When comparing Enter the Gungeon vs Frozen Synapse, the Slant community recommends Enter the Gungeon for most people. In the question“What are the best Top-Down games on Steam?” Enter the Gungeon is ranked 5th while Frozen Synapse is ranked 32nd. The most important reason people chose Enter the Gungeon is:
Thanks to the roguelite aspects of the game, there is randomly generated levels, which means fresh gameplay each time the game is played. There is also 4 different characters available in the game, each of which has a different boss fight at the end of the game as well as different characteristics while being used. This also makes for a good bit of replayability for those that would like to see all the different bosses in the game as well as experience the different type of gameplay for each character.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Satisfying replayability
Thanks to the roguelite aspects of the game, there is randomly generated levels, which means fresh gameplay each time the game is played. There is also 4 different characters available in the game, each of which has a different boss fight at the end of the game as well as different characteristics while being used. This also makes for a good bit of replayability for those that would like to see all the different bosses in the game as well as experience the different type of gameplay for each character.
Pro Unique tone
The game is often silly with many humorous elements such as every character is based around being a bullet, that in turn own guns and fire other bullets. There is no mistaking that the game is about shooting, and the game is somewhat 4th wall breaking by taking advantage of this fact and hilariously throwing it into the players face.
Pro Easily stay in the action of the game
There are a few small features in the game that add up to making sure the player is never too distracted or pulled out of the action. Things like once a stage is cleared and all coins dropped by your fallen foes will be magnetically pulled to you, just to make sure time is not wasted running around picking up currency. Another is that each map has numerous teleporter nodes, which makes for fast and easy travel. And lastly there is a quick start in the main menu that allows the player to jump right back into the action the next time they start up the game. All these things add up to an ease of use that makes sure the player is never too distracted by the un-fun elements of play.
Pro Gameplay is balanced well
Often in a roguelite game there can be the chance of getting delt a bum hand on any particular run, luckily Enter the Gungeon does not suffer from this issue as there is a good balance of the gunplay mechanics that sees any death by you as your own fault of not playing to your max ability. Never is it some cheap shot or some item that was not able to be picked up this run, it is just your skill and awareness of wht is being shot at you that matters the most.
Pro Cool collection aspect
There are 190 guns available in the game that the player can collect through purchasing them in an in-game shop as they progress through the game. Most likely this will take multiple playthroughs with all four of the available characters, which means tons of playtime for those that like to collect everything in a game.
Pro SHMUP like gameplay
A lot of the shooting elements in this game revolve around SHMUP like mechanics. Players will need to doge a juke many bullets on screen at ones. Luckily there is a roll capability that allows the player to doge when in a precarious position. This roll feature though is not just some way to make the game easier but is a tool to be used as the game is specifically designed to need this roll in certain places.
Pro Good selection of multiplayer
There are 5 different online multiplayer gametypes (Secure, Exterminate, Charge, Disputed & Hostage). There is also a hotseat mode where local players can swap turns on the same PC.
Pro Randomly generated maps
Each game has a randomly generated map, which keeps the game fresh being that it is a different layout each time payed.
Pro Multiple game modes
There' s a campaign, that takes you through a cyberpunk style story where you assisting a resistance faction in a struggle against a corporate government regime; there is a skirmish mode that randomly generates a map based on a number of criteria you can set; and a multiplayer mode with 5 different gametypes.
Pro Play multiple games at once
Since the game is turn-based you can have multiple games running simultaneously. You can even play a game over e-mail.
Pro Watch replays of games
You can watch your own games or multiplayer games of other people.
Pro Great tactical depth
Frozen Synapse has deep tactical possibilities. You have to take into account your environment (there's even destructible terrain), strengths and weaknesses of each squad member, position and viewing angles of every man on the field while developing a coherent plan of action by setting waypoints, aim directions and stance of your squad members to overcome your enemy. You can even run simulations to see how things might play out before committing to action.
Cons
Con Co-op feels tacked on
Co-op in the game is only local (no online co-op at all), which limits who you can pay with. On top of this the way one has to go about starting a co-op game feels a bit unintuitive, which can be frustrating.
Stages can also feel cramped when in co-op mode, meaning players bump into walls and objects too much.
Con High difficulty
The game can be difficult, especially when first starting out. This may mean a lot of deaths and a feeling of no progressions due to having to start over a lot. While the game is not unmanageable for players who enjoy the games genres, it may be a bit of a turn off for newcomers.
Con Story is forgettable
The story in Frozen Synapse is generic sci-fi.