The Surge

1. n808

   Mar 3, 2018

   10

   Fantastic, under-appreciated game - sci-fi Dark Souls inspired! Great new game mechanisms for upgrading and loot. I originally had to take aFantastic, under-appreciated game - sci-fi Dark Souls inspired! Great new game mechanisms for upgrading and loot. I originally had to take a break near the end of the game due to travel, and it was too hard to get back in when I returned. However, I finally did (Feb 2018), and I ended up enjoying the game even more. I went on to NG+ and my third Platinum (the others being Bloodborne and Nier) . Next up is the DLC and really looking forward to 'the Surge 2'.… Expand

   • 12 of 19 users found this helpful
2. iamDecaydence

   May 17, 2017

   9

   I like the hardcore a-rpg trope.
   But i hated the SoulsBourne Games for their artificial story hiding.
   In comparison to those games TheI like the hardcore a-rpg trope.
   But i hated the SoulsBourne Games for their artificial story hiding.
   
   In comparison to those games The Surge is far more welcoming.
   While it might be true that the story in this game isn't the most grandiose there is nothing wrong about the dystopian future where men and machine meld. Quite intriguing indeed.
   
   The Animations are top-notch but there are minor bug outs from time to time - nothing game breaking or enjoyment hindering though.
   
   The Environment isn't the most diverse and astonishing in the genre that's true but it's not the point of the game to inspire awe with some grand views. From maze like factory halls to claustrophobic dark corridors where each corner might be hiding an enemy - it fit's the concept and "lore".
   All the while the Audio effects of the enemies and the sound track will haunt you.
   
   You will get tense action and will become invested in the Chip & Crafting systems.
   
   What The Surge does it does so very well but it doesn't invent the wheel anew.… Expand

   • 3 of 9 users found this helpful
4. Msun89

   Feb 20, 2022

   8

   Gives you a lot of incentives to play and grind. Awesome crafting and customization system. Solid 8 out of 10.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
5. MetaRogue

   May 23, 2021

   6

   I really wanted to like The Surge. While I'm not a pro at playing FromSoftwares' roster of 'Pleasure-Through-Pain' titles, I do like them. SoI really wanted to like The Surge. While I'm not a pro at playing FromSoftwares' roster of 'Pleasure-Through-Pain' titles, I do like them. So when I heard about Deck 13's second attempt at doing a Souls-like, I thought "Why not give it a try?"
   
   The opening moments in The Surge are by far the strongest in the game: You get an insight into the plight of Warren, a cripple seeking employment with CREO and the means to walk again. What happens in the moments after Warren joins CREO is a horrific example of placing too much faith in technology to solve your problems. It's a brilliant, but brutal set up for the start of The Surge.
   
   The one big problem with The Surge's narrative is that it closely follows the Dark Souls textbook on how to tell stories and convey essential plot beats. In this regard, the story is vastly obscured and I had a vague idea of what was happening and where I needed to go next. It's a deep shame because I was curious about the backstory for The Surge's world and some of the dialogue writing was very well done.
   
   On the combat front, The Surge's combat system is a near perfect 10 out of 10. Executing weapon combos feels satisfying and blitzing enemies who once blitzed you just feels fantastic. Where The Surge distinguishes itself is how you fight enemies and how you acquire new weapons, armour and resources. While in combat, you can target specific areas or limbs of most enemies to either deal more damage (against unarmoured limbs) or generate more Energy (by dealing less damage, but striking the enemy more often). In the heat of battle you can freely and quickly change the specific limb that you're targeting to interrupt enemy attacks or generate more Energy when needed. Once your Energy meter is filled enough, you can do a finisher on an enemy's body part to gain new armour schematics and weapons. To get more resources to upgrade your armour and weapons, you simply must target the corresponding limbs from which the armour piece/weapon came from. In this regard, The Surge introduces a new concept to not only Souls-likes, but games in general.
   
   Unfortunately this is where my praise for The Surge ends. What I REALLY DON'T LIKE about The Surge is just how unnecessarily difficult it can be at times. In the early hours, I expected the usual fare of learning from my mistakes and through trial-and-error until I improved. At this point of the game, I didn't mind the difficulty curve, especially in the game's first two sections. However, the further I got, the more I didn't like how Deck 13 implemented certain difficulty spikes that felt outrageously unfair, as if someone had suddenly turned the dial up from 4 to 11. These difficulty spikes manifest themselves in the form of certain enemy types, most notably the scorpion-like quadrupeds who can cleave your health by 70% simply by leaping at you from a distance of 30 to 40 metres (and who are also heavily armoured, meaning that you're attacks do diddly squat against them) and the other enemies who can kill you in one or two shots. What's even more frustrating is that these levels of damage dealt against you completely ignore your health and armour stats.
   
   In the second half of the game, things go from manageable to just downright punishing. Security troops possess an EMP dart that stun locks you and their equipped weapons deal massive damage - when you're doing your best and you get ganged up on by three or more security troops, you simply don't stand a chance. Then there are the boss fights.
   
   Boss fights in The Surge can truly push you to the brink of your composure. The problem is that the boss fights are poorly designed given the fact that The Surge relies on close quarters combat. The bigger bosses are a fitting example of how their design contradicts the game's combat - they require you to get in close at exactly the right time, but at the same time you run the risk of getting absolutely destroyed in a split second. When I say "This isn't fair" I mean it's a level of unfairness that makes Dark Souls' level of difficulty look reasonable by comparison.
   
   In the end, I can't recommend The Surge. It's a thing that ticks me off immensely because I actually love the game's combat system.
   
   To be honest, I'm sick and tired of up and coming developers simply cashing in on FromSoftwares' successful gameplay formula by dressing their game up in a 'different' skin. What annoys me even more is that they then go and try to compete with FromSoftware by making their game MORE DIFFICULT than Dark Souls. This often tarnishes the overall enjoyment level of their game and is more of a detrimental trait than an admirable one.
   
   It's a real shame for Deck 13 because they could have crafted a great game that pays homage to it's inspirations whilst being more fun due to its greater degree of accessibility. Instead they tried to walk the path of being 'Darker than Dark Souls' and ended up walking the plank to failure and unlikability.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. JoseManuel10_

   Aug 9, 2023

   5

   The Surge is a 2017 action role-playing video game developed by Deck13 Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. Renzokuken

   Apr 27, 2019

   4

   I seriously struggled to get any enjoyment out of The Surge, and that's saying something because I got it for free on PS+. The game feels likeI seriously struggled to get any enjoyment out of The Surge, and that's saying something because I got it for free on PS+. The game feels like nothing more than a futuristic attempt at a dark souls clone. The problem is souls style games live and die on their atmosphere and tight control scheme and The Surge has neither. The controls are especially problematic and on numerous occasions I found myself attempting to dash away from attacks only to have a delay get me hit, and those hits are an especially huge problem when one shots and stun lock kills are extremely commonplace, attacks are poorly telegraphed and often end up obscured by the bulk of your own character model.
   
   All in all it's just a shallow experience, I'm sure someone with more patience for the genre could extract some measure of fun from The Surge, but I'm not that person. I'd rather just go play Dark Souls or any one of it's ever increasing number of clones that get the controls right.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. kgartner

   Jan 28, 2022

   0

   Its a dark souls game but in the future. Dark souls games aka a crap game. Die hard dark souls fans are like those people who watch badIts a dark souls game but in the future. Dark souls games aka a crap game. Die hard dark souls fans are like those people who watch bad movies but rave on about how good they are but really they are just terrible etc.. bloodborne… overrated garbage. Save your money on a good game.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful

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