Review: Synth Riders Is Better in VR Than on the Switch

In VR, Synth Riders is an inventive rhythm game that gets you active and moving in a way Beat Saber sometimes can’t. It even features a strong soundtrack to boot. The Switch version is entirely different. It abandons the first person perspective and motion controls in the name of a more straightforward musical experience with a synth rider hackers racing on roads and rails through a city. While the track listing is still strong, the Synth Rider Switch fiddly controls and a technical issue with the camera keep it from being a memorable and essential rhythm game. 

While the concept behind Synth Riders involves riding on a board through a high-tech space, moving the rider’s arms in time with the music, the Switch version of the game offers multiple modes. In the campaign, it explains that a rogue AI named Xander controls every element of the world. The hackers Dash 909, Allegra, and BPM-130 fight back by breaking into terminals and riding along with songs to wrest away control. It’s more of an excuse to go through the tracks, get accustomed to the flow of things, and unlock cosmetics like clothing and hoverboards for the characters than tell an engaging story. Meanwhile, the Solo and Multiplayer modes let you go through available songs piecemeal. 

My first experience with Synth Riders on the Switch ended up pretty disastrous. When going through the tutorial, a bug kicked in and locked the perspective into one in which the camera appeared alongside my avatar. So I couldn’t any of the inputs. I had to completely exit out of the game to reset and restart to make it return to normal. While this never happened during the campaign, it did happen a few times after selecting and starting single solo songs. It didn’t seem tied to specific tracks. 

The Switch version of Synth Riders plays in a manner somewhat similar to the VR version of the game. You’re moving the avatar’s hand in time with nodes that appear on the track as they automatically move forward. The positions are ground, outstretched, up, and outstretched in the opposite direction. Some obstacles will require you to jump to go airborne, perhaps also grinding on a rail by holding an analog stick and moving along the line, then landing. There are also obstacles to dodge. 

While these positions are generally fine and easy to memorize, they don’t feel as precise as games like Groove Coasteror Taiko no Tatsujin. It’s something about the position of the indicators, which aren’t as clearly and cleanly visible as something like Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, and the use of the analog sticks for inputs near exclusively that kept me from feeling as control as I do in other games. Especially since it initially takes getting used to the hold notes and the mid-air rails, as the former can sometimes be a bit difficult to spot and the latter can move in unexpected directions. 

These stages all proceed in the same way regardless of mode, though the Multiplayer approach can get a bit interesting. Competitive and cooperative options are available for up to four people. This can help with getting used to the input method. Plus, it felt more enjoyable and less typical when I played with others.

Because the Synth Riders soundtrack is honestly quite good. The base game nets someone the Synthwave Essentials, Electro Swing Essentials, and Monstercat music selections. These are the same as ones in the VR game, so they could even sound familiar. Lady Gaga, Gorillaz, Current Waves, 80s Mixtape, and Synthwave Essentials 3 DLC packs also appeared at launch, again pulling from the existing version. The Synthwave Essentials and Monstercat songs are best, I think. But there’s a solid selection and the ones there suit the futuristic design.

Synth Riders is a fantastic VR game, one that I sometimes enjoy more than Beat Saber, but that same magic doesn’t carry over to the Switch release. The motion controls and first-person approach in the VR version of the rhythm game make it the best way to play. Especially since I did encounter a major camera bug a few times. It just doesn’t feel as extraordinary, even though the music is fine and there are quite a few modes here.

Synth Riders is available for the Switch.