There’s no avoiding the fact that SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada instantly reminded me of another popular post-apocalyptic anime game. However the aesthetic is really where the similarities end as this game winded up being quite different from what I expected out of an extraction shooter. Unfortunately, not a lot of its gameplay design were all too good.
The premise of SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada is that humanity has been pushed into the brink of extinction thanks to a toxic rain called “Tears of the New Moon” which is poisonous to all that it touches. In order to survive, the remnants of humanity had to live deep underground and rely on Drifters to collect a rare resource known as AO Crystals. However this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds as Drifters have to survive monsters known as Enders emerging and even compete with their fellow Drifters.
Extraction shooters are often a hit-or-miss if they fail to stand out and deliver a good experience. Is SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada worth your time? Or is it doomed to fail into no-existence? Let’s find out!
The moment I finished the tutorial of this game, I was honestly dismayed. If you’ve ever played a mobile game before, then you know how games like those nickel and dime for anything you’re willing to pay for. SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada really doesn’t hesitate to push its microtransactions right up in front of your face. You have paid battle passes, cosmetics, and premium currency.
I think Bandai Namco was honestly confused when they made this game. SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada seems to follow a free-to-play model, but charges you for a full priced game for it. And unfortunately, the game isn’t really even good. It’s like the executives thought of their own version of an extraction sooter but with an anime waifu twist without any of the soul, tension, or thoughtful game design.
The main issue with SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada is that it fails to be engaging. The overall looting in this extraction shooter doesn’t feel exciting. Getting good loot just never felt good. I never felt those tense moments that would normally be associated with this genre when encountering enemies.
The biggest thing that sets SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada apart from its competitors is the inclusion of mechs, which are called CRADLECOFFINs here. CRADLECOFFINs are the meat and bone of the game as they serve are your primary way of collecting resources, combatting other players, and being able to generally move around in the map.
At the start of the game, there isn’t really much you can do to customize your CRADLECOFFIN. Your inventory is very limited and you can barely carry anything. The more you weight, the slower your mech gets which leaves you very vulnerable to enemies that can otherwise take you out in a few hits.
Enemies in this game are also quite tough. The Enders themselves can be dispatched easily if you’re prepared and careful but you’ll also run into bandit enemies who pilot their own CRADDLECOFFINs. They can be real damage sponges and can take you out in a few good hits.
The environments in SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada are what I’d call to be beautifully generic. The surrounding environment reminds me of Nier Automata on a surface level with all of its destroyed buildings and greenery but it has no real character. I can’t help but feel the environment was a bit too bright and colorful for my liking.
The map is large for you to explore but there are barely any notable and interesting environments. The world isn’t as interactable as it should be and just overall wasn’t fun to explore. Most areas in the map just didn’t have that uniqueness to them to make them memorable.
I do like the inclusion of having to watch out for bad weather. The Tears of the New Moon is still in effect and occasionally you’ll get toxic rain that your CRADDLECOFFIN isn’t immune to. If your resistance goes down to a zero, you’ll take some harmful damage. You’ll have to seek shelter to avoid it which I find to be an interesting concept.
Character models are a bit worse and run right into uncanny valley territory. The AI assistant called a Magus that I had with me looked more like a doll than a person. You can actually pick your humanoid AI assistant at the start of the game and even dress them up, however no matter what the personality it’s really hard to get attached to them with how soulless they can feel at times aside from a few commentary.
A lot of the microtransactions in SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada is geared towards customizing your Magus. You can pick their clothing and hairstyle but these cosmetics can cost you some real life cash if you wanna play dress up. It wouldn’t be so bad if the Magus designs didn’t feel so low effort. It just isn’t worth spending any money.
Your Magus aren’t just there for show however. They do have their own abilities which help you out such as scanning the environment for AO Crystals to gather, scanning other CRADDLECOFFINs for you, and can even help you out in combat through a plethora of helpful abilities if activated in time.
Gameplay wise there are a few issues that holds SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada back. In other extraction shooters, firing your gun is often a double edged sword. That’s because of the noise it creates usually attracts other players which place you into even more danger. Here, the guns are so quiet you can barely hear them. This also makes finding other players in the game to be difficult.
I haven’t encountered many players in SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada. Maybe it’s because of how difficult it is to locate each other because there isn’t much auditory or visual cues to indicate the presence of other players. However, your AI assistant will occasionally note the sound of an engine nearby or if one of the extraction points is being used to denote another player in the area.
It does get exciting once you encounter another player mostly because of how unpredictable they are. Although the game encourages you to work together, there’s not much stopping other players from taking you out, taking your loot, and making out with the better haul. However actively being hostile against other players will get you punished in-game.
I haven’t done it myself in account of not really meeting enough players but supposedly if you take out other Drifters you’ll be kicked out of the Drifter Support Association which is responsible for handing you your daily quests. You can buy your way back in but apparently there are some benefits to hunting down other players.
It’s really tough to recommend SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada. There’s really nothing worth investing in to keep you coming back into this extraction shooter. It’s interesting in concept but the flaws in its execution along with it being filled with some in-your-face microtransactions make it hard to even approach.
This review is based on a review copy provided to us on launch day by the developers/publisher.
SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada
SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada is difficult to recommend. It feels like a good concept poorly executed. Unfortunately, its rather milquetoast gameplay along with some pushy microtransactions make it hard to get invested or even get started on its grind.
The Good
- Toxic rain makes for an interesting change of gameplay
The Bad
- Prioritizes microtransactions over fun gameplay
- Not enough variety of weapons
- Grind just isn't worth it
