The Surge 2 Early Gameplay, Previews
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With a couple of months left to go before the planned September 24, 2019 release of Deck13 and Focus Home Interactive's Dark Souls-inspired sci-fi action-RPG The Surge 2, a number of outlets got a chance to play a closed beta build of the game. You can find some of their impressions below, but first, check out the game's opening, courtesy of IGN:
There's still issues afoot, but the greatly enhanced setting already sold me on the idea that Deck13 has taken the criticism of the first game to heart (and Lords of the Fallen for that matter) and applied what they've learned. The Surge 2 is out on September 24, 2019, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. I didn't expect to get so sucked into the preview build that I'm now anxiously awaiting that date, but here I am.
It all seems to be about giving players as many options as possible, and Johannes was keen to point out that you can absolutely play The Surge 2 your own way. “With dodging and blocking, I think it’s still a careful addition; you don’t have to use it, but we can satisfy the different kinds of players.”
He continued, “Many are really happy with the way you can beat the game just by upgrading really well. So why not? Why should we say ‘No, you have to use the actual blocking,’ but maybe you’re way more rewarded by getting this block recoil and say, ‘Oh, wow! now I really have control over this guy and I can kill him’. We don’t want a passive player, we don’t want you behind your shield! The options are all dynamic and they are your choices to beat the game with them. That’s important to us.”
Make no mistake about it: The Surge 2 wears its Dark Souls influence on its sleeve. The game's pacing is much more methodical than most action-RPGs, you're constantly at a disadvantage when battling enemies, and the upgrade system is very similar. That said, there are a few key differences that help set it apart. For starters, you'll instantly notice how the game's world is much more colorful and less brooding than From Software's prized franchise. Everything has a brighter look to it, so while the setting is definitely dystopian, it has less of a doomed vibe to it.
Visuals aside, The Surge 2 also plays a bit faster than the Souls series. Yes, it's still very much a slower-paced, combat-driven RPG, but your character's movement, as well as the movement of the enemies, is more rapid here than it's ever been in the Souls series. In addition, while you'll meet an unexpected demise plenty of times while playing, the checkpoint system in The Surge 2 feels a bit more forgiving — at least it did in the early parts of the game.
The Surge 2 is a fun, challenging sci-fi adventure with a lot of positives going for it. The world itself is drenched in atmosphere and more ambitious than what came before it.
Gameplay is similarly refined, exuding a notable sharpness without sacrificing that strategic edge which helped the original stand out. It’s more of the same, but developer Deck13 has learned plenty of valuable lessons.
The Surge 2 may just feel like a refined version of the 2017 original in many ways, but that is by no means a bad thing. That title had a lot of areas where it could improve like animation, level design, and story, and The Surge 2 seems to be taking steps to improve in all of those areas. While Dark Souls 2 is the black sheep of that series, The Surge 2 seems like it will be the definitive entry in what is now a sci-fi Soulslike franchise. Please, just fix that camera Deck13.
The Surge 2 could be summed up as a cyberpunk Dark Souls, but it’s got its own thing going on. It’s not as harsh of a game for one, and I never found myself in a position where I felt like the odds were stacked against me. I had a great time playing the beta, and I can’t wait to check out the full game when The Surge 2 comes out on September 24, 2019.
