Synergy handles things so much differently from its peers that even the standard genre label “city builder” doesn’t feel quite right. You begin Synergy with nothing but a handful of people and a small pile of the last few resources they have. Progress far enough, and you’ll start returning life to the land itself by redirecting water and helping native plants grow again. Synergy is a strategy game about learning to thrive in a ruined world. It’s usually better to learn how to peacefully pick from plants than to rip them out at the root.