Synapsis is a new and exquisitely detailed, 3D modeled and animated, point-and-click adventure game that was just dropped into our suggestion box by one of its authors, Rob James. Explore the mind of David Carter who is "possibly dead, possibly mad, or maybe just in an alternate reality" by visiting a series of rooms and solving puzzles within each. Synapsis manages to fold a good dose of abstract dementia into a great-looking game without pulling the experience apart at the seams.
You begin staring at a desk littered with items, including a mysterious (and rather out of place) box. In just a few clicks you find yourself in a dark corridor symbolizing your subconscious mind. Five doors surround you, each leading to a different room packed with puzzles. As you piece together clues from these rooms you open new areas to explore and gather even more items to use. For the most part, items you find will be used in the same room to solve multi-stage puzzles. This isn't always the case, of course, so don't be afraid to carry things back and forth and try out new ideas.
Analysis: Picking apart Synapsis' mechanics reveals a fairly standard point-and-click room escape-type game. The puzzles are simple and, for the most part, make logical sense, which is a strange companion to the abstract storyline and setting. Items you'll need and hotspots to click are often quite small, however, which forces pixel hunting from time to time.
By far the most powerful part of the Synapsis experience is the setting. Fans of the sci-fi series The Prisoner will appreciate more than a few subtle nods to the classic show. The ambience, music and visuals come together to tell an intriguing mystery in this game, one that isn't likely to get solved no matter how much you point and click. A compelling experience from beginning to end!
Walkthrough Guide
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This is wonderful game! Bizarre and engaging. Very well done!
Here is a Walkthrough...
-To start game, click on symbols on side of cube.
-Go to room with robot (Motion). Pick up WRENCH, COG, GASOLINE, and SPARK PLUG. Use Gas in funnel of generator. Use wrench to open up panel of generator and replace the spark plug. Put the cog in the open space of the conveyor belt.
-Turn on the generator to make the robot begin to walk. Pick up the piece that pops out. Use the LENS on the over head light until it turns orange. Fit the glowing piece into the eye of the robot.
-Enter the door that opens up (Knowledge). Pick up the LIT CANDLE.
-Exit room and go to the cell room (Contained). Pick up BIBLE PASSAGE. Note the roman numerals on the wall.
(9, 15) Set clock to correct time and pick up RAZOR BLADE. Use blade on loose tile in wall (in the blood splotch in the center of the back wall.) Take SCREWDRIVER. Use screwdriver on radio and get CRUCIFIX.
-Exit room and go to the Chapel (Spirit). Use lit candle in open holder to left. Use crucifix on cross indentation. Put bible verse in the holy water. Take HEART.
-Go to train station (Transport). Note: If you see a weird TV headed guy as you exit you can't do anything with him, he is just for ambiance. Wait for train and press button by the door to open it. Pick up CELL PHONE.
-Go back to the Knowledge room. Click on crow as it passes in the right hand picture to open up a drawer. Pick up the BOOK. Inside the book is a clue on the location of a hidden door in the cell. It also has a phone number.
-Type number into cell phone (it changes every game) and click send. You will be taken to the subway and a trap door will open up. Open the panel and put the beating heart in its place.
-Go to the cell room and click where it shows you in the book to connect four yellow lines to open up the wall to a laser room.
-Make the lasers reflect the light from the machine to the head. You can set some of the mirrors to one of three different positions each to bounce the light around. The mirror connection on the far right is a red herring. Take the BRAIN.
-Go to the far back room with the head scan image and open the panel. Place the brain in its place.
Watch the bizarre ending. You are out.. or are you?
Posted by: Hyperkinetic | January 7, 2008 3:49 PM