Synergy

The gameplay loop is fun and the scenarios can be a bit of a guide on how to play each map. I just 100% it and it has its challenges, but it is a city builder so limited diversity in build order or exploration. One thing i really like is that there is always something to do, you are rarely sitting there watching the people run around to do stuff. I still give it a 8.5/10. Biggest issue I had was big memory sinks when populations and to many tasks got ordered. Simply restarting the game fixes the issue; however, you have to do it about every 2-3 hours of play or it gets very choppy. Get the game on the cheap.

A brilliant game crushed by corporate greed ​Synergy is a true gold mine in the city-builder genre. The visuals inspired by Moebius comics and the pacifist mechanics based on balance, respect for nature and resource management in hot periods make this game an incredibly relaxing and profound experience. The passion of the development team is felt in every detail. ​Unfortunately, the story behind the game is a revolting one. In January 2026, the parent company (PulluP Entertainment) decided to permanently close the Leikir Studio development studio, after 14 years of activity. The reason? A dry business decision to "optimize the portfolio", after another project of the studio did not reach the unrealistic profit targets of the corporation. The developers were fired, and future plans were cut, leaving this gem without the support of its original creators. ​Buy this game to honor their hard work and talent — it's worth every penny and provides dozens of hours of peace. It's extremely sad that a corporation would choose to trample on such art just to curry favor with investors. Eternal respect to the team at Leikir Studio. And Goblinz publishing for keep it on steam. Thank you!

Not feeling it. Did the tutorial, was intruigued, then went on into a sandbox game, because the story seemed like "more tutorial" and I wasn't really interested in it. It's very bare-bones. Colour me surprised by how tedious this game immediately became once the "guardrails" of the tutorial were gone. I picked the first map ... and was immediately confronted with having nothing to do. Then, later, I tried a different map, because it felt so different from the tutorial, and lo and behold, that map had the tutorial area resources again, berry bushes, etc. Something you can actually make decent use of at the start of the game, while the other map required an "agri farm" for sustainable farming ... you know this entire game's theme. The agri farm, however, takes like 10 hours to even unlock, it's at the very far end of the research tree, no matter from which side you approach it, so you're left there just ... sitting and doing nothing. Can't produce basic meals, because the ingredients to do so are not available with your current "farming" methods. Can't harvest the funghi on the map, because that DESTROYS the node entirely, never to respawn (meaning, you can apparently soft-lock yourself out of this resource forever). Guess what you need to NOT destroy the funghi nodes? Bingo, agri farms! Can't really produce fibers or clothing, because again, can't farm them without destroying the nodes, probably permanently, unless they randomly reappear at some point. Can't produce any medicine, either, for the same reason. And so it goes. You keep looking at the research tree, while waiting to slowly accumulate more research points in your research center, because the initial method of gaining research, analyzing your surroundings, is done in a few minutes. The surface analysis, at the very least. After that your field research thingy is just dead weight, until you can somehow research more detailed methods, wherever those are, because the research tree is anything but easy to parse. So, that's your colony: pick some shrubs, gather some water, send some people out on the initial 2 or 3 expeditions, because afterwards they're too far away anyway ... and wait. And wait some more. You could produce tools ... but you don't really need them now, so you wait. Nah. I'm good. For a game that is all about "synergy" and "sustainability" I find it incredibly tedious to set up your colony. Maybe that's the point ... Graphics-wise ... it's distinct. I would neither call it good- nor bad-looking, but it's not my kind of art style. Music and sound effects are barely there, animations are sparse. It's a very basic-looking game with I'm sure quite a bit of depth, especially when it comes to building, maintaining and upgrading your various districts to gain the respective bonuses, but it just doesn't feel worth the effort to maybe get to that part ... Basic resources should be readily available and you should be able to harvest them sustainably. You can then lock the more advanced stuff behind either research for sustainable harvesting ... or immediate exploitation with all the negatives this entails, like no longer having access to these resources, or polluting/damaging the environment. As it stands, the game just feels too boring for me to engage with.