Synaesthete (game)

Infobox VG
title = Synaesthete
developer = DigiPen Institute of Technology

Rolling Without Slipping
designer = Joseph Tkach III

version = 1.0.1 (2007-10-27)
released =vgrelease|NA=October 1, 2007cite web|url=http://www.synaesthetegame.com/|title=Synaesthete official site|accessdate=2008-05-04]
genre = Music
modes = Single-player
platforms = Windows
requirements = Windows:
Windows XP or better
2 GHz Pentium
512 MB RAM
DirectX-compatible
800x600 32-bit display
input = Mouse, keyboard, XBox 360 controller

"Synaesthete" is a freeware game developed by four students at the DigiPen Institute of Technology under the team name Rolling Without Slipping. "Synaesthete" is a marriage of arcade-style music games such as Dance Dance Revolution and PC role-playing games such as Diablo II. At first glance, the feel of the game will be similar to an action RPG, but with several key differences. First, there is no inventory management, so players do not collect or equip items. Second, player actions such as attacking monsters and casting spells must occur synchronously with the music in order to be effective. Third, the game is not story-driven, and there are no friendly NPCs.The focus of the player is to explore a music-driven environment, where the music that is playing changes the world, and reaching different parts of the world changes the music, as well as character advancement, which is accomplished by killing enemies and reacting synchronously to the music.

You control an avatar named the Zaikman, named after the team's producer Zach Aikman. The Zaikman is referred to as a defense mechanism for the collective unconscious, and you use him to destroy enemies and progress through various levels.

At the 2008 Independent Games Festival, "Synaesthete" was nominated for the Student Showcase, and Excellence in Visual Art. The game claimed the prize for Best Student Game among the 125cite web|url=http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entries2008_student.php|title=2008 IGF entrants page|accessdate=2008-05-05] student entrants that year.

Gameplay

Controls

To play "Synaesthete", the player must simultaneously move the character using the W,A,S, and D keys (default) to dodge enemies, while matching three music patterns using the J, K, and L keys (default). The music matching is similar to games like Beatmania, where the player must press the corresponding key at the right moment, in time with the music. Each successful hit of these "notes" will fire a beam from the Zaikman and wound an enemy. Synaesthete differs from most music-based games, however; the player is not required to hit every note. Instead, allowing notes to be missed simply means that the corresponding beam will not be fired. As each musical pattern is linked to a different track in the music (i.e., kick drum, synth, etc.), many players find it easier to focus on one or two and ignore the third.

Levels

Each level of "Synaesthete" belongs to one of three "Visions," where each Vision corresponds to a different style of electronic music. The "Way of the Samurai" vision corresponds to trance, "Synaesthete" to house, and "Like a Child" to hardcore. Each level corresponds to a song, and one level in each Vision contains a boss encounter. There are three levels to each Vision, and a final stand-alone level. Together, this accounts for 10 playable songs, all composed by the team's technical director, William Towns.

Soundtrack

tracklist
collapsed = no
headline = Track listing

title1 = TownHouse
note1 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/TownHouse.mp3 Listen]
length1 = 3:19

title2 = Gearbox
note2 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Gearbox.mp3 Listen]
length2 = 3:15

title3 = Tryptonaut
note3 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Tryptonaut.mp3 Listen]
length3 = 3:30

title4 = Mountain
note4 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Mountain.mp3 Listen]
length4 = 3:18

title5 = Shore
note5 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Shore.mp3 Listen]
length5 = 6:00

title6 = Blackberry
note6 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Blackberry.mp3 Listen]
length6 = 3:29

title7 = Luminous Voluminous
note7 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Luminous_Voluminous.mp3 Listen]
length7 = 3:43

title8 = This is Hardcore
note8 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/This_is_Hardcore.mp3 Listen]
length8 = 3:22

title9 = Elation
note9 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Elation.mp3 Listen]
length9 = 2:28

title10 = Dance of the Zaikmans
note10 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Dance_of_the_Zaikmans.mp3 Listen]
length10 = 1:44

title11 = Menu
note11 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/menu.mp3 Listen]
length11 = 1:28

title12 = Credits
note12 = [https://typo3.digipen.edu/fileadmin/synaesthete/music/Credits.mp3 Listen]
length12 = 2:10

Rolling Without Slipping

Listed below are the developers of Synaesthete, and their primary role: Zach Aikman - Producer Joseph Tkach - Designer William Towns - Technical Director & Musician Andy Maneri - Product Manager

References