Bandai Namco Entertainment is a PvPvE shooter scheduled to be released for PC (Steam)/PS5/Xbox Series X|S『SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada』We held a trial session for the media using the game version of the closed beta test.
“SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada'' is one of the contents of “SYNDUALITY'', which is a multimedia company, and has a world similar to the currently airing anime “SYNDUALITY Noir.'' Players play as “Drifters'' and mine the AO Crystals, a resource abundant on the ground, while fighting or cooperating with the creatures “Enders'' and sometimes with other players.
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The feature of “SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada'' is that the intense combat with bipedal mechs is just one means of combat, and that you have to make a comprehensive decision on “how to collect resources.''
In this trial session, you will be able to customize the character of your partner AI Magus, play with the Cradle Coffin (Cradle), and even have a chance to play with fully armed aircraft on the new map “Southern Zone” through special arrangements by the development staff. I was able to experience “PvP”!
◆Customizing the character of “Magus” is really fun! Let's work together to develop a base that doesn't even have a ceiling…
As soon as you start the game, an “educational program” style video will be played. The pop mascot character “Yoshiwo'' gave us a rough explanation of the world of this work together with the “onee-san'' and gave us an easy-to-understand explanation of everything from the roles of the main characters “Drifters'' to their history.
bipedal walking mechanism“Cradle Coffin”On board, Partner AI “Magus”The energy source that remains on the ground as poisonous rain falls“AO crystal”It is the drifter's job to collect them, and it is the goal of the game.
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After that, the final exam (tutorial) as a drifter will begin immediately. “Instructor Magus'' has a cute visual but a rather rough tone, which is impressive. On the ground, the creatures “Enders'', enemies of humanity that were explained in the video earlier, appear, and while fighting them off, we search for AO crystals using AO search. Once you have collected a certain amount, proceed to the large elevator to return home, and the mission is to return safely while avoiding the poisonous rain.
During this time, Instructor Magus speaks incessantly, making it feel like you are playing the game with someone else rather than playing solo. Although he is strict, he is kind in a way, and by the end of the tutorial, you feel a little sad, thinking, “Are we saying goodbye here?'' The next step is to customize your personal Magus.
Although the player himself is never seen during gameplay in SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada, his partner Magus always appears by his side. Therefore, character customization involves setting the appearance of the Magus rather than the “player”, and there are so many options! With the male-type Magus, you can create everything from a man with blindfold hair to a reliable macho older brother of Regent.
Although I thought, “It would be fun to live with such a dandy brother…'', I chose the female type Magus. We created the ideal Magus from a wide variety of customization items, from her hairstyle to her body shape. Here you can select not only the appearance but also the performance of the Magus.
For example, “Anti-Enders type” displays the physical strength of the enemy Enders, and the Magus skill, which becomes a special attack position, allows multiple attacks when surrounded by enemies. “Weather Adaptable” is equipped with a rain cloud radar and has the skill to prevent deadly poisonous rain.As will be explained later, thispoisonous rainThis is really troublesome as it causes continuous damage to the aircraft! You will have to shelter from the rain, but if you are “weather compatible'' you can go outside.
However, this time I chose a “cradle maintenance type” who has the skill of recovering the aircraft and is good at analyzing other cradles!The concept of character customization“Magus full of motherliness who pampers the writer at the base”is.
After starting the game, you can decorate Magus with a wide variety of costumes in the Wardrobe. There are so many combinations of innerwear, tops, outerwear, bottoms, and shoes that you can freely choose from combinations that give a lively impression to intelligent outfits! There is also a setup called the “Kappougi Set” that allows you to change the appearance all at once, and it was possible to create a truly “old man” look.
The base given to the main character was a building with weeds, moss, and rubble strewn about, with a ceiling that pierced through. Can a ruin without a ceiling be called a home…?
It's a ruin that would make you cry all night if you were alone, but you can change the base as you renovate it. And to the author, “Magus full of motherhood”! This is the beginning of a fun drifter life where she completes requests at Cradle with her. We need to collect money and materials and build the ceiling and floor first!
◆In PvPvE, fighting is the most important thing!The “competition” between players can develop into a huge battle.
The tutorial was solo play, but this game is PvPvE, and there are multiple players on the ground in addition to creatures and NPC Cradle. Be careful when Magus says, “I can hear a faint driving sound from far away.” We don't know if it's an NPC or a player, but it means that there is an aircraft other than the player nearby.
