DESYNC is a game produced by Adult Swim – an FPS all about killing or be killed in a unique atmosphere. The game is motivated by a highscore system to make killing with flashy and bold combos even more satisfying when vanquishing foes. DESYNC takes the basic FPS shooter and adds more glorified kills and kill mechanics to add more to the combat system creating a new unique game. If you enjoy games that are all about combos and killing like Bulletstorm, the new Doom or Serious Sam, this game brings that to you with a creative visual scheme. This is the One Hour Review of Desync.
DESYNC is a very fast paced and difficult FPS action game, with a lot of very rewarding systems involved. The game will kill you, but it won’t punish you for dying. It will push you to learn combos, which are different for each weapon, but these combos also change by combining the weapons. Some enemies require you to find a new trick to kill them or you’ll have to use everything in your arsenal to kill them. These attack sequences and combos add a unique atmosphere to the combat, one which allows massive amounts of experimentation and play styles. The more flashy the attack, the more effective it was, so feel free to be creative with how you approach combat. Knockback an enemy into some spikes, a pit or chain abilities to unleash massive destruction.
DESYNC’s art is presented in a minimal neon style. This includes some very loud color and effects, which after some time with the game can hurt your eyes. I didn’t experience much of a story, as the game throws you into the fray and focuses on the intense gunplay, rather than prioritizing the art or storyline. The gameplay reminds me of a mix of the fast paced and flashy kills of Doom and Quake, with the atmospheric electric feelings of Tron. However I did find that the hud was distracting and confusing until you spend some time learning the game. It offered information you wanted like ammo and health but it wasn’t clearly presented or explained. The rogue-like/ever expanding labyrinth feeling of the levels adds more challenge and variety to the gameplay. This in turn offers more chances for satisfying combos. DESYNC supports varied playstyles, but it constricts you with it’s movement scheme which can feel unresponsive and doesn’t quite fit with the fast paced gameplay.
Take Me To Your Leader
The leaderboard system makes the game as challenging as you want to be. DESYNC offers players the option to push yourself to get to the top for each level, or simply compete with friends. Yet after an hour of playing, it already feels like you have seen all the game has to offer.
DESYNC has the foundation of something great, but what’s here in early access is great for a while but fails to captivate the player. Over time the game becomes a little underwhelming and too shallow to get excited about. it definitely is worth playing if you are interested in design. At the end of the day, this game carries a lot of potential, but hinders itself with giving you everything in the first playthrough of the game. Players leave without a reason to come back and play again, and in my opinion this is why the game will not grow and expand, but it is worth looking at if you are interested in ingenuity in game design.