SYNAPTIC DRIVE

FIRST OFF This game is NOT Custom Robo, and that is fine, I feel like this game has the right amount of Custom Robo Inspiration while also being unique enough to be its on standalone series/title. with that being said I will have to make Custom Robo Mechanic Comparisons THE GOOD! + wires are a welcomed addition to the mechanics of this game type + The characters all seem unique, different specials, speeds, dash types all give each character their own "playstyle" + The stage layouts are good, familiar for those who played custom robo but even if you didn't they seem very easy to understand + The round start not being the cube launcher number thing is really good + Chip sets seems cool as long as none of the chips are OP (haven't unlocked everything yet) The So-So * The Music has peaks and lows, Some of the music is REALLY good, certified slappers. Other times tho the music is VERY repetitive and that's only after 2 hours of playing, pretty quick to get tired of a song * The character...

TL;DR play Custom Robo instead if it's available to you. It does basically everything this game does but better, and this game exists basically for the sole reason of building upon what that series set up but fails to do so. Feels like a really lackluster bootleg Custom Robo some college students made in Unity for a class project. If you're interested in this game, you've probably played Custom Robo before- a game I've sank a lot of time into myself. Playing it right off the bat, so much of it just did not feel good, and not simply from a 'change is bad' mindset: I was truly and genuinely excited for this game. The two are very similar games, and Synaptic Drive falls short at every opportunity when you look at the two side-by-side. In comparison to its predecessor, I'll start with the things I liked about Synaptic Drive that show promise: + Wires are very interesting. The ability to detonate them on command and freely aim them independently of your character is neat on its own, but ...

I really, really wanted to like this game as a custom robo fan and was hoping this could be a spiritual rebirth for the franchise Nintendo abandoned years ago. However, this game just doesn't do it. The game lacks any sort of real single player mode (just a bunch of exhibition battles vs. AI), yet locks nearly everything behind level-up progressions that you must grind for. The movement control in this game feels super off, the characters move super fast, turn on a time and it feels like you have to be superhuman to do anything with any sort of precision because its everything feels like it has been put on fast forward. Completely separate from my overall displeasure from the gameplay, this is a terrible PC port: VERY limited resolution options (16:9 only), no real graphics settings to mess with, the game doesn't support a mouse cursor and you must navigate with the keyboard (and yet it defaults weapon controls to the mouse which otherwise does nothing). Playing with a controlle...

For Fans Of: Custom Robo, Bullet Hells, 1v1 Competition, Being a Alligator, Action Shooter Combat, Going Fast, EXPLOSIONS, Futuristic World Environment, Strategy, Replayability, Being a Clown, Color Coordinating your Character, Cool Arena Designs Cons: No Story Mode (although with how the game is designed, a story mode probably be quite bland so maybe it's not a bad thing. Arcade mode is good for single player content.) Netcode is bad, be ready for either laggy explosion fests online or spending time leveling in Arcade until it gets improved. For Steam users Remote Play is your best bet. TL;DR is pretty colors go boom boom

Coming from Custom Robo Arena on the DS, this game feels like a sequel when it comes to gameplay. The customization, the characters' movements and attacks feel a lot like Custom Robo Arena.

[h1] A Largely Incomplete Game [/h1] TL;DR Just makes the Custom Robo cravings worse. It has potential, but in its current state it should barely qualify for early access. Lacks immersion, absent of story, terrible parts progression. The competitive sort may enjoy the online battles, but better have a really solid internet connection. Not worth the price. A huge disappointment. Would potentially benefit from a full refund to people who have bought the game, and then going free-to-play with more customisation options. This is probably the most excited I have ever been for a game launch, I even went so far as to put it on a physical calendar and in my phone notifications. Like many others here, I have been looking to scratch the Custom Robo itch for a decade now. This game doesn't even come close. While the combat feels similar, it has little to none of the charm of the original franchise. I get that this game is not Custom Robo, and I never expected it to be, but with over a decade to...

Was super excited for this game since it's from the creators of Custom Robo. Unfortunately I can't recommend the Steam version of this game right now. The only input methods as of right now is if you have an XBox controller, or M&KB. IF YOU ONLY have a PS4 or Switch controller avoid this game unless a patch was added. Sucks because in this day in age where Steam has made it easier to connect any controller and play games out of the box the devs decided not to have this option. And no it's not my controllers or wires because all my other games function fine with my controllers. I wish the devs the best but I can't just throw my money at them and have a product that was clearly an after thought for PC. Refunded the game for the time being but I feel by the time I check back the community will likely be dead.

[b]EDIT[/b]: More information has come to light: The majority of parts are not able to be unlocked. Despite showing up in AI battles and on the parts select screen as ???, the devs are waiting to make those parts playable. So basically, this is an unfinished game sold as a fully finished game. The rest of the review still stands. [b]Do not buy this game.[/b] It looks and plays like an Early Access game and is not even worth it for the avid Custom Robo fan. [b]Visuals[/b]: [list] [*]Graphics are only okay, and the options to change them are extremely limited [*]A lot of explosions are extremely bright [*]It is extremely hard to keep track of damaging parts (trackers and wires) as they are very small and a lot is going on on-screen. [*]There is no weight or feedback to anything. [/list] [b]Gameplay[/b]: [list] [*]Ground movement feels nice, air movement feels terrible [*]Extreme lack of single player content (I understand no story, but the predetermined AI battles are uninspired and th...

I'm sorry, I've tried really hard to like this game but I cannot recommend it right now to anyone. It may have some pretty good controls and ideas but it lacks a LOT of polish. The online sadly isn't that good at the moment and the game's balancing is iffy (but then again, what Custom Robo game doesn't have iffy balancing). Maybe in due time, it will improve but where it stands right now, you're better off waiting.

I'll start off by saying if you only plan on playing this game offline with friends then this game is definitely solid as I feel they really nailed what makes Custom Robo fun also while putting their own spin on it. Plenty of characters, guns, trackers, wires, and stages for tons of fun and variety in matches. However, that's about all the game currently has going for it at the time of this review (I hope that in the future it receives patches and I can come back to switch this to a positive review). The single players content is severely lacking, only has arcade mode which is just 5 random battles. I think they could have done a lot more with maybe adding a story mode to explain these characters and other parts of the story much better. Maybe some mini games or something I don't know, really anything else would be great as there just isn't anything to do besides for playing local with friends or go online; and at this price point it really should have more content. Now I could overl...