The Surge

The Surge, despite being a Souls-like game, differentiates itself with rich combat mechanics and varied enemies, making it a great experience.

The Surge has been able to exploit the essentials of this genre: A highly additive combat system, great setting and an outstanding level design. It may not be a huge innovation, but Deck13 has created a great game within the action RPG genre.

The Surge is not only a “sci-fi Dark Souls clone” but also a solid game in its own right. Deck13 brings some good ideas to the mix and achieves one of the most interesting combat systems of this particular subgenre.

Although the core mechanics are deeply rooted in the same soil that grew From Sofftwares Souls franchise, the visceral fighting mechanics with their specific target zones are kinda unique and makes you feel like you are playing a mixture of Transformers and Mortal Kombat. Unfortunately the world and quest design are rather generic.

When it came to rating the game, I was torn between 7+ and 8. There are some technical issues here, the bosses are disappointingly bland and both enemies and environments could use some more variety. I made my final decision when I played the wonderful song from the game and started to look through the screenshots I captured. I instantly remembered how much fun I had with The Surge’s great combat system and felt the need to start New Game+. And I don’t even consider Dark Souls the best thing since medieval torture devices. [07/2017, p.54]

While it isn't a revolution on the tried-and-true gameplay formula, it nevertheless takes the genre into a fresh direction, retaining what makes it work for fans while putting some unique touches on the combat system, setting, and overall flavor. It presents a bleak, dystopian future and is wracked with unrelenting difficulty, but if the cost of admission is a few prematurely grey hairs, it's absolutely worth it.

The Surge is a whirlwind of action-RPG fun with a fast and frantic melee-focused combat system, addictive loot systems and an immersive sci-fi horror atmosphere.

The Surge has become a really nice game that will easily keep you entertained for many hours. This is not just a copy of a different game series, this is a great, standalone videogame.

While it might seem like a sci-fi soulslike, The Surge proved itself to be more than just another wannabe thanks to the outstanding twists on combat, satisfying choices in playstyle, and allowing for fearless engagement in its systems thanks to the ability to respec at any time. While I often felt wrecked and ruined by my journey through the hostile, unforgiving mega-corp, by the end I came around and instantly started a new playthrough. Deck 13 has taken the criticisms leveled at them after Lords of the Fallen, and not only responded to them, but actually used that feedback to improve in major ways. Great job.

The Surge isn’t interested in creating variation in its gameplay mechanics, or exploring more diverse settings or ideas, or creating compelling characters. It washes over you, but it’s a refined wash, and the foundation for a great game to come. The Surge is a good thing, and I’m glad it exists as another answer to the Souls-esque games coming out – its dull, but refined sci-fi action makes the game feel like a first step, if only a step, in the right direction.

Deck13 has built on the successes and mistakes of Lords of the Fallen and has created something that is able to not only stand toe-to-toe with the Souls franchise but is also capable of standing on its own with its unique identity.

The limb targeting mechanic offers up some true innovation to the combat formula established in Demon Souls. This makes The Surge the one of the first real competitors to the Souls series, as The Surge offers up its own unique gameplay style that keeps each encounter fresh in a very unique setting. Fighting multiple enemies at the same time can be a pain, and the game does suffer a bit in the narrative department, even with its interesting world, but overall I found The Surge to be a well built Souls-like.

Bugs and a weak narrative aside, The Surge is a much more confident take on the emerging Soul-like gameplay style. It takes the known tropes of being challenging and having progression dependent on learning attack patterns while adjusting your play style to accommodate, but it also has some fresh ideas that not only make perfect sense, but could shape future games. It’s nice to see a developer give a gameplay style a second shot and Deck13 have almost nailed it here.

Like Lords of the Fallen, The Surge is another rock-solid souls-a-like, losing a little of its predecessor’s strong storytelling and atmosphere, but gaining from the change from fantasy to sci-fi and the ingenious mech smashing and harvesting upgrade system. It’s not quite on the same level as the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne or Nioh, but that’s more down to the lore and art style than the brilliant gameplay. If you like the sound of a gritty dystopian take on Dark Souls, The Surge is an easy game to recommend.

The Surge is a fun and challenging role playing game with mechanics known from Dark Souls. Its world looks beautiful, and the looting and crafting system gives the player a lot of freedom. All in all, The Surge is a fun game.

An interesting addition to the souls-linke genre. It doesn't reach the greatness of the big ones, but the combat system and, especially, the dismemberments, make it a pretty fun experience.

The Surge makes good use of its detailed sci-fi setting and provides an engaging experience throughout the 30 to 40-hour campaign, mostly thanks to its widely customizable inventory and wickedly fun combat system. It may struggle to keep the action moving and tell a strong story amid the chaos of battle, and its weapon progression plateaued early, but it offers some interesting ideas and delivers a solid new take on a familiar genre.

The Surge is a very good surprise because it is more than just a futuristic Dark Souls clon, it’s a challenging and fun action RPG with interesting variations on its combat system and a satisfying campaign.

Although imperfect, The Surge is a very enjoyable game for those who like a challenge. It's better than Lords of the Fallen, and its setting makes it feel more unique.

If you enjoy action RPGs and don’t mind butting heads with enemies or bosses that will kill you in a couple hits, then check out The Surge. The few problems with it are certainly present, but they can be overcome through patience and perseverance. Just don’t underestimate the security forces, those guys are no joke.

The Surge is a decent enough Dark Souls clone with some clever ideas, though it fails to pull you into its clichéd science fiction world the way its source of inspiration does. Still, there's a lot of fun to be had here, especially if you're a fan of the Souls games and like a challenge.

The Surge is basically built upon the Dark Souls model, but brings it into a futuristic world with some nice touches like the combat system that allows to cut limbs. It's still is quite difficult and intended for masochistic players.

The Surge is the hidden gem of the month. It has some flaws, and its visuals might not be top notch, but its virtues surpass them. When it comes to gameplay mechanics, it's a notable game, addictive and fresh. Above average difficulty and the unique style that adds the sci-fi approach are all the reasons you have to buy them. A great candidate for this month's best sellers.