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Review: Synchrom, a Dazzling Fast-Paced Arcade Game

Synchrom
Review: Synchrom, a Dazzling Fast-Paced Arcade Game
4.5

Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Steam

Game Name: Synchrom

Publisher: Morphiks

Developer: Morphiks

Genre: Action

Release Date: August 24th, 2015

Synchrom – What We Think:

Synchrom is a fast-paced arcade game that – rather than focusing on random action or memorizing levels – forces you to rely on your reflexes. It tests not only your reaction time, but also your sense of rhythm. Read on and learn why Synchrom manages to do this with great bravado.

Synchrom

You take control of a device, the titular “Synchrom,” which can channel light energy that you use to defeat light enemies, more or less. This story really doesn’t add anything to the game, though, and sometimes feels like an actual interruption in an otherwise great experience. I would have preferred to have skipped this part and gone right to working on my reflexes.

Hue Need To Focus

While controlling the Synchrom, you move around with the mouse and try to hit blocks that share your device’s color, which of course constantly changes. The core gameplay is simple and easy to understand, but that doesn’t mean the game is – far from it.

Synchrom

There is regularly a lot happening on screen at the same time, so you’re going to have to rely heavily on your hand-eye coordination for a chance at success. Don´t get into a game of Synchrom thinking it’s just another good-looking casual arcade game you can breeze through. You need to focus 200% at all times to get through it, and that is what makes it so great!

Got…Lag?

The fast pace and dependency do have a potential negative side: lag. If you play on a medium to high-end computer, it won’t be a problem, but otherwise, even if you can get Synchrom to run on an older machine that meets the minimum requirements, you won’t get far. As soon as you hit some action and the smallest amount of lag creeps in, you’re dead.

Synchrom

Synchrom is really about one thing and one thing only, and that is getting that huge high score to brag about, and it lets you decide how to get it; as you progress through the game, you’ll get to use other devices and level up their stats. But the character modifiers aren’t what make this game great; the level modifiers are.

Synch or Swim

As you play each level, you’ll unlock different modifiers, making the levels harder but also boosting your score. One modifier, for example, increases the movement of your opponents. That killed me countless times. Beating bosses for the first time also unlocks different incarnations, increasing the difficulty even more while also adding to the game’s replay value.

While this is an amazing game on its own, Morphiks has also added a co-op option, where your friends can join you via touchscreen. This adds further to the replayability, granting it a lot of value for its low price.

Synchrom

Synchrom is a beautiful light show with a soundtrack that hovers somewhere between calming and stressful – a perfect match for the game. The music is good enough to stand on its own – I’m listening to it as I write my review – but is at its best when you move to the rhythm, anticipating each move the enemy will make and falling into the flow.

Synchrom

Spectrum-tacular

I had a tough time putting Synchrom down – and will probably feed my addiction for a while longer. I can easily recommend Synchrom to anyone with a high score complex, anyone who loves moving around to music, and anyone who likes their reflexes and hand-eye coordination tested to their fullest. With the level of attention required, it might even be suited to surgeons as a means of keeping up their focus and coordination in their off time.

[xrr rating=”4.5/5″]

Watch the trailer for Synchrom below: