The Surge 2 is the sequel to developer Deck13’s 2017 cult hit of the same name. If you are new to the series and don’t know what to expect (much like I was going in) the game is very much in the Dark Souls vein. You need to be prepared to let the game kick your ass and come back asking please may I have another! If you can overcome the undoubted difficulty though, this game is well worth your while.
You start off by building your character and embark on your journey. The story begins with you as the survivor of a plane crash. After a few weeks in a coma you awaken in Jericho City with visions of a girl taken away by the military who was on the plane with you when it went down. You begin looking for her and answers as to what has happened in the time since the crash. The narrative is nothing to write home about, but in fairness I have always felt like this type of game lives and dies by it’s gameplay.
Speaking of which, while initially seeming impossibly hard there is actually plenty to like about how The Surge 2 plays. Anyone familiar with the Souls games will feel right at home moving between med bays in lieu of Bonfires and harvesting scrap instead of souls. You upgrade your character using cybernetic implants and mash your way through enemies with a whole slew of futuristic weapons.
Tactics play a big part in The Surge 2 and you will need to decide if you want to be a light, fleet of foot character or one that can deal heavier damage but moves with less freedom. The game does a great job of encouraging you to experiment with weapons and loadouts. The UI and layout of all this really impressed me as well. You even have shortcuts that let you switch between weapons/armour sets in game. This let’s you change it up on the fly to adjust to the situation you find yourself in.
While the game mechanics are a strong positive the game does suffer from some technical issues. The game runs well for the most part but frame rate drops are not a rare occurrence. The graphical fidelity of the game is also nothing to write home about, with some textures that I was pretty surprised to see in a 2019 game.
In terms of trophies you will need to be at the absolute top of your game to bag the platinum here. As I said at the start of the review the game is brutally hard and unforgiving. As of this writing no-one has earned all the trophies, which is a challenge set down if ever I have seen one. If you are willing to put yourself through the battle for the platinum you will certainly get your moneys worth out of the game.
Overall Surge 2 is a good game. It is a shame that it doesn’t look a little nicer and run at a constant frame rate, but it delivers where this type of game matters most and that is in the gameplay. From the well laid out inventory menus to the satisfaction of dismembering enemies this is a game that given the time and patience it requires will scratch that souls itch while providing a refreshing setting.
