PlayStation VR2 exclusive Synapse might be the best nDreams game yet - but even though it's insanely fun it's still missing a few key components. REVIEW KEY PROVIDED BY DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
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I genuinely cant express how grateful I am for your work Bryan. I mean it when I say you are my go-to when it come to reviews. You say what no one else is willing to and for that I am thankful. Thank you for being you when it comes to creation and sticking to your gut. Can't wait to play this!!
Thanks, I really appreciate hearing this. There are so many trolls out there that are ready to shit on my hard work without having ever played the game. I put a LOT of time and effort into these videos so I'm glad most people are enjoying them
@@WithoutParole It's nice to see some unbiased and fair reviews from someone who absolutely loves VR and knows that VR needs to sell a lot of games if we want to see some more complete games rather than short tech showcasing games that ask you to play through game 3 times stretch content.
@@conkerlive101 you hit on something big I used to get yelled at a LOT about. When I criticized Arizona Sunshine (and plenty of other titles) at launch I got so much hate mail from other KZheadrs, viewers, and even developers that all said "YOU CAN'T BE THIS CRITICAL IF YOU WANT VR TO SUCCEED!" --- which I've never cared about or agreed with. Without Parole is a small channel and if VR never blows up and the channel remains small I'll be totally fine with that "D
I second this comment a fantastic channel I always leave the video feeling informed and satisfied with the review
We're always impressed and grateful with your considered and honest opinion on our games, Bryan! Thanks for checking out Synapse 💙
I bought your game because of this review, I trust his reviews. Such a polished game. Love it.
Thanks, Bryan! Great informative and fair reviews as always!
Thanks for the review, Bryan! I’ll likely still grab this one, but appreciate you pointing out the flaws.
Most informative of all the Reviews! Thank you Bryan!! Definitely getting with expectations properly in check. We kinda knew going in that nDreams was gonna make a game with not too much depth to it and with that in mind this seems like a lot of game from them really :D
I can’t wait to get my hands on this. Looks great. And great review.
Great review! Excited for this one
Looks great, definitely going to pick this one up. Good stuff Bryan!
It sounds like they maybe should have had 3 different art styles or themes, for infiltration of three different minds. I'm not sure you should have spoiled what happens re the bosses and the final level in this review though. I kind of feel that I don't need to play it now. Maybe that was intentional? A required warning? It kind of puts me off even though you have given the game an 8/10! I may stay away based on my impressions from this review. Which are: 1) It's too easy, so progression is unnecessary. 2) The only challenges are arbitrary, i.e. finish the level in a particular way. 3) theres only one mini boss & here it is! 4) The end sucks, and the story is tacked on. 5) it was a slog to finish it the required three times. ❤
Thanks for the review Bryan. I was kinda feeling sad about pre ordering based on some other reviews but yours gives me hope that I am going to love this game.
Thanks so much, Bryan! I'm not a fan of roguelikes, and the fact that you are overpowered at first it's definitely a plus for me. The design and colors look super stunning and I think I'm gonna get it anyway, despite of the current price. Who knows, maybe they will add some content later on. Thanks again, you're the best. 🙏🏻
Stumbled on your channel sunday after receiving a psvr2 for my birthday. Thank you so much for the content and opinions.
Happy birthday dude! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel! :D
You’re the best Bryan thanks for this review it made me feel a lot better because I watched gamertag vr’s review on it and I was so upset but this made me reconsider buying it still some flaws but better I guess lol and LOVE the late spoiler cover your ears remark I was laughing😂
Awesome. Looking forward to this!!❤
I wonder if they’ll add additional enemy types or levels in the future? I’m excited to try it in a few hours
I bought this back when it came out after watching your review but hadn’t got around to playing it until a couple hours ago. I am having an absolute BLAST! Had to come back and drop a comment just to say this game is fun as hell! I know the game isn’t super long but the rogue like aspect really seems like it adds a lot of replay ability to it. I REALLY hope we see some DLC content added in the future! For anyone questioning if this game is good, I would definitely recommend it, and if you’re on the fence about it maybe wait and catch it on sale. In my opinion it’s worth the full price, but a sale would make it even more worth the buy.
Do you ever get seriously bad unmanageable motion sickness, while playing these types of psvr2 games? I do and I’m undying I should buy this. It just looks fun. Just not sure if it will have crazy replay ability for me. It just reminds me kinda like Returnal, in the simple crazy addictive shooting fun.
