What is "synaesthete"

n. A person who experiences synaesthesia.

Synaesthete is a freeware game developed by four students at the DigiPen Institute of Technology under the team name Rolling Without Slipping. Synaesthete is a marriage of arcade-style music games such as Dance Dance Revolution and PC role-playing games such as Diablo II. At first glance, the feel of the game will be similar to an action RPG, but with several key differences. First, there is no inventory management, so players do not collect or equip items. Second, player actions such as attacking monsters and casting spells must occur synchronously with the music in order to be effective. Third, the game is not story-driven, and there are no friendly NPCs. The focus of the player is to explore a music-driven environment, where the music that is playing changes the world, and reaching different parts of the world changes the music, as well as character advancement, which is accomplished by killing enemies and reacting synchronously to the music.

You control an avatar named the Zaikman, named after the team's producer Zach Aikman. The Zaikman is referred to as a defense mechanism for the collective unconscious, and you use him to destroy enemies and progress through various levels.

At the 2008 Independent Games Festival, Synaesthete was nominated for the Student Showcase, and Excellence in Visual Art. The game claimed the prize for Best Student Game among the 125 student entrants that year.