Synaesthete

Moby ID: 30807

Description

Synaesthete is a rhythm/music-based shooter developed by a team of students at the DigiPen Institute of Technology. Somewhat inspired by Rez, music is used as a weapon. The player controls Zaikman, a defense mechanism for the collective unconscious, visible from an isometric perspective and set in a psychedelic high-tech world with grids and flashing colours. Zaikman can be freely moved around different areas. From the main lobby, different worlds are unlocked gradually, each with different visual themes, enemies and music.

While playing, a tracker with 3 buttons is shown in the middle of the screen. Each level consists of different, connected rooms that need to be cleared one by one. Waves of enemies are attacked by pressing the buttons corresponding to the coloured bricks dropping down on the tracker. These patterns follow the background music playing in the level. If matched correctly, Zaikman fires, attacking the enemies. Not all notes need to be matched, but repetitive use of single notes lead to a dull gameplay and Zaikman will stop firing. The accuracy with which the notes are hit also determines the power of the shot. Successful sequences lead to combos, destroying many enemies at once. There is no need for aiming or reloading, you concentrate on matching the notes and avoiding enemies at the same time.

Upon clearing rooms and entering new ones, the musical theme evolves - different melodies and layers are added and the level design changes as well, not only through the colour but also through objects pulsating to the rhythm of the music. In certain areas Zaikman can collect notes that restore his health. Next to unlocking levels, Zaikman will also encounter spells to unleash during battle. With names such as Euphoria, Hyperspace, Tiger Style, Epiphany, Equilibrium and Seven Swords, they provide additional attack or defence power.

The world through which Zaikman moves, constantly evolves, with different shapes, lines and colours, and all kinds of messages appearing from the unconscious, such as the cool wind in summer, I came here alone and I go alone or vision is symphony. Certain levels contain level bosses with entirely different attack patterns. The music mainly focuses on the fast electronic genre, including trance, hardcore and techno. There are different difficulty levels, based on the amount of beats per minute.

Screenshots

Credits (Windows version)

23 People (14 developers, 9 thanks) · View all

Original Concept
With Music by
Character Design
Terrain by
Art by
Game Logic
Graphics Engine
AI
Audio
Physics
Core Architecture
UI
Producer
Technical Director
Product Manager
Designer
Voice Talent
Executive Producers
President
Special Thanks
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 2 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 4 ratings with 1 reviews)

A pretty decent time-waster; probably more oriented towards 'clubbers'

The Good
This is perhaps the best use of Force feedback (rumble) that I have seen in a game. You both see, hear and feel the music as you react to it. How well you react to the music determines how well your character progresses (this was a student project, and I think they acknowledge a certain debt to Guitar Hero for the gameplay). The synaesthete theme is well-explored through the level-up messages as well as through the gameplay itself.

The Bad
There's not much to dislike about this; the music may grind a little after you've played the same level a few times. There's one boss I cannot beat (at least without enabling the one attack that will make me invincible) which is annoying; other than that I have beaten all of the levels as well as the final boss fights. There seems to be a bug or two with the scoring - but as this will be in the millions anyway, not much to complain about. Especially for a game you can download for free.

The Bottom Line
It's a pretty interesting game, one I would recommend to anyone who likes oddball games like 'Braid' or 'Cloud' (another student project). It's a relatively low-key game and there's nothing terribly challenging here (apart from the gameplay itself), which just goes to show that sometimes less IS more. Even so, it does manage to have separate areas that are distinguished by different music, themes, bosses and styles of attacking play. While the music will probably age badly, for the moment it's right on the cusp of cool. And it's pretty good music for a student game too.

Windows · by thud (97) · 2009

Trivia

The main character, the "Zaikman," is actually a combination of the first and last names of the producer, Zach Aikman.

Analytics

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  • MobyGames ID: 30807
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: William Towns.

Game added November 1, 2007. Last modified February 13, 2023.