@@grahamkelly8662I think most people get used to the motion sickness. Bit like being in an actual race car eventually your body starts to adapt.
So what I'm getting is: "This is the budget Returnal for VR". Sounds cool enough, might grab it. Thanks for the awesome review!
Already bought this. Figured I'd take advantage of the small discount sense I knew this was a day one for me regardless of reviews
Same
Wonderful review Bryan 💗
Great review as always Bryan - but you said you have new vr lenses that negate some of the reprojection for you - what lenses are they? Thx!
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
Played this game for the first time yesterday and have to say I was extremely impressed with the eye tracking for the telekinesis and the weapon loading system it feels very natural and smooth.
I just started playing it a couple hours ago and the eye tracking is crazy! I can’t believe I haven’t seen it implemented in more games like this, or maybe I just haven’t played them, but it’s amazing how well it works! Definitely having alot of fun with this game so far.
@@strangerofthe2067 Not many VR headsets have eye tracking its fairly new its the main reason I bought the PSVR2
@@shadowbanned5164 yeah I’m just surprised there hasn’t been more PSVR2 games that have taken advantage of it yet for how good it seems to work in a game like this one. I’ve been absolutely hooked on this since I started playing it and really hope we get more content added to it in the future.
Thx mate, great review!
Looks really fun - like I’m defo getting this. 10 hrs is ok (the minimum), but yeah it feels like a few small changes would go a long way. This is the best type of indie game - they are always a bit short - but this just looks really fun to play!
Played it first time yesterday and it feels just right to play...Very smooth and natural combat Im really enjoying it....The eye tracking for the telekinesis is a standout feature for me and the mini map system is cool.
Mentioned this on AJ's video, but this just makes me wish we had Control in VR, at least a spin-off so we could experience that amazing place from the inside. It reminds me how huge the gap is between flat games ambition and scale compared to 99% of VR games... Surely hybrid is the only way to overcome this, I wish Sony would incentivise more big studios to at least make side-games to some classic stuff. Feels like that would be manageable and would bridge the gap. I want to play this just to see it but not at the launch price (and where is that demo anyway??)
I think I'll put this on my lil birthday list 😊
Bought this game on sale (it's on sale now!) and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. A real surprise! The combo of shooting plus Vader-style force powers is so much fun. I hope they expand on it with a sequel.
Plot sounds like inception. Cool concept
Hi Bryan, any words on the playtime? How long does it take for a loop? Is there enough motivation for replay? However, thanks for the great review!
The entire game took me over 10 hours to complete. I played pretty conservatively and each run took me around 1h 30m to 1h 45m. To break it down for you - the first run took me 3 attempts. I beat the second run on my first try. And the final run took 2 tries. I still have a couple more challenges to unlock to get the Platinum and that'll probably take another hour or 2. After that I can't imagine there's much of a reason to go back unless you wipe your save and start fresh
@@WithoutParole Thank you for the fast and detailed answer!
Just finished getting the platinum for this game and I want to keep playing it. Superhot made me feel like a ninja and Synapse makes me feel like a telekinetic super ninja hero! Don't sleep on this game peeps.
Playing this now, great game. Really really fun
the plot seemed to be pulled straight from Inception. still looks pretty cool and I'm looking to get it. thanks for the review!
I keep coming back to this game. You have to complete 3 runs to get the full ending. Sure, this game is pretty linear and doesn't have much variety but it's insanely fun!
Great review as always big bro! I wanted to know, can I replace my psvr1 lens? Can you guide me? Thanks ❤
Great to know its worth picking up while the 10% discount is on
10% ain't crap. Lol. I need 30% and greater.
@@MrGamecatCanaveral Honestly lol, 10% is just a few dollars.
Seems like this game could have been much deeper with more enemy types and better boss fights. I really hope we see some AAA games of the quality of Uncharted, Last of us & God of war but I'll take a new Astrobot VR game over anything
My go to reviewer for anything vr
You mentioned new lenses fixing ghosting, what are you referring to?
i had this on pre-order. i have been really enjoying it. i think my only gripe is i feel the telekenenisis works well left and right, but forward/backward motion seems fairly inhibited. I agree that the eye tracking is great for the telekenisis. almost too good as i think i'm expecting my ps5 to read my mind when i think oh i want to pick this up and i'm not looking at it haha. ill say the difficulty is still there (at least for me) i die fairly frequently but i also try to play really hard so i may just be a newbie with this type of game.
