A top-down shooter that punishes carelessness
SYNTHETIK is a top-down tactical shooter rogue-lite set in a world taken over by the Machine Legion and their Gods, with the Heart of Armageddon waiting at the end. Runs are built around gun handling that asks for attention: magazines eject and reloads are active, weapons jam and overheat, recoil shifts with movement, and you can switch between ammo types on the fly. Headshots exist even from the top-down view, so aiming still matters. Death is permanent, so a sloppy moment can end a run you had been building for a while.
Playing together in 2-player online co-op
You can fight alone or join one friend for 2-player online co-op. Co-op is shared rather than parallel: you and your partner share perks, items, buffs and loot, which lets you split what you find and cover each other's weaknesses. The same applies to danger — friendly fire is on, so stray shots land on your comrade as readily as on the enemy. Coordinating who picks up what, and watching your line of fire when a fight gets crowded, is a real part of the run.
Build variety and class progression
There are 8 class specializations — Riot Guard, Breacher, Sniper, Assassin, Raider, Heavy Gunner, Engineer and Demolisher — each with its own weapon specializations, loadouts, benefits and perks. Along the way you find weapons, items, perks and upgrades, with 140+ items available and up to 9 carried at once. Gadgets range from laser mines and turrets to mind-control, psy fields, orbital lasers, pets and potions, so a run can go stealthy, turret-based, heavy weapon or plasma blade without any single approach being the correct one. Class unlocks and research persist through death, so failed runs still move your options forward.
Difficulty you tune yourself
Rather than a fixed ladder, the game offers 11 difficulty modifications that can be combined independently. Stack them for greater risk and reward, or keep things modest while you learn a class. Expect a steep learning curve: the game is described as unforgiving, and the combination of permanent death, weapon maintenance and enemy pressure means the first runs are mostly about learning how your guns behave and how much you can carry safely.