The Surge

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 357 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 176 out of 357
  2. Mixed: 100 out of 357
  3. Negative: 81 out of 357
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  1. Vellinaria
    Aug 3, 2021
    3
    A piece of crap with terrible controls and camera. Cheap fights and 1 shot deads. I beat it did not enjoy it. Is not fun at all
  2. OutlawTX
    May 25, 2017
    4
    The high scores must not have gotten to the second area yet. I thought it was great till then. As someone who earned platinum trophies in all the souls games, Bloodborne, Nioh and absolutely love all of them while somewhat liking Lords of the Fallen (Slow as molasses combat.) I've found this to be the most annoying of the genre. Constantly getting 1 or 2 shot killed, reguardless of armor.The high scores must not have gotten to the second area yet. I thought it was great till then. As someone who earned platinum trophies in all the souls games, Bloodborne, Nioh and absolutely love all of them while somewhat liking Lords of the Fallen (Slow as molasses combat.) I've found this to be the most annoying of the genre. Constantly getting 1 or 2 shot killed, reguardless of armor. Bad hit box detection. The dodging, in a lot of cases, is pointless while blocking can't be done while moving. While I finished 2 play throughs of Lords of the Fallen yet lost interest in it, at least I finished it. I have a feeling that the combat mechanics are so annoying that I won't even finish this. A big disappointment. The concept of cutting off parts for armor and upgrades is brilliant but the (here's that word again) annoyingly frustrating combat just kills it. Souls games are fantastic games that happen to be hard. High risk, high reward. This just seems like cheap shots with not much reward. I regret my purchase. *edit After playing much more of the game, my issues and complaints have exponentially risen. Ive been playing games since the 80's and this is one of the most infuriating and annoying games I've ever played. Not only have I lowered my score, I'd like to give people who may be considering purchasing this game some insight into the trophy stats from people who have the game installed. 18% of people that have the game installed have upgraded their rig. (This is after the second boss) Congrats to Deck 13. The game is so good that 4.5% of people who bought it have beat the 5th boss. It looks like people are where I am...done. I uninstalled it. Massive waste of time and money.… Expand
  3. BigBallerBrand
    Aug 3, 2017
    3
    Extremely Repetitive. Extremely Repetitive. Extremely Repetitive. Imagine Lords of the Fallen thrown into a poorly made sci world with almost no back story. Combat is clunky and dull. Very disappointing because it seemed so promising.
  4. Zeydlitz
    Dec 2, 2017
    1
    It's actually NOT a Demon-Souls like game at all, it's a slasher with poor mechanics. Authors miss main part of DS -- you could always overpower enemy by grining if enemis are to hard. So there is always a solution even if you skill are low. But this game set limits by power and make enemies always bit to hard to be enjoyable.
  5. Bunterboy
    Apr 2, 2019
    2
    There is a decent game in here but it's just mired underneath multiple layers of tedious repetition and grinding and some completely unnecessary difficulty spikes. Difficulty does not equal fun.

    Many of the enemies give cheap hits, they'll be hiding just out of sight, or behind some bushes or some such other cheapness. Other times the game will let you see the enemy but won't let you    There is a decent game in here but it's just mired underneath multiple layers of tedious repetition and grinding and some completely unnecessary difficulty spikes. Difficulty does not equal fun.

    Many of the enemies give cheap hits, they'll be hiding just out of sight, or behind some bushes or some such other cheapness. Other times the game will let you see the enemy but won't let you lock on as there's a tiny bit of scenery - like a cable - in the way. Difficulty through cheapness does not equal fun.

