On my second sortie in Synduality Echo of Ada, I lost my mech for the first time, and a lot of things went wrong. I pushed the wrong button, took much too many things with me, and neglected to take a moment to fix it before I went into the encounter that killed me. I didn’t purchase insurance beforehand. It’s a good indicator that once I finished criticizing Synduality and then myself, I was eager to try and get it all back because I made a stupid decision following a string of preventable mistakes, and this mech-flavored extraction shooter made sure I lost all I had for it.
The idea is pretty cool: In the far future, a mysterious blue rain has nearly wiped out humanity, making plants and animals giant and aggressive in addition to killing humans on contact. To survive, society has moved underground and started using giant mechs called Cradlecoffins to explore the surface world and gather energy-producing crystals. Your objective is to get up there, gather the necessary items to upgrade your base earn some money, and leave before the locals turn your Cradlecoffin into a gravecoffin.
The concept is very cool: In the long future, a mysterious blue rain has almost wiped off humanity, killing humans on touch and turning plants and animals huge and violent. Society has fled underground to live, and it has begun to traverse the surface world and collect energy-producing crystals utilizing enormous mechs known as Cradlecoffins. Getting up there, acquiring the goods you need to upgrade your base and make some cash, and then departing before the locals convert your Cradlecoffin into a grave coffin is your goal.
The majority of the other gamers I’ve observed aren’t trying to murder you.
Apart from their attire and appearance, you can also alter your Magus’s unique skills and focus, such as locating crystals, giving you more details about various hostile creatures (known as Enders), or giving you information about the other Cradlecoffins you’ll encounter after you emerge onto the surface. Hearing another potentially hostile player’s engine in this game is stressful, so I liked both the option that protects me from the evil rain and the one that has a talent for spotting other Cradlecoffins at range. However, I also liked that you can customize your Maguses (Magi?) to help you be the best pilot (AKA Drifter) you want to be.
In Synduality’s universe, you will encounter other players, but most of them aren’t trying to murder you and steal your belongings, at least not in my experience. Until one of you utilizes the wave emote, an encounter typically consists of the two of you being extremely cagey and pointing your firearms at one another. The other then gives it back, and you both leave, always facing one another as you back away like a gunslinger glaring down at an unknown foe because the back of your casket is its weakest spot. Since you’re always one uninsured step away from losing everything you own, it’s understandably tense, as any extraction shooter should be.
You will come across other people in the Synduality environment, but in my experience, the majority of them are not out to kill you and take your stuff. An encounter usually consists of the two of you being very cagey and pointing your guns at each other until one of you uses the wave emote. As the back of your casket is its weakest point, the other then returns it, and you both depart, always facing each other as you retreat like a gunslinger glaring down an unidentified enemy. It’s naturally tense, as any extraction shooter should be because you’re constantly one uninsured step away from losing everything you own.
Verdict
With a fantastic sci-fi premise, Synduality Echo of Ada is a suspenseful extraction shooter. Even if you’re not dying often, the early grind is a complete pain, and upgrades are constantly slow to unlock. However, the mech-based action plays wonderfully. After a while, I was compelled to perform the same actions repeatedly, which even began to sap my motivation to play. However, I persevered through that section, and I’m happy I did in the end since the stuff that follows that sluggish beginning is fantastic. When someone picks a fight with you in single combat, there’s nothing better than smoking them. Oh, and please get insurance if you’re rolling with things you truly like.
