This game is clearly inspired by Syndicate, but the actual gameplay is not Syndicate - more importantly, it doesn't grasp what made Syndicate actually fun. The core of Syndicate was quick, tactical battles with a lot of destruction. The challenge was trying to choose your battles and work your way through the mission like a puzzle, because both you and your enemies could be killed in an instant. For better or worse, Satellite Reign focuses on stealth, to the point where the combat is actually kind of boring. Even a basic security guard takes an eternity to kill, so don't expect any Syndicate-style fast-paced battles. Combat basically involves finding cover, right-clicking on a target and then and waiting as the lifebars slowly trickle down. There are abilities you can activate, but none of them feels particularly interesting or does much to speed up the combat. There's fun to be had here. Satellite Reign has a big open world with lots of objectives, there's a lot of upgrading to be done and the stealth elements are kind of enjoyable - disabling security cameras and sneaking past guards, etc. But there are better stealth games, and better tactical action games, and Satellite Reign gets old pretty fast. The world is big and open and pretty, but also empty and dreary. Nothing you do in this game ever feels particularly meaningful. For the most part I found myself completing objectives just for the sake of ticking them off the to-do list. Ultimately I wish I had spent my time doing something more fun - like playing Syndicate Wars again.
