Synth Riders is one of the most important games of my life, with a personal story attached to it that I'd like to share. It's my absolute number-one go-to for VR rhythm and VR workout games.

I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life, ever since high school. It was only when I reached adulthood and life started to stabilize that I decided to treat myself to a fancy Quest 2. Around that time, I realized I seriously needed to lose weight. Going out was hard, and with COVID lockdowns still a reality at the time, I thought... why not work out in VR? I wondered if people actually did that, and if it would really work? Regardless, in my mind, with enough intensity, it should work, so I gave it a try.

I tried Beat Saber, but as much as I wanted to like it, it just didn't click. I tried a few others that didn't stick either. FitXR was great, but it's a subscription-based boxing drill. It built my endurance and left me gasping for air, but I wanted something that made my whole body move. Enter Synth Riders.

I fell in love with the game from the very first song I played: 'Tonight' by Sunset Neon. Playing became my daily ritual, same time every day, sometimes even twice a day. At first, 20 minutes was my max, and the best I could do was Normal difficulty, leaving me out of breath every time. I remember thinking there was no way I could ever pass Hard difficulty.

As the weight dropped through healthy eating and my VR workouts, I raised my daily playtime little by little. I pushed harder and lasted longer.. 30 minutes, 40, until I settled on a minimum of around 50 minutes daily. I moved from Normal to Hard, then Expert, and eventually, it became 'Master difficulty or nothing.'

Even when my headset bricked, I bought another one just to keep playing. I installed custom songs, bought some DLC, and found myself with a stupid grin on my face every time I started a session. My heart would feel full and beat with genuine happiness with every move. It sounds corny as ♥♥♥♥, but it’s the truth.

Later, when I no longer had my gaming laptop or desktop due to life, I bought the game again on the Meta store just to keep the streak alive. Even after, when my body was in good enough shape to go for jogs and runs daily, I still return to this game at times. And every single time I did, I'd still smile, and my heart beats with that same happiness.

I went from 94KG, down to 67KG during my time with this game both on Steam and on Meta, before I went for jogs and runs. It’s ridiculous how much I love this game, and how much I owe it for shaping my life for the better.