Synduality: Echo of Ava Review (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC)

Extraction shooters are quickly finding a solid footing in the gaming industry. For the most part, the gaming experiences they offer are quite similar: hardcore, PvE, and sometimes team-based. Synduality: Echo of Ava, however, does a few things differently. It goes a little bit easier on you, offering manageable gameplay. It also finds a neat balance between PvE and PvP. Plus, other unique features like tagging along your journey with your humanoid AI companion. Still, it’s unsurprising if you’re still on the fence about the new game. Especially given the mixed reviews that have been coming in via Steam. So, to put your mind at ease, we’re compiling a full Synduality: Echo of Ava review of the newest extraction shooter in town.

Steam Reception

Game Studio and Bandai Namco Entertainment are just about wrapping up the development and publishing of Synduality: Echo of Ava. It’s been, for a while now, the talk of the town. There has been a closed network test and one week of advanced access upon buying the Deluxe or Ultimate edition. Unfortunately, a significant number of Steam gamers haven’t been too happy with the game’s “forced” PvP mode and lack of polish. 

There have been complaints of losing all your resources and gear, including the ones you’ve bought with real money when you die on the battlefield. But there have been positive reviews, too. Admittedly, it could all leave you on the fence about whether to play the game. So, let’s break down all the concerns alongside some of the pros extraction shooters lovers can look forward to. 

Survival for the Fittest

For starters, the story. It’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian plot that takes place in the futuristic year 2222. A mysterious poisonous rain dubbed The Tears of the New Moon has wiped out most of humanity. The remaining survivors have sought refuge in underground bunkers. However, resources soon run out, and the Drifters are tasked with emerging on the surface to mine the precious AO Crystals needed to sustain humanity. To protect yourself from the poisonous rain, you slip into the CRADLECOFFIN, which I’m still unsure why it’s called that way. In any case, it’s a mech protective suit you can pilot through the beautiful but desolate surface world crawling with bloodthirsty xenomorphic creatures. 

The xenomorphic creatures come in all shapes and sizes. Some are low-health nuisances that may randomly spawn in waves. Others are bulkier futuristic robots that take quite the effort and ammunition to kill, though at a greater reward. Still, other enemies are AI-controlled robots that vary in skill and strength. You can count at least six enemy types. 

Admittedly, it may begin to feel a little repetitive, especially with the potentially tens of hours you’ll be spending in the game. But Synduality: Echo of Ava finds a way to shift gears on the level of challenge by adding PvP to the mix. So, rather than just fight the monster creatures on the surface world alongside hostile mechs, you’ll also potentially run into rogue human players.  

Peace Sign

Before you can jump to conclusions about the PvP mode in Synduality: Echo of Ava, it’s actually a little more nuanced than you might expect. There’s no forcing of any kind to play against other human players. In fact, you can get through the tens of hours of Synduality: Echo of Ava playthrough and not have to engage other human players in combat. 

This is because human players are given the option to simply wave at other human players they run into and move on with their playthrough without engaging in combat. You can choose to team up with other players, even if for a few minutes. You can team up against a common PvE enemy, for instance, or to collect a rare resource. Thereafter, everyone can go their way. 

Keep in mind, though, that at any point, other human players can instigate combat against you. Some players are even sneaky about it and wait for you to turn away, then launch fire on your back, which is the weakest part of your CRADLECOFFIN mech suit. At this point, Synduality: Echo of Ava actually evens the odds for you by slowing down the movement of your attacker so you can get away. 

Alternatively, you can decide to fire back. Whenever you engage other players in combat, you’re marked as a rogue Drifter, which puts a bounty on your head. Plus, the game can take it a step further and make resources more scarce for a rogue player. Or some quests can become inaccessible. So, you see, Synduality: Echo of Ava isn’t entirely PvP. It’s only PvP for players who enjoy it, with the option to opt out of PvP altogether. 

Killer Rain

But Synduality: Echo of Ava gets more interesting. While out and about on the surface world, the mysterious poisonous rain might fall. Fortunately, your humanoid AI companion, Magus, warns you a few minutes ahead, giving you precious time to find shelter. You have to find shelter quickly, especially if it’s a heavy downpour, because the poisonous rain easily eats through your mech suit and could lead to premature death. 

And as you know about extraction shooters, you lose all your hard-earned resources and gear when you die in the warzone. There’s an inconsistency, though, where some areas that would be presumably viable shelters in real life don’t shield you from the rain in-game. Still, you can unlock a special shield that can buy you some extra time to find viable shelter or get out and extract back to your garage. 

Speaking of your garage, it’s where you return to after missions to regain health, unlock gear, and upgrade your weapons. You can use the resources acquired on missions to unlock better gear that will make your next mission easier. You’ll also earn in-game currency that can buy more powerful gear and upgrade your CRADLECOFFIN, too. 

Now, imagine after the investment you make into your gear and mech, and then you die on the surface world and lose it all to some lucky human player who loots all your hard-earned stuff. It’s definitely a tricky high-risk versus reward situation. But ultimately, it is the foundation upon which extraction shooter games are built. Meanwhile, your garage will be damp at the start of the game. So, you’ll need to also build, craft, and repair the rooms and structures within it. 

Ready or Not

As for the weapons, there are two types: physical and energy. These are further broken down into assault rifles, snipers, shotguns, submachines, flamethrowers, and light machine guns. You can carry grenades, too, and other items. But they will be heavy, slowing you down, as well as limiting the resources you can collect. 

Weapons are fairly punchy, with ways to customize the recoil, range, rate of fire, and damage output. You also enjoy combat support from your humanoid AI companion, Magus. They can help with your tactical play, identifying the areas on the map with the most valuable resources. They can also identify incoming enemies and pinpoint when the poisonous rain will be active. However, Magus, as well as your CRADLECOFFIN and weapons, will need keen customization to fit your play style. 

Thumbs Down

As for the pain spots in Synduality: Echo of Ava, well, there aren’t too many frustrating bugs to detract from gameplay. However, the most notable thing is that the story loses traction deeper into the game. It kicks off with an intriguing premise but lacks engaging ways to reveal lore bits. Often, you unravel the story via short cutscenes and the audio and video logs you collect on your missions. 

There’s also a story mode campaign. However, it unlocks pretty slowly based on how much time you spend in the extraction shooter, which can range upwards of ten hours before the next story point unlocks. Dialogues with Magus aren’t as compelling, either. While they can spice up your quests, adding personality to your expeditions, they can be repetitive and sometimes bland. 

Environments, on the other hand, are interesting enough to forge on for some good 15 hours or so. However, it feels underutilized, especially with the mech theme. Going into Synduality: Echo of Ava expecting a mech-based gaming experience is setting yourself up for disappointment as the concept is barely explored story or environment-wise. The game runs smoothly, though, with only a few frame rate drop issues. 

Verdict

Synduality: Echo of Ava feels geared to a specific group of gamers who love extraction shooters, especially those looking for a different spice. You’ll be happy to know that the gameplay includes a humanoid AI companion who serves a pretty vital role in your exploration and combat. Also, you have the option to engage other players in combat and potentially loot their precious gear. 

However, PvP isn’t mandatory to enjoy the game to its fullest potential. The core of Synduality: Echo of Ava is the PvE extraction shooter missions, which can be pretty fun. Provided you love the risk versus reward of mining resources at the risk of running out of time in the warzone. Provided you’re quick enough to get out while you still can, you should have a pleasant time.