This week, the freestyle dance rhythm game Synth Riders celebrates its fifth anniversary on the rails with the launch of Synthwave Essentials 3 on PlayStation VR and PlayStation VR2. Join us as we look back on our biggest development milestones and reveal a special birthday gift for all players.
The brainchild of creative director Abraham Aguero and lead developer Jhean Ceballos, Synth Riders is a “love letter” to Synthwave music and rhythm games like the Hatsune Miku series, all wrapped in a matching retrowave art style. I’m here.
With continuous feedback and support from our community, we have delivered many cross-platform focused gameplay improvements and new features.
- In 2020, Synth Riders was the first mainstream VR rhythm game to offer cross-platform multiplayer for up to 10 players, as well as the first VR rhythm game to offer cross-platform multiplayer at launch on PlayStation VR2. bottom.
- We’re always looking for ways to add new spins and twists to gameplay, adding features like multiplayer power-ups and spin modes in 2020 and spiral modes in 2021.
- We wanted to explore and exploit the potential of PlayStation VR2 special features, such as headset feedback for wall collisions and improved haptics for notes and rails. Thanks to inside-out tracking, Synth Riders Remastered also allowed us to bring a full 360+ spin mode to PlayStation VR2.
- Utilizing cross-platform leaderboards, the PlayStation VR 2 community has joined the global Synth Riders ranks, with over 500,000 personal best scores recorded by PlayStation VR2 players since launch.
From indie artists to industry heavyweights, we’ve come a long way with the amazing Synth Riders community on our five-year journey of musical discovery.
- From humble beginnings in 2018 with just 13 songs reflecting a single musical genre, the game’s soundtrack has expanded to over 125 available tracks (68 recordings + 57 add-ons) from indie artists and labels, giving players introduces a wide range of genres. Synthwave, EDM, electro swing, pop, rock, funk, ska, K-pop, punk and more.
- Add-on music packs paved the way for Synth Riders to attract great artists to the game such as Muse, Gorillaz, Bruno Mars, The Offspring, Palof Stellar, Lindsay Stirling, and Caravan Palace.
Here are the top 5 most popular add-on songs among PS VR2 players:
- Muse “Starlight”
- Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc”
- League of Legends – “Legends Never Die”
- Lindsay Stirling – “Underground”
- Muse – Algorithm (Alternate Reality Version)
We’ve also spent five years redefining what the game looks like with bigger, bolder, brighter visuals and experiences.
- Synth Riders Experiences first appeared in 2021 with Muse’s ‘Algorithm’. These acclaimed, immersive “music videos” surround the player with artistic and unique visuals crafted to match the song perfectly, offering a special blend of sight, sound and movement. increase.
- We treat each experience as a work of art, from creative direction to animation by our 3D artists. It takes 2-3 months from conception to completion. The result of that care is something we’re very proud of, and we’re happy that it’s now considered by many to be a “must-have” VR experience.
- When Synth Riders Remastered launches for PlayStation VR2 in 2023, all of the game’s visuals have been remastered. This means that the highest fidelity experience currently available for Synth Riders remains his PlayStation VR2, with its stunning display and deep blacks. At the launch of PlayStation VR2, Synth Riders Remastered was offered as a free upgrade from his original PS VR, including all purchased add-ons, as a thank you to his PlayStation VR community for their support in 2021 and beyond.
To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we’re adding Synthwave Essentials 3 on July 11th, a 14-song music pack that pays homage to the game’s aesthetic and musical roots. This pack includes his 5 free songs and his 5 paid extra tracks as a birthday gift. We’ve also added a revamped version of the classic Default He stage for in-game enjoyment, “back to the synths”. Please enjoy it.
The Synth Riders team at Kluge Interactive would like to thank the players in the PlayStation VR community for their support over the years. From humble beginnings to today, I am very happy to join you on this journey.
