Synduality: Echo of Ada: PS5 Review

Developed by Bandai Namco
Published by Bandai Namco
Platform: PS5

Marking Bandai Namco's return to the mecha-heavy world of gaming, Synduality: Echo of Ada is a perfectly playable game that's bogged down early on by somewhat of a grind that feels unnecessary and almost punishing.

Set in the world of 2222, it's upto you to control a group of freelancers called the Drifters who pilot mech machines to earn their keep and help humanity to survive. But it's no easy task - especially when blue rain kills humans on contact but makes animals and plants vicious to deal with.

Simply put Synduality: Echo of Ada is a shoot and collect kind of game, the sort you've seen in some ways before.

But where it benefits is in its sleek design and visuals which are crisp and offer enough visual heft to make you realise that you are actually piloting a massive craft and have the future of the world on your shoulders.

With a slow burning plot though some may feel the game isn't quite up to speed for what it should offer. Details of the story are dripfed and feel like they're deliberately withheld to encourage further playing on.

Yet with perfectly serviceable mechanics and some impressive graphics, the game has a tendency to bury its way under your skin, leading to you becoming more obsessed than you'd have thought.

The more you upgrade your craft, the more devastating it is when you lose it and its contents - and the more frustrating it is to have to start all over again. But much like any survival game, this is about knowing what the right way to tackle a situation is - and evolving with the game rather than your own desires.

Ultimately serviceable enough, Synduality: Echo of Ada makes an impressive beeline into the mech world - but had it moved slightly faster and been a bit more engaging early on, it would have become more essential than it is.