With "The Surge," Deck13, following their action RPG "Lords of the Fallen," ventures once again into the Souls-like genre, this time with a dystopian sci-fi setting that paints a bleak picture of the future – a time when humanity has reached another pinnacle of decadence. Whether the game is a relic of the past or a genuine hidden gem in the currently fiercely competitive genre, you'll find out in our review.
New job, new life, new problems
When you get the chance to work for CREO, a company dedicated to making the world a better place, you don't hesitate, especially if, like Warren, our protagonist, you're in a wheelchair and can walk again thanks to CREO exoskeletons. However, on his very first day, it becomes clear that something is amiss. During the operation to drill the exoskeleton anchor points into Warren's bones, the fully automated surgical program reports "Patient anesthetized" and dutifully starts drilling, but without the promised anesthesia. Warren, who understandably loses consciousness during the operation, then abruptly awakens in a junkyard and discovers with horror that a drone is trying to salvage all the metallic components of his "new" self, even if it means amputating all his limbs. At this point, Warren's fight for survival begins. It appears that all the workers have lost their minds and degenerated into brainless killing machines, now using their industrial tools to smash each other's skulls in. Robots are running amok, attacking anything with a pulse, while those who are still relatively lucid are slowly but surely losing their identity, and security personnel are desperately trying to regain control of the situation.
Head gone, poor thing
"The Surge"offers some interesting gameplay elements not seen in other games. For example, new gear is only obtained by severing your opponents' limbs, but this isn't guaranteed, as you first have to damage the corresponding body part. If the opponent is weak enough, the body part is damaged, and enough Exo-Rig energy is available (volatile energy gained through combat), a button prompt appears that must be filled by holding down the button. If all requirements are met correctly, the game switches to a pre-made, fast-paced, and sometimes very brutal animation in which the corresponding body part is severed. If the severance attempt is successful, you receive a blueprint that can be used to recreate and improve the piece of equipment at a vending machine in OPS, The Surges Bonefire."
Defeating enemies in "The Surge" rewards you with Scrap, the equivalent of Souls in "Dark Souls." However, "The Surge" also features a unique twist: a multiplier bonus for successful finishing moves. This means that with each successful finishing kill, the Scrap multiplier increases – a risky and tempting mechanic that often leads to death, as players prioritize maximizing the Scrap multiplier while neglecting their health. Collected Scrap is lost upon death, as usual, but can be retrieved. However, there's a time limit; after it expires, the Scrap simply disappears. To mitigate this timer, you gain 20 seconds for each enemy defeated in this way.
Leveling up takes place at the OPS, a kind of security and maintenance room for rigs. In the OPS, you can upgrade the core level of your EXO rig, which in turn increases the core's energy capacity and allows you to equip better parts and implants. Equipment items, including implants, consume varying amounts of core energy. Interestingly, in "The Surge," leveling up your core doesn't directly improve your character; it only grants you more energy for your core. To improve your stats, you'll need to use implants, which, for example, allow you to use buffs or increase your health. Based on the implant's rarity, it scales with your core level, granting you more health—this also applies to stamina and energy. You are free to choose which implants you use throughout the entire game. Those who don't need health can, for example, rely solely on stamina and attack relentlessly, or build their strategy around buffs and skills, automatically regaining some health upon a successful finisher. This system makes it virtually impossible to misjudge your skill build. If a fight proves too difficult, you can easily change your setup within three minutes and face the challenge again.
The level design of "The Surge" is nowhere near as expansive as that of "Dark Souls" and is only semi-open world. Each region has only one rest stop, but there are numerous shortcuts that allow players to quickly return to their previous locations. Often, shortcuts can be found within the first few meters of a level, though they are easily missed or may not yet be powered. Regions are traversed using a train, and fast travel is not available. Therefore, anyone wanting to return to a specific area will have to fight their way back through the old areas.
However, "The Surge" also has some unpleasant gameplay elements, most notably the finishing moves, where you can practically predict your demise. Occasionally, you'll find yourself in a situation where you unleash a finisher and spot an enemy in the distance preparing for a powerful attack. If you're hit during the animation, video game logic protects you and prevents you from losing health. However, if the attack consists of multiple individual strikes or hits you right at the end of the animation, it often means game over. Deck13 definitely needs to address this issue.
Good graphics, many options, excellent PRO support
"The Surge" runs on the same engine as "Lords of the Fallen," but offers significantly better performance without any graphical compromises. Players launching the game on a PlayStation 4 Pro are rewarded with two graphics options. There's a UHD option, which renders the game at approximately 1800p and runs at a solid 30 FPS. Graphically, this mode is considerably sharper and more detailed than the Performance mode, which renders the game at 1080p but delivers a stable 60 FPS that never seems to drop. Those playing "The Surge" on a standard PS4 still enjoy 1080p resolution, but are limited to 30 FPS. "The Surge" also doesn't skimp on options. The menu offers numerous ways to adjust and disable graphical effects, which isn't always a given.
German can sound really good.
"The Surge" offers not only excellent gameplay and well-chosen graphics but also a great voiceover. The audio is available in either English or German and, thanks to its German origins, is quite enjoyable. It's clear that the German developers were particularly keen to deliver a high-quality sound. Sound effects, such as the clashing of metal, have a rich, satisfying quality, and the finishing moves sound impressive. However, the hit effects could be improved, especially when hitting flesh, as there's a slight lack of tactile feedback in these situations.
