- Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
- Release Date: Sep 23, 2019
- Also On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Sep 23, 2019The Surge 2 takes the premise and mechanics set by its predecessor and takes them even further with some welcome new ideas. The beautifully choreographed battles are a real success once mastered, provided the visibility problems sometimes caused by the camera — as well as the repetitiveness of the actions — are ignored. The system of crafting and customization through the dismemberment of enemies, and allowing players to create their own style of play, is still as successful as ever. Nothing new then, but rather more content and options — it's certainly demanding, but just as pleasing when we take up the challenge with an undeniable sense of power.
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Sep 25, 2019In the end though it’s the improved combat, minus a few camera issues and frustratingly difficult boss encounters, the progression and build possibilities, and the wonderful level design that go a long way to make up for the lack of narrative drive. Or interest in what happens to the world. In this regard The Surge 2 is an improvement, but an experience that still feels like it’s a few more brutal dismemberment finishers away from finding the right plan to research and build its full potential.
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Jan 17, 2020With the environment changing from a factory to a city, The Surge 2 loses its appeal of heavy machinery. With a spiritual story and a confusing map, it was never really clear where The Surge 2’s gameplay or world atmosphere was heading. Luckily, changes in the game’s system are more clear. By making battles less challenging and improving the upgrade system, the game’s dismemberment-focused action has become genuinely more fun. That being said, there are just too many aspects that hold it back.
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Nov 22, 2019Despite a few technical hiccups, The Surge 2 presents a marked improvement over its predecessors and an all-around good game.
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Oct 23, 2019So far the best soulslike from Deck13. Miyazaki’s admirers won’t be enraptured, but not put off either by this game full of contrasts, bloody fun and several original ideas.
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Oct 14, 2019The Surge 2 doesn’t look well aged. The gameplay is basically the same of the first chapter, and graphics are somehow worst. At least farming is enjoyable, and the bosses represent a real challenge.
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Sep 30, 2019Hugely satisfying combat and some smart world design carries a decent Souls-like that feels like a solid, if safe, alternative for genre fans. The Surge 2 is competent, with flashes of excellence, but loses some of its own identity in the shadows of its inspirations.
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Sep 26, 2019Deck13’s second go of the sci-fi themed action RPG set-up, carves out just enough of a worthwhile combat and upgrade system alike, for The Surge 2 to leave players both optimistic and curious — if not eager — for what a hopeful third entry may have in store.
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Sep 24, 2019The Surge 2 nicely scratches the itch for open-world action. Its less punishing flavour of Souls-like is easier to stomach, and it’s worth checking out for the gratifying combat and clever – albeit confusing – level design. Just don’t expect it to set the genre on fire or captivate you with its narrative.
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Sep 24, 2019From its title screens to its combat mechanics, The Surge 2 copy/pastes a great deal from the two-year-old original and while it moves the franchise into a more open and populated world, I was hoping for a more dramatic evolutionary leap. Like its Soulsborne models and its predecessor, The Surge 2 is a challenging game, made more so by an inconsistent frame rate and sometimes imprecise combat controls. It’s still a pleasantly familiar Souls-like experience but like The Surge, the sequel hasn’t quite discovered the alchemy that transmutes repetitive grinding into a satisfying feeling of mastery.
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Sep 23, 2019While its plot, setting, and navigation are as subpar as its predecessor, improvements to combat and equipment, as well as other small touches, make this a title worthy of grabbing if you’re into games with a heavy focus on exploration and stamina-based combat.
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Sep 23, 2019The Surge 2 makes several smart gameplay refinements from its predecessor that polish up some rough edges, and environmental design & traversal have improved considerably. However, the lack of enemy variety, disappointing boss encounters, and overreliance on blocking prevent The Surge 2 from making the full next step into being a great action RPG.
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Sep 23, 2019The Surge 2 offers the hard-earned pleasures of Souls-style combat, with less of genre’s signature sting.
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Sep 23, 2019Despite some of the technical issues and difficulty scaling, The Surge 2 is a fun game that should satisfy those looking for a souls-like experience. The combat is rewarding, and the directional blocking system is definitely something I would love to see implemented into other action games. The Surge 2 shouldn’t be seen as a Dark Souls clone; instead, it’s a great game standing on its own feet that has done some exciting things to expand the genre.
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Oct 11, 2019A weak story and uninteresting side-quests and characters keep The Surge 2 from reaching true greatness beyond the original, but it is clear that the developers ARE learning and improving. Although it may not be a better game overall, the combat improvements go to show just how good a future title could be.
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Nov 11, 2019Forced gameplay features and pointless limitations are the key problem of The Surge 2. Deck13 refuses to improve and expand its combat mechanics to an acceptable level.
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Sep 23, 2019The Surge 2 isn't a bad game, but it gets some pretty big things wrong. In the end, I had some fun with it, but the broken parrying, awful enemy placement, and bland level layouts made it more of a slog.
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| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Sep 23, 2019Familiar isn’t always bad, and in the case of The Surge 2, familiar is just aggressively fine. Adding cinnamon to oatmeal doesn’t create a flavor explosion, but it makes the experience that much more pleasant. With The Surge 2, the folded world map is that cinnamon, adding just enough flavor to keep me interested the whole way through.
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Sep 23, 2019It’s that rejection of fast travel and a devotion to twisting paths that makes this one of the purest devotees of an old Souls philosophy. The carefree amputation of half the city’s populace is keeping my fingers and thumbs entertained, sure, but the shortcuts and secrets are keeping my brain occupied, especially in the later parts. If you missed the first Surge, but always meant to take a look, hop into this one instead. Think of it as a shortcut to a better game.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 84 out of 172
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Mixed: 39 out of 172
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Negative: 49 out of 172
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Nov 13, 2019
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Sep 24, 2019
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Oct 22, 2019