s not all, the helmet also shakes to immerse us as it should in this psychedelic universe. Indeed, when we receive a ball, the PSVR 2 gently shakes. During an explosion, he is shaking violently. It’s simply enjoyable, we feel like we’re there!

In Synapse, we embody an agent who has the ability to penetrate the minds of his enemies. Some Col. Peter Conrad intends to launch a devastating offensive in the world. That’s why we need to get inside his mind and find out what he’s actually up to. The scenario is really boat and is a pretext to launch us into a game of shoot wacky and monochromatic.

Synapse is an original production that makes great use of PlayStation VR 2.

Note that the game is based on replayability. We must eliminate enemies to move to a new area; there are only 9 to explore. The more we progress, the more the difficulty increases. New soldiers appear, as well as bosses… In other words, it is almost impossible to finish the title in one go, we must imperatively die to progress, thereafter, with ease. And for good reason, during our killings, we complete challenges that allow us to obtain skill points. These then give the ability to unlock new powers, obtain weapons and improve our abilities.

As you will have understood, it is essential to boost your character to become a real war machine. So how long did it take us to finish the beast? Between 5 and 6 hours or so to die and start again to reach the end of the tunnel ; trigger experts will finish it much faster. You can then go back there to acquire all the skills, but once you reach a certain level, our hero is so powerful that the game can quickly become boring. There is one thing we regret all the same, that a cooperative multiplayer mode is not included. Training feet with a friend in such a universe would have been crazy. Too bad for the moment…

Synapse is an original production which marvelously exploits the PlayStation VR 2. Sincerely, the title could have been a technological showcase for the launch of the helmet. The game is fine, fluid and neat, and the grip is really well thought out. Immersion is total thanks to haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and vibrations on the head. I’Eye Tracking is really the highlight of this experience since our eyes naturally focus on coveted objects to tame them. But here, in spite of everything, there is a certain monotony in the progression, the weapons are not numerous, the telekinesis can lack precision from time to time, and the enemies are not very varied in the end. In short, it lacks a little more fat and consistency to rip our jaws out, but we still had a pleasant time in the head of the Col. Peter Conrad.

Synapse is worth € 35.99 on the PlayStation Store, you can buy a €40 PSN card on Amazon to get the title on the Sony store.