    This game, like so many others of it's ilk could be more fun but chooses to be 'hardcore' to its detriment.    … Expand
  6. Pucks
    Jun 5, 2017
    3
    Das Spiel waere ne super Alternative zu den Mittelalter Darksouls Spielen, aber ein riesiger Kritikpunkt zerstört das ganze Spiel: Es ist viel zu schwer! Als Person die noch nie ein Spiel in dem Genere gespielt hat, ist es unmöglich sich überhaupt in das Spiel einzufinden. Selbst nach Grinden ohne Ende konnt ich es noch nichtmal schaffen den ersten Boss zu besiegen, der einen einfachDas Spiel waere ne super Alternative zu den Mittelalter Darksouls Spielen, aber ein riesiger Kritikpunkt zerstört das ganze Spiel: Es ist viel zu schwer! Als Person die noch nie ein Spiel in dem Genere gespielt hat, ist es unmöglich sich überhaupt in das Spiel einzufinden. Selbst nach Grinden ohne Ende konnt ich es noch nichtmal schaffen den ersten Boss zu besiegen, der einen einfach twohitted wenn du einen Fehlsprung machst. Die Gegner sind auch keine Herausforderung bis auf den immensen Schaden den sie verursachen. Bis auf coole Animationen und schöne Grafik hat das Spiel also nichts zu bieten.… Expand
  7. Dwideshrude
    Jan 19, 2019
    3
    This game lures you in with its shiny exterior and great atmosphere, then it hits you with frustration that will leave you dumbfounded as to how this game passed QA tests, (if there were any on the scale that is neccessary to balance a game, which is doubtful.) I made it far into this game, through tough boss battles, winding labyrinths, and great environments you can tell were made withThis game lures you in with its shiny exterior and great atmosphere, then it hits you with frustration that will leave you dumbfounded as to how this game passed QA tests, (if there were any on the scale that is neccessary to balance a game, which is doubtful.) I made it far into this game, through tough boss battles, winding labyrinths, and great environments you can tell were made with care. Unfortunately, when you do find your way to boss battles, or any tough enemy for that matter, you are met with a clunky shell of a souls-like that can only be described as an embarrassment to the developers who made the combat. The combat mechanics, AI, and hitboxes hurt this otherwise great game with many options given to the player to play their way. Playing your way will stop as soon as you time a perfect dodge only to have a boss's weapon follow you like a bullet in the movie "wanted" in a shining example of a lack of "intelligence" in the coding for their AI. Fun will stop as soon as you happen upon 3 enemies in a room only to find they wont let you get up after getting hit *once*, resulting in you losing all of your health and your metal scrap "souls", as you daydream about the souls-likes that could handle a similar situation so much better. All of this wrapped in a story that I can tell the ending of from a mile away, since the story is a rehashed narrative we've all seen in games. One of unwitting misdirection and ultimate betrayal, not unlike the feeling of spending money on this game after seeing a beautiful shell, only to find an empty husk of frustration. (I'm guessing my predictions on the story are correct as seeing the very end is not something I plan on doing, even though I feel I'm near the end, unlike better games such as Nioh, which although flawed in its own ways, is beatable without getting nearly as many problems as this game, and leaves you wanting more.)… Expand
  8. Sylaman
    Nov 11, 2019
    4
    The game is boring and monotonous, game play is very repetitive and requires a lot of grinding.
  9. Lonitx
    Dec 2, 2019
    0
    "how about we copy dark souls but make it worse in every single way?" is what I imagine the pitch of this game was
  10. TheTG
    May 17, 2017
    0
    Terrible game, does nothing new, full of bugs and glitches, only 5 boring and easy bosses, the environment is always the same, no creativity, 90% of the game mechanics are copied from Souls, shameless thieves. Don't waste your time on this garbage game.
  11. valkas
    May 16, 2017
    4
    the game start pretty well but become super borring after 5/6 hours playing, every area looks the same, no real diversity, even with the trash mobs, all the same except the stuff they have, the story is just meh, at the end the only thing fun in the game is grinding for new stuff, not worth buying imo
  12. Diman0594
    Sep 24, 2018
    0
    Worst souls-like ever, sometimes camera lock on bosses, sometimes not. Every locations looks the same
  13. Blackredhunter
    May 16, 2017
    1
    This game is a bad skin from Lords of the Fallen which is a bad copy of Dark Souls, Gameplay horrible, repetitive and bland scenarios, enemies design is poorly done, different from Nioh who used the Souls formula but has his own identity The Surge is just a very bad copy of an incredible franchise.
  14. Darksonic981968
    Aug 11, 2018
    0
    When I first starting playing the game I though its ok but as I progressed through the game I thought hang on this is exactly the same as Avatar The Video game like i hated it because of the fact that you're stamina is counted and once its maxed out your attacks are very slow and weak plus the enemies you face are hard to beat overall great graphics but terrible game play
  15. Steyraus
    Dec 14, 2020
    3
    Tries to be Dark Soulsbut fails on every front. The interesting exploration is non existant , in stead expecting you to grind a small areas for hours before another small area unlocks. compat is the same with every weopen. Leveling your character is so basic and stupid is actually hard to figure it out becuase you cant beleive its that dumbed down..
  16. quake2th
    Apr 21, 2019
    4
    original idea and very good atmosphere.
    gameplay is plain garbage, try again next time...this is even worse than Lords Of The Fallen.
    Dark Souls combat works only for Dark Souls, don't try to clone it, it won't work, and this game (and the previous one) shows it. This would have been a killer game if it was a simple action rpg, given the originality of the plot and the overall good    original idea and very good atmosphere.
    gameplay is plain garbage, try again next time...this is even worse than Lords Of The Fallen.