Keep upgrading your telekinesis - eventually you'll get Advanced Telekinesis and you'll have full control over the forward/backward motion
@@WithoutParole awesome! i figured it may have something to do with that, but wasn't sure quite yet. Thanks for the tip!
The review I've been waiting for
The crisp frameflow and rate
Switchback was the same price on release, this looks like way more fun for the price👀 Thanks for your thoughts.
did anyone notice that these guys are the only one who talked about the climbing and grab mechanism in the game ? i watched a few reviews and no one mentioned it, not even the way u reload ur gun....... that is why i wait for these people to review a game, the details.
4:00 what new VR lenses? Do you mean some kind of prescription glass type of insert into the headset? Are they separate purchase? (Or just repair/replace?)
I was about to say?
Bryan got prescription inserts. In gamescast last Friday. Bryan said he'd got the ones from Hans VR? But was going to review 3 different makes of prescription lens in the future.
@@CorporateZombi oh cool - cheers! But ok i have to look into that myself then - if he is gonna review - even better...!
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
Im not very good at FPS games. However i found rogue like games are fun because i still feel like im making progress while getting used the the game. I love how Synapse allows for multiple play styles without being overly complex.
Thanks for the review. No ghosting issues, right? Super tempted to jump on this.
Barely noticeable according to other reviews
Thanks for the review. How's the playtime? Heard it was only a few hours which was really putting me off.
Like I mentioned here it took me 10 hours to finish all 3 runs, but if you don't die you could do it in half the time (like AJ). I'll be curious to know how long it takes everyone else! :D
The bad guys sound like deadites. Great review Bryan!!🎉
Groovy
I appreciate your words Bryan
One of the best VR games I have ever played
Aww man, I wish they would have done more on the story side. So basically the entire game are those missions and then it's over!? I would have loved to see a big finale with some plot twist where you are betrayed by your boss, you leave the subconscious world and play one final level in the real world, for some reason going full Neo and being able to use telekinesis in reality as well, causing havoc in the building of your boss and take revenge for the betrayal. It would have been a story twist pushing the game from great to epic. Alas, we don't get it. Damn.
04:01 "new VR lenses" negated reprojection he says. What New VR Lenses is he talking about and where can one get them/install them?
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
At 3:58, you said "I didnt notice any severe blurry or ghosting, although my new VR lens have negated that anyway" Can you expand on that?
☆☆This☆☆
Bryan said he'd got the ones from Hans VR? But was going to review 3 different makes of Lens in the future.
accurate review, but in literally what world could you possibly undermine the work of an indie VR studio by basically implying 35$ is too much for their tireless, and truly solid work... this game is pinnacle indie VR, and i honestly think they deserve twice that, if only because they are working in a very niche space, but passionately developing experiences for enthusiasts like no one else is. Also, there is always the potential for expansion of the experience if there is success. I challenge anyone to go make a game this good in the VR space, and do it for only 35$ a unit...
Only just noticed you can basically rock climb surfaces and hang from the ceilings in this game.
If I ever get a psvr 2 this is the game I’m looking foward to.
I been playing light brigade - seems very similar so idk the powers don’t look AS cool as I’d like
Awesome review, thanks, hon 💖 Sounds like the good is really good, and the bad is only mildly annoying, so this will be worth my time. Still, it's a shame that this sounds like another "almost perfect" from the makers of the less than perfect Perfect. I would say "hopefully they can add a bit more content, new boss fights etc, in some DLC" ... but I've openly criticised nDreams for their reluctance to revisit and support their titles in the past, so I don't hold out a lot of hope for that.
Well, this review just saved me money. This game has been getting a ton of marketing and hype in VR communities that gave me a different impression of the game. I am looking for deeper games with more content so will skip this until it's 50% off.
I'm always happy when I can save someone some money! Thanks for watching! :D
Shout-out from Playstation. I just watched a Playstation release trailer for Synapse... PSVR Without Parole was mentioned in the "quotes." It's probably not the first time... definitely not the last. 👊❤️🔥
PlayStation themselves would never shout us out, especially considering they blacklisted us over a year ago. But yeah, it's really nice that studios like nDreams and Mighty Eyes respect what we do at least :D
Then I give thanks to nDreams and Mighty Eyes. 🙏
What new VR lenses did you get that are so helpful?
