SYNTHETIK 2 Review Summary

Positive gameplay feedback: Players consistently praise the gameplay, describing it as amazing, fun, enjoyable, and phenomenal. The core gameplay mechanics are solid, and the combat feels rewarding and satisfying.

Game improvements and updates: The game has seen significant improvements and updates since its initial release. Players note that the game is improving, with graphical enhancements and overall better gameplay experiences.

Comparison to Synthetik 1: Players often compare the game to its predecessor, Synthetik 1, noting improvements and differences. Some prefer the new game over the first one.

Diverse and unique classes: The game offers a variety of classes, each with unique gameplay styles and abilities. This diversity adds depth and replayability to the game.

Satisfying weapon mechanics: Weapons in the game are described as satisfying and powerful. The sound and visual effects of the weapons enhance the overall gameplay experience.

UI and technical bugs: The game suffers from numerous UI issues, including bugs, clunky navigation, and poor design choices. Players frequently report bugs related to the UI, menus, and overall technical stability.

Co-op and multiplayer issues: Co-op and multiplayer modes are plagued with stability and connectivity problems. Players experience frequent disconnections, unstable sessions, and overall poor multiplayer performance.

Frequent crashes and performance issues: The game frequently crashes and suffers from performance issues, including stutters, freezes, and frame rate drops. These issues significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Weapon variety and power: Weapons feel weak, underpowered, and lack variety. Players report that weapons are less unique and upgrades need improvement.

Main menu problems: The main menu is glitchy, barely usable, and frustrating to navigate. Players encounter various issues, including performance problems and navigation difficulties.

Diverse class system: The game features a wide variety of character classes, each with unique strengths, abilities, and variants. Players appreciate the dynamic class diversity and the leveling system that enhances gameplay.

Weapon and upgrade variety: Players enjoy the variety of weapons, upgrades, and mods available in the game. The weapon upgrade system is based on weapon classes, adding depth to the gameplay.

Co-op gameplay mode: The game offers a cooperative mode that supports up to 4 players, providing a focused co-op experience that enhances the overall gameplay.

Game progression system: The game features a rogue-lite progression system that allows players to save their progress and continue improving their characters and loadouts.

Addictive and replayable gameplay: The game is highly replayable and offers addictive, action-packed gameplay that keeps players engaged.

Game instability and bugs: The game suffers from various instability issues and bugs, particularly in multiplayer mode. Players report frequent crashes, disconnects, and general bugginess.

Performance and stuttering issues: Many players experience stuttering, FPS drops, and general performance issues. These problems are noted across different hardware setups and can be particularly severe on AMD CPUs.

Multiplayer functionality issues: Multiplayer mode is reported to be barely functional with various stability issues. Players experience disconnects, connection problems, and lobby crashes.

Optimization and polish needed: The game lacks optimization and polish, leading to various performance and stability issues. Players note that the game feels unoptimized and could benefit from improvements.

Graphical and visual effects issues: There are issues related to graphical and visual effects, including flickering, frame drops, and problems with specific settings like DLSS and color filters.

Highly recommended purchase: A significant number of players highly recommend this game, citing it as a worthwhile purchase, especially for fans of tactical shooters and similar games.

Wait before buying: Some players suggest waiting before buying the game, either for improvements, a sale, or the full release.

Recommended for specific fans: The game is recommended for fans of specific genres or previous games, such as Synthetic 1, Enter the Gungeon, and Nuclear Throne.

Avoid due to issues: Some players recommend avoiding the game due to its current issues and suggest sticking to the original game.

Future potential and updates: Players express hope for future updates, more content, and DLCs, indicating a belief in the game's potential.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Endgame: 10.0h.

The game's fun is anchored around its cooperative multiplayer mode, which, despite initial bugs and connectivity issues, provides a highly engaging and satisfying experience once stable.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Friction: bugs and crashes; connectivity issues; multiplayer instability.

Tactical Shooter Enthusiast: Strategic and methodical, appreciating the depth and visual uniqueness of the game. Motivation: Enjoys tactical gameplay and visual improvements. Stance: buy.

Optimistic Early Adopter: Adaptive and forgiving, focusing on the core gameplay and potential future content. Motivation: Belief in the game's potential and future improvements. Stance: sale.

Frustrated Critic: Critical and comparative, often reverting to the first game due to dissatisfaction. Motivation: Frustration with bugs and performance issues. Stance: no buy.

Performance varies significantly across different hardware cohorts, with higher VRAM generally yielding better results. Lower VRAM systems often report crashes and instability, while higher VRAM setups experience fewer issues but still face some performance limitations.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Users report a mix of solid performance and significant issues like crashes and FPS drops.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Performance issues and crashes are frequently reported, overshadowing the few positive experiences.

Windows 16GB+ VRAM: positive. The game runs well overall, though users note it may not reach very high FPS even with high-end settings.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by significant issues with UI and controller support, performance and stability, and visual quality. Users have reported needing to use Proton Experimental and deal with various troubleshooting steps, which add friction to the experience. Despite these issues, some users find the gameplay fun and addictive.

Linux and Proton: The game is generally well-received on Linux and Steam Deck, with users highlighting its enjoyable gameplay and positive overall experience. However, there are notable performance issues, particularly with DX11 and DX12, which can be mitigated with Vulkan support. Some technical issues require workarounds, and there are mentions of bugs affecting stability, particularly in co-op mode. Despite these issues, the game is considered playable and enjoyable on Linux.

External guides: The primary user complaints revolve around the need for better instructional data and improvements in navigation and bug fixes. Users frequently mention the lack of accessible tutorials and detailed information about game mechanics, which forces them to rely on external wikis. Additionally, there are notable frustrations with the game's control scheme and the need to alt-tab out, indicating navigation and bug issues.

Performance stability improvements: Players want the game's performance to be stabilized to ensure 100% consistency.

Quest rework needed: There is a demand for reworking the quests to improve gameplay experience.

More toys and classes for 1.0: There is a request for additional toys and classes to be included by the time the game reaches version 1.0.

Main Menu UI cleanup: Players are requesting a cleaner and more organized Main Menu UI for better navigation.

Early Access state: The game is in Early Access, which is a significant topic among players.