    Dark Souls combat works only for Dark Souls, don't try to clone it, it won't work, and this game (and the previous one) shows it.
    This would have been a killer game if it was a simple action rpg, given the originality of the plot and the overall good level design, but no, they had to copy Dark Souls...killing all the game's potential.    … Expand
  17. 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 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.
  18. BallzyDan
    Oct 6, 2020
    1
    A free game (with plus) that I could not even make it one hour in to. Explain the combat a little better or give tips in the beginning. This is total crap, not worth playing if they paid you minimum wage to do so
  19. Hackslashshoot
    Dec 12, 2019
    4
    I went through the unending grind . I got the platinum for this game for no other reason but for the sheer insanity of running around in circles for 30 hours with the camera going bananas 90 % of the time. I only enjoyed the final boss fight the rest of the boss fights were pretty dumb. I hate gimmick boss fights. The level design was the definition of insanity . Lords was better imo. NotI went through the unending grind . I got the platinum for this game for no other reason but for the sheer insanity of running around in circles for 30 hours with the camera going bananas 90 % of the time. I only enjoyed the final boss fight the rest of the boss fights were pretty dumb. I hate gimmick boss fights. The level design was the definition of insanity . Lords was better imo. Not by much. This is a souls clone mind boggling mouse maze of a game . The only reason I 'm giving a 4 and not a 5 is the user score is a 6.5 ... This game is a 5 at best. After I received the platinum I thought " why did I just do that to myself ? The bottom line is this game is fun for about 3 hours after that you will be better off slamming your head into a wall. You will still have less of a headache then what the camera wonk in this game will give you. The targeting is infuriating. Ng is unplayable absolutely unbalanced just like Lords . I like difficult games . But there is fun difficulty and then there is dumb difficulty and in the surge the tough challenge is not enemies the challenge is the targeting the camera and the confusing narrow maze riddled level design. I'm done with this developer. I can't believe there a sequel to this mess.… Expand
  20. BoozePrime
    May 17, 2023
    0
    From start to finish, it embodies everything that can go wrong with a souls-like. It's an absolute mess that falls flat in every aspect, leaving players with an overwhelming sense of disappointment and frustration.

    Let's start with the gameplay. The Surge promised a unique and challenging combat system that revolves around limb-targeting and dismemberment. While this concept had    From start to finish, it embodies everything that can go wrong with a souls-like. It's an absolute mess that falls flat in every aspect, leaving players with an overwhelming sense of disappointment and frustration.