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
Are the levels procedurally generated?
I feel like darth vader when i play this game, I'm into it. I can't beat it yet so no points deducted for no final boss yet but I think that was a great point by you. Good review. 8/10 for me, kind of repetitive, scenery a little bland, but the action and that eye tracking force power thing is super cool.
The eye tracking telekinesis is the whole reason I got a PSVR2 and it definitely lives up to the hype in this game...Cant wait for a Star Wars Jedi game for the PSVR2.
Am really torn between this and Hubris, can only afford 1 right now. Love your reviews.
I really loved both but I keep hearing people are having certain problems in Hubris (mostly climbing) that I didn't encounter. So I'd probably go with Synapse and hope Hubris gets patched before you play it :D
“You should be able to take down quite a few levels before ever dying” *me after dying on the first level* “That escalated quickly” 😅
As always great review...nothing that's being released is close to res evil gt7. I have high hope for crossfire Sierra squad Ik res 4 vr will be insane
I'm sorry, did you say Solid Snake and FemShep (yes, I know they both go FAAAAR beyond that, but yeah xD)..... well, I think I'm sold on this game from that and the gameplay you have here.
Yup, I interviewed them both. If you're not a $5+ Patreon supporter keep an eye on the channel early next week and the full interview will be available for free! :D
@@WithoutParole Thats awesome, thank you!
The g-mod VR port that lets you win by chucking AC condenser units at enemies 😆
Your channel filled a very frustrating void of content I was experiencing.. glad you exist and even more glad you put in as much work as you clearly do. Thank you!
Picked up a psvr 2 a couple weeks ago. Played moss 1 and 2, Pavlov, red matter 2, now this. First game I’ve played with reprojection I’ve read about. Wow the eye strain after 30 minutes. Pretty rough. I love the psvr 2. Might have to stay away from repro titles though :/ edit: after laying in bed for an hour and a half, i put a fan in front of me and played for an hour and a half no problem. might have just gotten a headache coincidentally? awesome game though. i'm hooked.
I ended up feeling similar to you about the game. LOVED it BUT just felt a little bare bones. I really wish it wasnt roguelite. I actually need your help!, Ive been stuck on the first boss since day one. I CANNOT beat him. His guns just take WAY to much damage to quick. I even climbed the wall and brought in EVERY explosive barrel I could find. AND I have the extra life upgrade and a freakin grenade launcher! Any tips PLEASE! Does the smg do better maybe?
Question. What vr lenses are you using?
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
@@WithoutParole Cool thanks. My son wears glasses and I'm a little concerned they might scratch the lenses so looking for inserts. Thanks man
What happens when they story is finished? Do you just play it again? Or is there some sort of free roaming single player mode
Once you're done you can keep playing (on any difficulty you choose) and keep unlocking perks - but you should have most unlocked by the time you beat the game anyway. Still fun to run through the game occasionally though
🔥🔥🔥
thnx
Thanks. 5:12 you talk about 3 runs to beat the game. What do you mean ? 3 times the same levels with same enemies ? Based on your 10 hours total, it means the real game is like 3 hours long?
You nailed it. 3 runs, each one harder than the last. It took me three attempts to finish the first run, 1 attempt for the second, and 1 attempt for the last
@@WithoutParole thank you!
you said you had lenses that help with ghosting?
My prescription HonsVR lenses make a huge difference for me. It's only a slight prescription (to the point where I don't need glasses irl) but they make a world of difference in VR. Any blurring/ghosting got reduced significantly --- for me anyway
Good review. Thanks for the heads up about bosses & endgame, will wait for a sale i think.
Has this one got a physical release?. Been pretty limited amount of games for the true believers like myself. Got gt7, re7 and star wars so far but I'm struggling to find games for the psvr2.
nDreams has said they don't have a physical release planned at this time
@@WithoutParole Ok, well made it'll be a hit and they will do some DLC then it'll be worth doing a disc.
Did he say new VR lenses? You can replace the lenses?
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me
Let's gooooooo!!!!
Returnal VR
New lenses?