The basic flow is “defeat the Enders creatures, mine AO crystals, and return to the elevator,'' but the situation changes when other players are involved. In this game, information on whether a player is acting in a friendly manner or a player is acting in a hostile manner, such as looting, is accumulated and shared across the board, so you can tell to some extent whether the player is dangerous or not when you encounter them. However, since this was the first time for all of us to try out the game, it was difficult to make a judgment… Furthermore, our opponents were humans. Even if they seem friendly, you don't know how they will behave.
In addition, Enders are not that difficult of an enemy if you deal with them one at a time calmly, but if attacked in groups, you are bound to fall into a predicament. If you're fighting a large number of Enders and are targeted by other players, there's nothing you can do about it. It seems important to play the game while being aware of “how to collect AO crystals” while fending off hostile drifters.
If it is destroyed, the materials you collected and the “aircraft itself” will be lost. You will be in danger of losing even Magus, but this can be easily avoided by pressing the emergency escape command that appears when escaping, so unless you are playing very absentmindedly or in a situation where you are “daring'', you will not lose your partner. There shouldn't be. Even if they get separated, they seem to come back after a while, so you can feel safe about that.
However, in sorties where materials are desperately needed, you have to be very careful about returning home without being destroyed. Ammunition, locations where Enders are unlikely to appear, terrain where it is difficult to be targeted by snipers… you will need to build a route that comprehensively considers these factors.
Although there are multiple return elevator locations, they are shared by all players and take time to arrive and depart. In other words, this was the time when I was most likely to be targeted, so I couldn't let my guard down until the very end.
After experiencing multiple sorties, the development staff decided to sortie into the new map “Southern Zone” with everyone's equipment and funds expanded. Because everyone goes out fully armed,Intense “battles between players”seems to be developing.
The author also strengthened the cradle! We will change the aircraft from a wide variety of equipment to a villain-like style. It is assumed that he will carry an expensive sniper rifle as a weapon and aim for the fishermen's interests by sniping from a distance!
I wandered around the map like that with a plundering mentality… but I didn't meet anyone for a while, and I just battled with Enders, who had become even more powerful in the southern region. Since the game system is not based on interpersonal interaction only, if you can't meet someone, you probably won't be able to meet someone at all… However, just as I was thinking that, a surprise attack was launched!
The enemy was probably planning on making a move on our side, as we were able to move on to the attack immediately after engaging the enemy. This time it's a trial session for game media, so of course the opposing players are reporters from other media.
However, the author was equipped with a sniper rifle at that time, and it was difficult to aim properly! The mentality of sniping and looting from a distance has paid off. Based on Magus' advice, I frantically cut my line of fire and switch weapons to fight back, but the initial damage is quite severe. If this continues, you will definitely be pushed out and lose.
Originally, you would have chosen to run away, but this time there are two fully armed and belligerent players who continue to shoot at each other. “I wonder if I can hit the sniper rifle with a one-shot reversal…” I was thinking, when the third faction, the Enders, appeared!ExactlyMelee is the real thrill of PvPvEIt has developed into!
Fortunately, Enders appeared on the other side of the building towards the enemy player, so I took cover. The opponent probably thought, “I can't play against both Enders and the opposing player.'' I had stopped shooting, so when the battle was interrupted, I left…and I shot him in the back with a sniper rifle. The match ended with a brilliant victory for me.
While searching for your opponent's drop,Even the parts that make up the aircraft can be harvested and it's really delicious! Equipment that you would normally have to spend a considerable amount of money to buy seems to be easily obtained by defeating enemy players, giving you the flavor of looting. However, although I was able to win by chance this time, if I was recognized as a “hostile player” by everyone, it would be difficult to win.
By the way, when I sortied again after winning, Magus excitedly said, “We had a battle here last time and we won!” In this game, Magus's personality changes according to the player's actions, and he immediately shows glimpses of a combative personality.
After playing so far, I feel that “SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada'' is“A game of conflict”That's it.The premise is that you have your own world, “a base where you live with Magus,'' and while the focus of play is to protect and nurture it, you rely only on your play skills in battle.The road to get rich quicklyare also available. Since it's PvPvE, there's an element of luck involved, and considering the possibility of losing if you lose, it seems quite difficult.
As far as I have experienced,The balance of this conflict and the sense of immersion it creates is quite impressive.It even made me think, “I want to collect resources for Magus and get rewards,'' rather than “Use Magus to collect AO crystals.'' Live peacefully with the Magus, or play the role of a villain… Either way, it will be fun to experiment with different gameplay to make your roleplay consistent after release.
“SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada” is scheduled to be released for PC (Steam)/PS5/Xbox Series X|S. A closed beta test is also scheduled for March 28th, and registration for participation begins today. If you are interested, why not apply!
¥4,220
(Price and stock status are as of the time of article publication)
¥9,400
(Price and stock status are as of the time of article publication)