Synduality’s a dystopian mech-piloting third-person shooter from Bandai Namco

Grim futuristic worlds do love their giant robots, and newly revealed third-person mech battler Synduality is no exception to that. The game’s part of a “transmedia sci-fi franchise” being worked on by very bluntly named devs Game Studio, according to publishers Bandai Namco. The game’s out in 2023, though. Suit up and boot up by watching the trailer below.

If you’re worried about environmental collapse then I’d look away now. See, Synduality’s set in 2222, when poisonous precipitation going by the rather highfalutin name of The Tears Of The New Moon has scoured the Earth of most humans. It’s turned some into creepy creatures that now stalk whatever’s left of our species, too. We’re forced underground Matrix-style into a safe zone, Amasia, which brings people into contact with some AI referred to as Magus. So far, so sci-fi.

You play as a Drifter, running about searching for AO crystals. They’re rare, and only found on Earth. Problem is, Earth’s overrun with Enders, dodgy beasties that you don’t want to tangle with alone. Luckily, the Magus AI can help you fight Enders and provide hints, warnings and ideas about where to go. If you want to venture to the surface you’ll need to do a Cradle Coffin. Those are the aforesaid mechs. You’ll be able to personalize these by changing their look and loadouts.

All this sounds nerdy as heck on paper but, in action, Synduality looks pretty cool. The mech suits zip around at a decent pace, and there’s some nifty looking weaponry for your Drifter to let rip with. Bandai Namco say there’s co-op multiplayer as well as single-player, which can see players helping each other or, more interestingly, fighting for resources instead. You can catch a glimpse of some of the mechs working together to take down Enders in the trailer above.

Synduality is coming to PC, along with current-gen PlayStations and Xboxes. It’ll be coming to Steam sometime in 2023. There’s no page up yet, but you can find out more at the official site here.