In the overcrowded online-focused first person shooter market, rebooting a 1993 strategy classic as a FPS sounds like a financially safe but artistically worthless move. But Starbreeze’s “Syndicate” manages to overcome its dubious inception with exemplary co-op multiplayer, despite a terrible single-player campaign.
In the second half of the 21st century, neural-chip technology has made hegemonic corporations the new nation-states, employing hardened agents for corporate espionage. These agents can use their neural technology to hack into both computers and people, literally controlling their minds through technology. As one of these agents, the player gets to use these powers, called “breaches,” to force enemies to kill themselves or fight for the player. You spend the game fighting the security forces of rival corporations through futuristic urban environments.
The campaign disappoints with a boring, linear corridor crawl and a story so generic that even the voices of Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox can’t make it interesting. The level design borrows the usual “Call of Duty” scripted tropes without any sense of originality or excitement as the player moves through tight, uninteresting environments with little freedom.
The visuals are technically impressive but artistically average. While “Syndicate” sports a striking cyberpunk aesthetic, it’s unfortunately close to last year’s excellent “Deus Ex: Human Revolution.” But while “Deus Ex” rendered a universe overflowing with visual details that supported a well thought out narrative, “Syndicate” is all style and no substance.
But the online co-op of “Syndicate” easily outshines the campaign with inexplicably superior design. Instead of cramped environments, the more open levels feature large-scale battles where the various breaches, visceral gunplay, and a class system that encourages cooperation result in a totally different experience. The lack of a worthy story is no hindrance here.
The co-op features numerous breaches and weapons with unlockable tech trees that keep the player invested in picking up the next cool trick or creating their perfect weapon. The levels are unlocked one after another, making “Syndicate” feel like the single player-multiplayer hybrid that games like “Brink” have tried and failed to be so often before.
While the objectives eventually start to blend together, the levels are all visually distinct and the action stays tense and exciting. The difficulty is much higher than the campaign, necessitating teamwork and tactical play utilizing all the available tools at the player’s disposal.
It doesn’t make sense that half of “Syndicate” features exciting, tactical battles with an interesting sandbox of weapons and abilities only in the co-op mode. It’s too bad that the suffocating campaign sacrificed what makes the co-op so special in favor of a forgettable storyline, resulting in a game that’s half worth buying.
