Syndicate

Originally posted on CustodianFilmCritic.com

It’s been nearly 20 years since the cyberpunk classic “Syndicate” was originally released on home computers in 1993. Set in a dystopian future where private businesses control the world in place of governments, the original game tasked players to achieve global dominance of the consumer marketplace. The crux of both the original and this remake are the syndicate’s agents; powerful individuals with the ability to manipulate and control their opponents. In 2010, rumors started to circulate that EA (Electronic Arts) was attempting to remake this classic real time strategy franchise and adapt it for modern consoles. Not only that (and despite the behest of fans) it was going to be a first person shooter. Unclear at first who exactly would be developing this game or how many developers had attempted to beforehand, EA eventually partnered up with Starbreeze Studios to create the next iteration in this beloved series. After years of apparent development hell and vehement outcry from longtime fans, the new “Syndicate” has finally arrived and I am happy to report that this is an excellent shooter. Although, in many ways it stays true to the William Gibson-esque trappings of the original, there may not be enough in this package to persuade fans of the original to take a chance with this spiritual successor.

Set in 2069, you play as Eurocorp agent Miles Kilo (an appropriately stupid name for a cyberpunk game). Eurocorp is one of a handful of world-dominating businesses that manufacture chips for public consumption. These chips have replaced almost all forms of personal technology, and society as a whole has been segregated into two classes: the upper/chipped class that resides in skyscrapers that tower over the lower forgotten city where the unchipped (lower class) currently lives. Denizens of the lower part of the city are all but forgotten (even if they are the majority populace) mainly because everything in the world is operated by these syndicate chips. This being a video game, Kilo is the first agent to have the prototype DART 6 neurally implanted, which gives him superhuman abilities and makes him perfectly adapt at the espionage missions Eurocorp tasks him with completing. Kilo is initially sent out to capture an employee of a rival syndicate who has intimate knowledge of the Eurocorp patented DART chip and in this future business disputes aren’t handle with words, but rather with weapons. The game then has Kilo globetrotting to save a fellow employee, and in the process starts to reevaluate the morally ambiguous nature of his current employers. Without spoiling any specifics, the story is exceptionally cliche. As is the norm with Starbreeze games, the first person perspective is fixed for nearly the entire game, and although it is an interesting way to experience the story, the narrative is so weak that it wouldn’t really matter how it was witnessed. Both the mood and the environments are especially well realized, but aren’t enough to redeem the mediocre story.

The game itself is broken up into two game play modes: single player and co-op campaign. The single player experience will last roughly six hours, while the co-op experience is made up of nine missions that you will be encouraged to play indefinitely by way of numerous upgrades. The single player story is made up of twenty missions (called milestones) that have the player moving through an environment vivisecting everything in your path with the narrative seamlessly integrated into the mission structure. To accomplish your given objectives, you’ll have a variety of tools at your disposal, including the ability to breach objects and enemies. Breaching an object can be anything from tactfully rearranging cover to expose your enemies or deactivating a grenade midflight. Breaching enemies is broken down into three separate abilities: backfire, suicide, and persuasion. You’ll also have the DART overlay which slows down time and makes the player stronger. With this many options at your fingertips, there are plenty of ways to approach any given combat situation, but the breaching system eventually becomes rather repetitive with no new powers granted in the single player. There are some optional variations with the inclusion of an upgrade tree, but the majority of those abilities do little to retool the combat sequences.

Co-op, on the other hand, has a multitude of new weapon and breaching abilities added. Throughout the missions, you’ll be given tokens from either completing a task or chip-ripping from an opponent. These tokens can be spent in one of three categories: weapons, breaching, and personal upgrades (all of which have dramatically more options than the single player). As enjoyable as the single player’s combat mechanics are, the cooperative campaign is easily the highlight of this package. As is the case with most modern shooters, it could be argued that the singe player campaign is essentially just training for the online play. While this may be true, with such production value put into both campaigns and the lack of competitive multiplayer, it doesn’t seem like that was the intention. The actual structure in co-op is different than the single player, mirroring games like “Left 4 Dead,” where the player has frequent safe houses placed in between them and the objective. Each mission can be completed with up to four team mates, and you can create your own syndicate if you wish, which adds bonus experience for mission play-throughs.

None of the structure would matter if the basic combat mechanics weren’t compelling. The amount of weapons at your disposal (with even more available in co-op) isn’t overwhelming, but rather perfectly suited for both modes. Each weapon has its own unique advantages and there are no superfluous additions to pad the weapon count. The design of the combat is also especially elegant, with incredibly responsive weapon handling animations that will automatically adjust to where you are currently located or how you are moving. Although this game is set in the future, the weapon design is pretty grounded in today’s standards, with the few additions being made on the back end in weapon descriptions or with ergonomic editions to the weapon’s design. The weapons look and feel like the next evolution of modern military weapons. The combat is fluid and responsive, with plenty of variety in both enemy types and design, many of which require some strategic thinking, as your character is initially quite fragile. Although this game may not be reinventing modern first person shooters, it adds some compelling additions and refines the systems in place to the point of near perfection. This is an excellent shooter with tight responsive controls. Even with the addition of the breaching mechanic, the weapons are the most salient system in place with all auxiliary additions made only in service to the shooting.

Visually, “Syndicate” is a gorgeous game. Working within the hyper-realistic frame work popularized by most modern military shooters, this game has fantastic visual fidelity. There are a few questionable design choices as some of the lighting in the game is extremely pervasive going as far as to obscure the player’s view on multiple occasions. That being said however, the world of “Syndicate” is extremely well realized, with almost every asset in the environment working in aid of the near future cyberpunk world the developers have created. Holographic news reporters, floating cities, and a desecrated lower civilization come to life in real time around the player. As visually effective as everything is, it is strange that the majority of the environments and characters are flushed out through the use of an in game codex. Bland white on black text fills dozens of entries that cover everything from rival syndicates to deceased employees. Although this does a fantastic job fleshing out this world, it would have been much more interesting to hear the stories in real time or learn about them through interacting with NPCs (which had been present in Starbreeze’s previous outings); some codex entries are gained from listening to news reports, but that is only one small section of the overall encyclopedia at the player’s disposal. Beyond that, the style and tone of this world is incredibly effective and thoroughly engrossing to play in, especially from the fixed first person perspective. This creates a more cohesive bond with the player and the on screen avatar that Starbreeze has spent years perfecting. While traveling throughout, this lurid world seems personally experienced and that only adds to the immersion; it’s a simple yet incredibly effective technique. The voice acting in the game is serviceable, with some quality performances given. Some notable actor’s lend their voices to the story, but even with these vocal contrivances, it’s difficult to commend the acting in such a short narrative arc.

“Syndicate” is a fantastic addition to anyone’s library of games, with plenty of potential time investment through the co-op experience. It’s stays surprisingly faithful to the original, both conceptually and thematically. That being said, however, I don’t think fans of the original will accept this game no matter how faithful it may because fundamentally it isn’t the same game. Although in recent years, some developers have found success reinventing franchise’s without alienating fans (Fallout 3 comes to mind) mainly because even if there is a perspective shift, it carries the same mechanics the original invented. Starbreeze either didn’t try hard enough, or didn’t care to recreate the mechanics of the original authentically enough for long time fans to be satisfied. That being said, who cares? This is still an excellent game that adds a lot of interesting systems to a wonderfully executed first person shooter. There is absolutely an argument to be made against the recent trend of re-imagining classic games into modern shooters for a quick buck, but I don’t feel like this game just uses the title of the original to increase sales; regardless of the genre in place, “Syndicate” does good by its source material and takes it into a compelling new direction.

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