Synthetik is the definition of a perfect roguelike, allowing you to take full control of the randomness and all the quirky mechanics (of which there are plenty), and just have fun killing dudes off while permantently tap-dancing on the razor's edge to some insane beats and sound effects - when it works.

Unfortunately, getting it to work takes a bit of time, trial and error, and maybe even consulting a guide on the internet. There are issues with class progression, whereby classes like the Raider and the Sniper feel straight up awful until you have leveled up sufficiently, which can take hours per class and is especially dumb with Raider, whose central mechanics of earning Dog Tags and killing people with his knife are actually useless untill you unlock some upgrades. Other classes have a tendency to feel nerfed to pieces until you level them up, which creates this weird difficulty progression where you have to just bash your head against the wall or conquer ever-incresingly difficult challenges for the game to actually get easier.

But that's pretty much the one main problem with this game, which is otherwise actually fantastic. The gameplay is fun and addictive, the sound-design and the music are incredibly memorable and punchy, the style is very charming, from the way the characters animate to the weapon art and the UI (which really only works on KBM, mind), and, in general, despite the high difficulty and complexity, it's one of the easiest roguelikes to enjoy. One of the best in the genre, no cap