    Let's start with the gameplay. The Surge promised a unique and challenging combat system that revolves around limb-targeting and dismemberment. While this concept had potential, it quickly devolves into a clunky, monotonous affair. The combat lacks finesse, feeling sluggish and unresponsive. The hit detection is unreliable, making battles feel more like luck-based encounters rather than tests of skill. The supposed satisfaction of dismembering enemies quickly fades, as the repetitive animations and lackluster enemy variety become painfully apparent.

    Moving on to the story, or lack thereof, The Surge fails to deliver any compelling narrative. The game thrusts players into a dystopian future without any meaningful exposition or context. The protagonist's journey lacks purpose and emotional depth, leaving players detached and uninterested. The scarce attempts at storytelling are convoluted and poorly executed, with forgettable characters and a plot that never manages to engage or captivate.

    Furthermore, the level design is an absolute nightmare. The Surge tries to emulate the success of the Souls series, but instead of intricate and interconnected environments, we're presented with dull, uninspired corridors and industrial settings. The lack of variety in locations makes exploration a tedious chore, as players are forced to navigate through repetitive environments with minimal visual appeal.

    Visually, The Surge is far from impressive. The graphics are subpar, with uninspiring textures, lackluster lighting, and a general lack of attention to detail. The game suffers from frequent framerate drops and technical issues, further hindering the already underwhelming experience.

    Even the sound design fails to salvage anything worthwhile. The music is forgettable, lacking any memorable tracks that can enhance the atmosphere or build tension. Voice acting is mediocre at best, with unconvincing performances that fail to breathe life into the characters.

    The Surge is an example of wasted potential and poor execution. It's a frustrating and unfulfilling experience that fails to deliver on its promises. From its lackluster gameplay and shallow story to its unimpressive visuals and subpar sound design, this game is an abysmal failure on almost every front. Save yourself the agony and avoid The Surge at all costs.    … Expand
  21. 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 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 II 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
  22. Lonit
    Sep 16, 2019
    1
    It's like darksouls but boring as **** everything that happens in it is uninspired and
    uninteresting.
  23. allthewayhome
    Apr 7, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly the game is unbelievably repetitive because of the lack of direction. There is a huge problem in the lack of any coherent direction through levels. I was running around the fist stage for about two hours just farming and trying to find my way through the story. There was nothing to help guide you to where you were supposed to go or level flow to lead you there. I only managed to find out how to turn on the power after watching tutorials outside of the game. Even then, when I finally made it to the first boss, after 3 straight hours of game time, I couldn't even get close to beating it. The UI is terrible as, again, you have to go outside of the game for an any sort of helpful tutorial. The camera constantly zooms in on the boss' legs. I did manage to fill the orange bar, however, I was immediately killed by it's rockets. On my third and fourth attempt, it would, instead of shooting it's rockets, just walk around completely impervious to any damage. Only a handful of times was I able to get him down and damage him but was immediately met with the repetitive attacks and killed over and over. You shouldn't have to blindly farm the enemies that lead up to this boss for hours to even stand a chance. In a later patch there should be some sort of guidance system put in place. By no means am I an idiot but this game made me feel like one as I couldn't even beat the first boss.… Expand
  24. lordkaerthon
    Aug 20, 2022
    2
    Boring, monotonous, grindfest. Whoever thought that a singleplayer game should require extensive grinding to play, should be shot.
  25. AntiMXT
    Jun 3, 2023
    4
    Cyberpunk Dark Souls this is not.
    Clunky. Finicky body part targeting and a camera that loves tight corridors & the back of the characters head... and yet somehow they both share the same controller mapping...
    The ideas are fine, if poorly executed, but the boring aesthetic, story, and minimal & timed resources offered makes for very tedious repetition. Even running past the monotonous    Cyberpunk Dark Souls this is not.
    Clunky. Finicky body part targeting and a camera that loves tight corridors & the back of the characters head... and yet somehow they both share the same controller mapping...
    The ideas are fine, if poorly executed, but the boring aesthetic, story, and minimal & timed resources offered makes for very tedious repetition. Even running past the monotonous enemies proves impossible as the tight hallways and the lack of an accurate dodge function lead to needless one-hit frustration or the animations leaving you sailing off a cliff. (I do love that a hulking Brute with a ten-tonne hammer can make a u-turn mid air but I still can't dodge the same attacks of the same legs of the same robot bosses despite the direction I chose because the camera has a mind of it's own)

