From the creators of Lords of the Fallen, Deck13 Interactive, comes a sci-fi Dark Soul-esque title, The Surge. The Action RPG title combines the gameplay of the Souls series with a sci-fi setting. Players are equipped with customizable exoskeletons to aid them on a gory journey to discover the truth behind the obscure situation Warren (the protagonist) wakes up to.
▍Gameplay
The gameplay doesn’t stray far from the Soul series. Players take significant damage from almost anything, eliminating the option of mindlessly rampaging through each zone.
Much like Lords of the Fallen and Dark Souls, players will be able to choose between a variety weaponry, each different attack animations and move combinations. The biggest difference in The Surge is the ability to target specific limbs to deal more damage, or to acquire new weapons and armor schematics.
After each kill, the play receives tech scraps, which is the equivalent to souls in Dark Souls. Upon death, players will drop all unused scraps in their possession. Similar to Dark Souls, players will have a chance to regain their lost by reach their point of death. However, in The Surge, players only have around two-minutes to reclaim their lost scraps.
▍Ambiance
The graphics and audio is more than enough to sell the game. From bright outdoor areas to dark narrow service vents, the game creates an incredible variety of locations for players to explore.
The captures the eeriness of the world and does a great job in setting the atmosphere to better suit the story.
▍Thoughts
If you enjoyed the challenge the Souls series offered, then The Surge is a a game that you would enjoy. The game heavily focuses in creating the most intense combat experience in ARPGs, from allowing you to target specific limbs (unarmored to deal more damage vs armored for more drops) to more complex dodging and blocks that allows you dodge attacks without losing distance from the enemy, the game really gives players the adrenaline rush and satisfaction of defeating challenging bosses.
The different weapons the game features are all viable late game, combined with the implant upgrades players can customize, The Surge offers great freedom in playstyles.
However, whilst players can roam between different zones in the game, the game still feels quite linear, in a sense that players fights bosses in an exclusive order and unlock different zones one after another. Of course, players can still always choose to explore each zones fully to find a variety of secrets, or to just farm for more tech scraps before fighting the next boss.
Ultimately like all games, The Surge has its ups and its downs. The combat system is definitely one of the best in 2017. The variety of different styles players can adopt really makes replaying the game a different experience. However, when you compare it with the openness of the Souls series, the game lacks the sense of freedom which allows players to challenge bosses in a less restricted fashion.
If you don’t hold the game against the Soul series, The Surge definitely holds well on its own. The story has a certain darkness and grittiness that compels you to move forward.
The Surge is already available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.