Synth Riders is a virtual reality rhythm game that will get your heart racing and your body moving. As you move and groove to the beat of the music, you’ll be using your entire body to hit orbs, dodge walls, and duck under obstacles. The game is available on all major VR platforms and offers an immersive experience that’s perfect for a workout. With 58 free songs, 48 paid DLC music tracks to choose from, and an active modding community you’ll never run out of music to keep you entertained.
Verdict
About Synth Riders
| Release Date | 12 July 2018 |
| Developer | Kluge Interactive |
| Rating on Oculus store with # of reviews | 4.7/5 (2,592) |
| % of upvotes on Steam with # of Reviews | 93% (1,260) |
| Genre | Music & Rhythm, dance |
| Replayability | Extremely High |
Gameplay
Synth Riders offer two different modes of play: rhythm and force. In rhythm mode, you’ll score points based on how accurately you hit each note. This makes the game a fun and flowing experience, as you’ll be dancing around to catch the targets. The force mode is a bit different, as it focuses on your ability to swipe, punch and hit through icons instead of just touching them directly. This creates a feeling similar to other rhythm games like beatsaber and punching games and as you move through the targets. The difficulty levels can be adjusted to make the game easier or harder, depending on your preference.
If you have played Beat Saber before, the menu and UI will feel familiar. You can add modifiers on the left hand side like “no fail” and “spin” and “spiral”. The leaderboards stand out because they feature rankings for every song, as well as for each mode and modification. Generally, the best players in each mode are different.
Fitness Intensity
Synth Riders is an excellent way to get a workout in without having to go to the gym. It requires you to move your entire body and use your arms and legs to hit the targets. The game also offers a calorie tracking system, so you can keep track of how many calories you are burning. With the adjustable difficulty levels, you can challenge yourself as you get used to the game and increase the intensity as you get better.
In general, Force Mode will be the more intense workout and activating Spin Mode will get you moving more.
In my own test I played 30 minutes of Synth Riders on hard difficulty using the “random song”feature. After 30 minutes I burnt approximately 155 calories and had an average heart rate of 104 BPM
How Many Calories Can you Burn Playing Synth Riders?
The VR institute of Health and Exercise conducted a study to measure the energy expenditure of participants playing Synth riders by measuring their heart rate and oxygen consumption. They found the following
- Average MET (Metabolic equivalent of 4.11)
- A 60kg person would burn approximately 4.32 to 5.27 calories per minute
- This puts it at moderate intensity, the equivalent of being on a elliptical trainer
- This makes it a lighter workout than both Audio Trip and Dance collider
Immersion
Synth Riders offers an immersive experience with its varied sci-fi environments and high-energy music. The base music is good, but the most well known songs are locked behind paid DLC content or finding your own custom mods.
Synth Riders has done extremely well with their paid DLC’s like the Muse experience. This an incredibly well done partnership that includes augmented reality and changing backgrounds.
Replayability/Is it Worth it?
Synth Riders is a great game for those who are looking for an immersive workout experience. It offers a variety of songs and difficulty levels, so you can challenge yourself as you progress. The game also allows you to upload your own music and have it mapped accordingly. The replayability of the game is high, as there is always something new to try and challenge yourself with. The game is definitely worth the price, as it offers a great workout and an immersive experience.