Many VR experiences use the peripheral to create a unique experience that players can’t get anywhere else. Sometimes, we’ve seen traditional games make the jump to VR and not necessarily translate as well as we’d hope. The inverse, a VR game becoming a traditional video game, happens as well. The success of this transition often hinges on the game’s fun factor and its ability to feel just as engaging with a controller as it does in VR. Kluge Interactive’s Synth Riders is the latest VR game to leap to consoles, and the translation changes the feel of the game in a way that’s different, but not diminishing. Here’s our Nintendo Switch review for Synth Riders.

Synth Riders was first released as a freestyle-dance rhythm game for VR peripherals. The game’s cyberpunk setting served as a fitting and colorful way to catch notes, avoid obstacles, and stay on the beat in a game that offered more room for creativity than a Beat Saber or Audio Trip. For VR, it makes complete sense, but now that it has been released on the Nintendo Switch, the experience is different. Rather than feel the world around you in first-person, you have a third-person view of the characters. Controller inputs replace the hands-on experience of catching notes, and the game is overall a familiar yet translated version of the VR experience. Does it work?

Yes, in pretty much every way. If you come from the VR experience and think about how different this is, you’ll feel a bit taken aback by the way in which the third-person view changes the way the game feels. The similarities, however, which hinge on rhythm gameplay and a great soundtrack, are still here and well worth exploring if you’re itching for that type of experience on console. Across up to 64 tracks, including new song packs from artists like Lady Gaga and Gorillaz, you traverse the same cyberpunk world with tracks driving your momentum and altering the obstacles, notes, and maneuvers you traverse.

Just a couple of decades ago, music-focused rhythm games dominated the home video game market. I think that, as instrument peripherals have slowly started to make a comeback thanks to projects like Clone Hero or Fortnite Festival, it’s evident that the desire for rhythm gameplay never really went away. Rather, it overstayed its welcome, with excessive release frequency and a lack of innovation. Synth Riders had the tall task of entering a space that Beat Saber had truly solidified, followed by countless releases that emulate that VR note-striking experience. The console experience effectively blends the music rhythm genre with the innovations the VR release introduced.

A key perk of the console game is 4-player couch co-op and versus modes. Listening to the songlist and playing through levels with friends in the same room is a major plus for the Nintendo Switch version. If you’re hosting a game night, playing through the excellent songs in the game can easily provide hours of fun, making it a great rotation title for couch co-op experiences. Not to mention, the visuals of the game leave non-active folks in the room with something colorful to look at, thanks to the synthwave style of the graphics. They’ve translated well to the console experience, even if you lose a bit of the immersion due to the departure from VR.

I don’t think VR diehards will find this version as engaging, but it’s a great example of a well-thought-out way to bring a VR experience to console for more people to experience. Synth Riders lets players and their friends enjoy a wide selection of songs, with music, visuals, and controls that please the ear, eye, and hand as they traverse this cyberpunk world. A great entry for couch co-op night or a great way to unwind with trance-like gameplay, the Switch version of Synth Riders works on every level.

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Synth Riders

0.00

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Good rhythm-based gameplay
• Couch co-op is a huge plus
• Good transition of a VR game to console
• Soundtrack is great, including bonus packs from great artists

Cons

• Cartoon art style is not my personal cup of tea, but colors and visuals remedy this
• Like any rhythm input game, you can get a bit repetitive with extended gameplay sessions