Our ongoing series, Inside XR Design, delves into examples of stellar XR design. Today, we’re spotlighting Synapse, a game that captures the essence of embodiment—an essential aspect of VR gaming.
Editor’s Note: It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we first shared this piece. The insights remain just as pertinent in 2025 as they did initially. We’re bringing it back to the spotlight to keep the conversation about embodiment alive as a foundational element of engaging VR design.
You can check out the full video below, or stick around as we break it down in this adapted text.
Defining Embodiment
Welcome back! In this episode of Inside XR Design, we focus on Synapse, a PSVR 2 exclusive by nDreams. We’ll be taking a closer look at how the concept of embodiment is woven into its design.
You might be asking, "What exactly is embodiment, and why is it important?" We’ll explore how it explains some of the effective design choices in Synapse. So, why not take a minute to dive in with me?
Embodiment describes the sensation of physical presence within a VR setting—as if you’re standing right there in the game world. Now, you might wonder, "Isn’t that what immersion is?" Although people often use the terms interchangeably, I think there’s an important distinction.
Immersion encompasses complete engagement—think about a movie that captivates you so much, the outside world fades away. But even the most immersive film doesn’t make you feel you’re inside it, right?
That’s where embodiment differs. While immersion is about attention, embodiment is tied to the feeling of presence in a space. In VR, you’re already immersed because your senses are engaged once you don the headset. However, true embodiment is when a game makes you feel your physical self is within that virtual realm, enhancing your interaction beyond just visual and auditory senses.
Embodiment isn’t binary, but a spectrum. Some games achieve it better than others. Let’s look at how Synapse excels in this area.
Cover You Can Feel
At first glance, Synapse resembles a typical VR shooter. However, intentional design elements foster a profound sense of embodiment. Take the cover system, for example.
In most VR shooters, cover is a wall that blocks shots. It’s static and doesn’t relate to your body. Synapse changes the game by letting you physically grab and maneuver around cover. This interaction feels natural and enriches gameplay.
By physically moving yourself in relation to a wall, rather than just using a control stick to strafe, the wall gains a tactile reality. Grabbing and using it as an anchor integrates it into your proprioceptive model—a term we should explore further.
Understanding Proprioception
Proprioception involves your internal sense of body placement and movement relative to your surroundings. It’s like how a cat skillfully adjusts its ear around a table without consciously thinking about it.
In Synapse, when you grab a wall to shift your position, you’re engaging proprioception. The wall isn’t just scenery; it becomes integral in guiding your actions. This interaction helps the walls feel tangible, enhancing your presence in the virtual environment.
Mags Out
Walls in Synapse aren’t just for cover; they’re tools for reloading too. Stepping back from embodiment for a moment, this is a brilliant design choice. Previous Inside XR episodes have praised the realistic weaponry in Half-Life: Alyx, but Synapse offers something new. The game’s fast-paced reloading keeps you engaged without overcomplicating inventory management.
Magazines float when ejected, and you simply slide them into the weapon to reload—a mechanism both intuitive and fitting for Synapse’s sci-fi world. It complements the cover system seamlessly. While using a hand for cover, you can reload by pushing against a wall—merging these systems brilliantly.
This isn’t just clever design; it’s another way you engage tangibly with the world. Being aware of the wall’s proximity becomes part of your proprioceptive sense, making space feel practical and real.
Together, these interactions—using walls for cover and reloading—enhance the sensation of embodiment by encouraging meaningful engagement.
Ultimately, as the environment feels more real, your perception of being in that world strengthens. That’s the heart of embodiment: When virtual realities capture your full attention (immersion) and also ground your physical presence within them, it elevates the experience beyond just the visual. Synapse hits an impressive stride in this regard, particularly with its creative telekinesis system.
Curious about more? Don’t stop here! Continue exploring how Synapse lets you extend your reach into its world with intuitive powers and mechanics.