    Hopefully the sequel improved upon these issues because I'm giving up on this one, around about the time they introduced the 'trial of tedium' where you fight the same alternating bosses from earlier in the game like 5 times. Ugh.    … Expand
  26. Edulinn72
    Jul 25, 2021
    4
    System Failed

    Ew, this game is horrible. Never enjoyed playing it because there are fails in every aspect. The story? Nule. Gameplay is horrendous because of the poor hitboxes, which have never been fixed. Graphics are OK but the designs are just bad, but not as bad as the music and sound effects. The only good things from this game are the loot and the concept which is very original. I    System Failed

    Ew, this game is horrible. Never enjoyed playing it because there are fails in every aspect. The story? Nule. Gameplay is horrendous because of the poor hitboxes, which have never been fixed. Graphics are OK but the designs are just bad, but not as bad as the music and sound effects. The only good things from this game are the loot and the concept which is very original. I would not recommend it.    … Expand
  27. sarcastor
    Dec 22, 2020
    2
    Just downloaded this game on PS Now and I'm blown away by its horribleness. Its confusing, repetitive, clunky, illogical and boring as heck. i've been playing for a solid hour and i think i've only traveled like 500 feet because i keep dying, from fighting the same 3 enemy robots over and over again that respawn every time i turn around. the fighting animations take so long i get hit 2-3Just downloaded this game on PS Now and I'm blown away by its horribleness. Its confusing, repetitive, clunky, illogical and boring as heck. i've been playing for a solid hour and i think i've only traveled like 500 feet because i keep dying, from fighting the same 3 enemy robots over and over again that respawn every time i turn around. the fighting animations take so long i get hit 2-3 times before i even connect one blow. then when i die i have to go back to find my loot and i have to face off the same robots that just killed me like a dozen times?
    the upgrade system seems interesting and i wish i could experience it more but i could not muster the strength or tenacity to play this game for another second. i feel sorry for anyone who actually paid money for this    … Expand
  28. yertre
    Feb 4, 2021
    3
    What a dumpster fire. I played The Surge 2 and thought it was okay, and decided to check this one out.

    The game is a technical mess. I can't even begin to count all the clipping, broken hitboxes and bugs I encountered, but that's not why I bothered to write this review. The game has you play as a guy in a wheelchair for the introduction, and then suddenly subjects you to a INSANELY    What a dumpster fire. I played The Surge 2 and thought it was okay, and decided to check this one out.

    The game is a technical mess. I can't even begin to count all the clipping, broken hitboxes and bugs I encountered, but that's not why I bothered to write this review. The game has you play as a guy in a wheelchair for the introduction, and then suddenly subjects you to a INSANELY gruesome and unnerving torture scene. Why? It's really disturbing, and has NOTHING to do with the rest of the plot.

    4.5% of the people who installed this bothered to play till the 5th boss. This game is a complete disaster, more so than Lords of The Fallen. Conrats, Deck 13.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

50
#50 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
33
#33 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 7, 2017
    70
    Deck13 has stepped up to take a lash at Souls’ patented sadism. Some swings are short of the target, but the bulk have landed where they should. [July 2017, p80]
  2. CD-Action
    Jun 30, 2017
    80
    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]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 24, 2017
    70
    Lacks the finesse and charisma of its inspiration, and the exhilaration of nippier titles such as Bloodborne. A decent action RPG that finds itself in with a tough crowd. [July 2016, p.83]
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