Given the price and length, it really should have had a multiplayer component added on
No
@@lukebrunker264 yes
NO! And when I say no, I actually mean yes...@@BigFrogg
Any word on if this game is getting a physical release?
nDreams has stated that there's no physical release planned. But who knows, maybe a Limited Run Games type place will pick it up for a limited physical release down the road...
@@WithoutParole thanks for the response! Definitely keeping my eyes on it.
Thanks for the review Bryan. Well I’m definitely waiting for a deep sale. £30 (in my money) seems way too steep for the content offered. I just wish nDreams would take another year developing their games to take them to the next level.
I'm torn on Synapse. My first hour was amazing. The Game-Feel rivals something like Sairento wich is my golden Standard. But it is way to easy. Finished after 5h. Playing through the same Game three times to get the real ending was also weird. The levels are not that big that I think they could not have made more of them. I agree that a big finish is alsoo missing. The Game mechanics have so much potential but sadly it is not untiliesed here. I don't know, perhaps I'm being unfair because I just finished it...
any tips on how to kill the freakin first boss?
The gameplay looks great, but I'm really not a fan of the structure of roguelite games... I pretty much hated The Last Brigade. If it wasn't so expensive I'd give it a chance, but I guess I'll have to wait for a sale.
great review, but maybe consider putting "endgame spoilers" in the title next time.
Hi Bryan!
Sup Tanks!
Pre ordered this game really looking forward 2 it keep up the good work ur channels the greatest!
HOW LONG IS THE GAMEQ
As I mentioned it took me 10 hours to finish all 3 runs, but I'm sure some people will do it much faster
reminds me of like a VR version of Psy Ops. that game was the shit
Damn i loved that game. You've connected the dots for me because im finding Synapse awesome as well.
what up son
sup dad
Not worth the price tag for me will wait for a sale, thanks for making me realize this in the review
You're very welcome! :D
Looks like a good psvr1 game to be honest 🥵
Lack of sliding and such is sad, and only one boss is also . . . guess I'll wait for a sale... lame. Thanks as always sir.
I haven't played but I have to wonder; if the in-game environment is supposed to be someone's mind, why is it always a snowy crag floating in a pile of big, fat nothing? Maybe I'm spoiled by Psychonauts but I'd figure people's minds would look... Personal.
Wave shooter used to be the main vr game type. Now it's rogue like. I believe in the near future players will demand games with more levels with substance and normal save points. Please players get tired of rogue games like many did with wave shooters. I heard it was about a 3 to four hour game. For me its way overpriced.
You didn't hear 3-4 hours from me so believe what you want Rick! :D
@@WithoutParole I heard that from other content Creators. They probably mean if you just push through the game. I myself have spent longer in a 3 or 4 hour game. I'm not saying it's not a good value for others if that's how they feel. For me it's way overpriced being a rogue game.
I'm glad you figured that out before wasting your money on something that isn't for you for! :D
Not gonna lie conflicted on this one. Yeah its only $35. The visuals and game mechanics both seem like a must experience. But damn another 3hr or so rogue like?playstation rewards points it is 😅 I hope that sony realizes we want full games with around 10hrs of gameplay. Its fine to have smaller studios make games like this. But give us more full story driven experiences as well. Even if its just ports of older AAA games. I think the port of Bulletstorm is ingenius. It more than likely doesnt cost the studio as much to port this type of game and with it being an older title, its probably less intense on the ps5 hardware.
YEAH, SAME BOAT. this seems more like a demo so i just changed my mind. the reason(s) i bought a PSVR2 was for EXCLUSIVE games i couldn't get anywhere else, utilizing the FEATURES (eye tracking, head haptics) etc, dont like rougelights but to support them, ill give it a chance.
I do like these games but yea, these games would be even better being supplemented by strong AAA support. RE4 VR seems to be the next one but VR really needs some bigger games, it's the only way people are gonna buy it
£29! Nah, pioneer endless journey is free and fabulous. Still, that's on Quest and Pico, not sure about PlayStation not checked. I only play RE Village on PSVR2
anyone know what new lenses he was talking about?
My new prescription HonsVR lenses. They slip on top of your normal PSVR2 lenses so you don't need contacts or glasses when you play VR. My prescription isn't strong at all and I don't wear glasses irl - but even a slight prescription made a world of difference for me