My word, I have never been so excited for a sequel as I have for The Surge 2. In my opinion, the original game was a masterpiece, I absolutely loved it. If I could have reviewed it way back when I would have given it a 10/10!
The Surge and The Surge 2 are developed by Deck 13 interactive, which happens to be my favourite studio so please forgive my bias. Sequels aren’t always the best but sometimes, just sometimes, one comes along that is absolutely groundbreaking.
With hair on my arms standing up and shivers running down my spine I have the privilege, nay the honour of presenting to you THE SURGE 2. Need I say more? Well yes is the answer, I have a word limit so take a seat and read on.
By the end of this review, I want you to go out and buy it. Or instead, buy it now and read while it’s installing.
Set not long after the events of the first game The Surge 2 allows you to create your own starting character. You can change a lot of facial details from your hair and hair colour to how the lips look you can even have a male or female character. As fun as this is though you won’t really be spending much time looking at your chosen avatar but it’s a nice addition.
Set in Jericho city you awake to find yourself on a hospital bed in prison two months after the events that took your plane down. The lone survivor, or so you think. Something has gone terribly wrong. The events at the CREO factory have spread; the nanites are back and they’re angrier than ever. You hear a voice in your head and get up, you frantically grab the closest thing to you that looks like a weapon, open the door and…. your story begins.
Allow me, if you will, to start off with the most important parts to The Surge 2. The fighting, the camera, core power and loot. If you have played the first title this will come as second nature to you with a few new differences. If you’re new to the world then fear not. The controls are simple and very easy to master.
When fighting an enemy you have to dismember a body part to learn that armour blueprint. It sounds vicious and brutal and it is, but you, like me, will relish in it. The camera takes a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it will become like second nature.
Core power, like the first game, allows you to upgrade your suit and put on more powerful implants. The higher the core power the more powerful armour you can put on.
Last but not least the loot. Almost everywhere you go there will be loot. Some of it is hidden inside easily broken boxes, some rewarded to you for killing a particularly tough enemy. Sometimes going off the beaten track will reward you with something special, like for example my personal favourite implant that gives you a small health boost after 5 successive hits.
The biggest change/addition though is directional blocking: when an enemy attacks you an arrow will pop up telling you which direction they’ll hit you from. Blocking at the last possible second and countering whilst they’re stunned can take a long time time to perfect but if you can perfect it you’ll feel a lot less fragile and a lot more like a badass.
Many games these days give you a truly massive map with nothing in it. You can walk for miles and find nothing but more map to walk in. Some games have a little more than others. The Surge 2 does not have a massive map, in fact when you see it for the first time might think to yourself “is that it”. However, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in content.
There is always something to do, secrets to find and enemies to grind. The Surge 2 will not hold your hand and gently guide you to where you need to go you have to make the effort to find your way on your own. Even if that means walking into an area far,far above your current level and getting destroyed by enemies that laugh at your pitiful attacks. Prepare to die… a lot.
Dying in most games is extremely annoying but here it’s a learning curve. What could you have done better? What can you do better next time? Have you learned their attack moves? These are the things you will need to consider each time you face a new foe and end up face-first in the dirt. Don’t give up hope, eventually, you’ll become hard as nails and begin to kick butt, but don’t lose your focus, one minor mistake could cost you your life… This game is a masterpiece.
Not often have I experienced a game like this. Everything is perfect it all feels like a game that was built with supreme care and extensive attention. The voice acting is great the visuals are great the combat is great. I simply cannot give it enough praise.
The one and only bad thing about it is there isn’t more of it. Obviously I’m giving Deck 13’s The Surge 2 10/10 but I want to give 100/10. Do yourself a favour and get it!
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