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.

The Surge does a wonderful job of presenting a Bloodborne-style game in an entirely new sci-fi setting.

The Surge is a satisfying sci-fi RPG that pleasantly surprises in more ways than it disappoints. Fans of Dark Souls-style titles will find a lot to like here and the unique combat system keeps it from feeling like a rip-off. It’s just a shame that the narrative and world building isn’t stronger.

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]

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]

A challenging and fresh take on Sci-Fi. [Issue#188, p.84]

The Surge takes the Dark Souls series formula and throws it into a sci-fi setting. And while it suffers from poor narration, a huge and interesting world combined with a fresh and innovative combat system prove to be more than enough to consider it a success. If you are up for a Souls-like challenge in a sci-fi world, The Surge is a great choice.

Deck13 has improved their offering since Lords of the Fallen but this action-adventure RPG still fails to dazzle. It works well, but nothing more.

The Surge adds some new elements to the Souls formula that for the most part work well. It fails to live up to its inspiration in the design department, with samey environments and a lack of enemy variety but the combat holds your interest to its conclusion.

The Surge is a decent step forward compared to Lords of the Fallen, that manages to avoid the copycat characterization that the latter had. The modern factory setting may be somewhat drab and the difficulty needs to be more balanced, but nevertheless combat is hugely improved and the dismemberment mechanic manages to provide a very welcomed personality to the game.

The Surge is a surprisingly fun hard core hack-and-slash experience. It offers a grim story and great level design, but does not quite manage to reach the heights and overall quality and offering of its main competitors - the Soulsborne games.

It's a pity that a quarter of the time I spent with The Surge was far from enjoyable, because the game itself is pretty good. When level design isn't your worst enemy, this game checks all the boxes required by the Dark Souls fans and expands on a well known gameplay mechanic with an interesting setting and some new additions. It's worth it but be very patient.

The Surge is a rather unfair experience. It tries to be a difficult product but ends up lying in flagrant errors.

The Surge is technically strong, has good ideas and fascinating environments, but also a lot of flaws, especially when it comes to important elements for the soulslike genre, like level design and character’s customization/improvement.

The Surge is a flawed but ultimately enjoyable action RPG. While it can be incredibly frustrating at times, the fantastic combat and body part targeting system does enough to overshadow the bad parts.

An even better Dark Souls clone than Lords Of The Fallen, but there are too few unique ideas and the difficulty often undermines the rest of the gameplay.

The Surge gives a lousy first impression with it bland sci-fi setting and grab bag of obvious influences. Given time, though, there’s an unrefined gem in here for those willing to put up with its quirks. If this is Deck 13’s next step to building something truly great, it’s solid, if flawed one.

It may seem reductive calling The Surge a sci-fi Dark Souls clone, but the truth is, it doesn't really try to be much more than that.

I didn't mind investing over 50 hours to the grind in The Surge. I felt powerful at times and exploring every little area rewarded me with a nice bounty. It just clings too tightly to a one-note approach to world building, enemy encounters, and level design. This is a genre that has a rich history of wowing players, sometimes from the look of a boss, and maybe even the design of the world it inhabits. I was never dazzled by The Surge. I mostly felt like I was battling animated junk in a junkyard.

Clearly imitating the Dark Souls’ combat system and resources management, The Surge can give more action to the “masocore” crowd. The plot is not especially deep and enemies not so charming, but the high difficulty and a nice look can satisfy the fans that are searching for something to get angry for after the end of Miyazaki’s series.

The Surge offers an interesting world to explore, and a few new tricks that set it apart from the competition, but often falls short of its inspiration due to wonky combat and uninspired enemy designs.

In our present-day world, the game's prediction of a violent worker-versus-worker future feels hauntingly plausible.

The Surge is one of those games that shows a lot of promise but the experience itself just doesn't live up to its potential. You may have some fun within the first 5 hours or so but everything after that slowly evolves into nothing more than a tedious grind.

The idea of soulslike ready to approach dystopian science fiction was not only intriguing, but potentially winning. The incipit of The Surge clearly shows a great potential: despite some flows in the combat and growth systems, the game still manages to capture the player, awaken his curiosity. Unfortunately, too much of this potential is lost, due to a bad level design, poorly inspired environments, and a distressing lack of contents.

While the difficulty may seem like a bad thing to have, it is as much a reason not to play these types of games as it is a reason to play these games. If you seek a challenge with a simple story, rather fun combos and some tough bosses, The Surge should be your next stop! Maybe wait for a price drop, though.

The Surge obviously got its inspiration from other games in the genre, but when it comes to world building and level design the German Deck 13 simply does not impress.

The Surge’s engaging risk/reward combat system and obsession with gear will compel you to want to fight your way through a cataclysmic sci-fi hell. But the repetitive enemy types, uninspired visual design, and unfortunate lack of polish leaves the game feeling soulless.

The Surge is a mix of interesting ideas and hiccups in execution. While there's no doubt that it will resonate with a specific, hardcore audience, it's missing just enough to alienate a generalized audience. Its combat is challenging, but not perfect; its story starts with a compelling hook but falls flat shortly after. There are echoes of something special running throughout The Surge, but it never escapes its own shadow.

FromSoftware's second stab at this stuff produced Dark Souls. Deck13 still has a way to go before it really delivers on the concept it holds so dear. [July 2017, p.112]

The Surge is something really promising – challenging but fair with a strong sense of progression. At the same time the story, characters and game world is uninspiring and boring. Right now it’s only a descent Dark Souls tribute without a strong identity of its own.

For all its mechanical competency, The Surge feels as mechanical as its enemies through most of the experience. No where near enough was done with the science fiction theme, and after catching my attention with an intriguing set up, the game then lost me with a generally dull plot that it was never quite able to claw back.

The Surge started off great. The combat was fun, the story seemed interesting, and the crafting was enjoyable that is until I got a dozen or so hours into it where everything went from being doable to insanely hard, grindy, and uninspiring.

The Surge is occasionally electrifying, but combat issues and cheap enemies dampen enjoyment levels.