The Surge 2 Game Review
The Surge 2 is a fast paced souls-like game. Placed in a distant future, where humanity uses machinery to enhance their bodies in a somewhat stereotypical way, the machines go out of control and turn some people into ravenous monsters or zombies and begin to tear apart the City of Jericho.
This game was absolutely amazing . Everything between the story, mechanics, and the equipment. The overall feel to the game had me hooked through my entire adventure. Even though this game, for the most part, was amazing there were some flaws I came across during my journey. As a rating I would give The Surge 2 a 9 out of 10.
If you are interested in buying the game, The Surge 2 is currently available for PS4 and XBox.
You can also buy The Surge, the first game in the series, for PS4 and Xbox.
The Surge 2 Story
The story felt like putting together a puzzle whether you were doing the main story or following a side quest. Like many other souls games, a lot of details are hidden somewhere on the map and it is up to you to find them. However, where I think the surge sets itself apart from other souls games is that they do not use this to make the story hard to follow.
For example, one could understand what is going on without finding the audio logs. Instead they use the audio logs to add different people’s perspective which allows you to change how you handle the quest at hand. Even more the writer’s have a very unique skill to cause you to mistrust everyone by blurring the line between right and wrong throughout the story.
Another aspect that added to the story was the ability to choose how you got to your destination; which really felt like a rewarding way to explore. One path may be more difficult for your playstyle but with enough thought and exploring you could find a different way to reach your goal. Overall in regards to story I would assign an 8.5 out of 10. There are a few points that I felt needed improvement which i would like to discuss next.
If you are interested in buying the game, The Surge 2 is currently available for PS4 and XBox.
You can also buy The Surge, the first game in the series, for PS4 and Xbox.
Improvements to the Story
To begin with, there isn’t a whole lot in regards to story that I would refer to as negative. However, I do feel that some of the dialogue was very generic; specifically with some of the side characters.
This does not pertain to all of them because there are quite a few who I felt had very genuine and real reactions to the circumstances they faced. Though there were a few that left you questioning why they were even put into the game. Their dialogue felt almost robotic and rushed and their quests were small item gathering which enhanced the feeling that they shouldn’t be there.
If you are interested in buying the game, The Surge 2 is currently available for PS4 and XBox.
Mechanics of The Surge 2
The mechanics in The Surge 2 are absolutely outstanding. The game feels so smooth. Even in the first Surge, the combat was very smooth but with the sequel they definitely went above and beyond.
To start, the targeting system definitely improved. Before, there were issues with the targeting specifically, when you locked onto a part near walls it would mess up the camera angle not only during the actual combat but during the cinematic executions. With The Surge 2, I never experienced that even a little bit. What i felt was more impressive is that they were able to overcome this in a game where they added in a lot more close quarters combat areas.
On the topic of combat mechanics, The Surge kept to their usual style when it comes to boss fights. Every boss you encounter feels like its own entity with its own playstyle. Each one is different and felt as though it had its own personality.
It always felt like the boss attacked exactly how their mental state was. It added a very real and natural feeling during the fights and all though I couldn’t help getting frustrated when losing, I never felt like I could have gone without experiencing each boss.
This was how the developers created such a rewarding experience during boss fights. I never felt as though they were using cheap tricks to beat me and it really drove me to continue. Overall the game felt very fair and fun to play and I would give the mechanics a 9 out of 10.
There was only one aspect in regards to mechanics that I had an issue with. That would be traveling. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because in it’s own way it’s very interesting. But the map changes a few times in a somewhat drastic way because of events that happen during the main story.
Though this was an interesting addition, which they have done before, it was a bit frustrating to learn your way around the map and then that path would be gone. Which lead to times where I would have to figure out a new way to get to where I wanted to go in order to complete some side quests I put off.
However, they did add a sort of fast travel mechanic but, I felt as though it wasn’t super useful because you would have to first find each station. The second annoying part about this is that they are added about three quarters into the game, leading me to just ignore their existence and use the time fighting through hordes of enemies. This leads me yo my favorite aspect, the weapons.
If you are interested in buying the game, The Surge 2 is currently available for PS4 and XBox.
Weapons in The Surge 2
Fighting through hordes is cool but, doing it with style is so much better. The weapons in this game are spectacular and epic. They come with their own combos and strategies that make you feel like a robotic ninja.
They all can be used in any circumstance but the game helps you really get to see where they shine. The weapons you use fit towards personal play style rather than just an aesthetic pleasure.
They don’t only feel wonderful to use, they also have such interesting designs which really wraps it into a perfect package. They even added in some weapons that were designed to make you laugh or if you really wanted a challenge you could try fighting with one of their “joke” weapons.
For example, there is one in particular that felt right using even though it was not a great weapon. The protesters sign was a weapon you come across following the main story and it has incredibly weak stats.
To most people this is a turnoff but to me it was a fun challenge using it. Nothing felt more rewarding than beating down mechanical beasts with just an old fashioned sign. This was all normal for The Surge series; though where they really improved was the armor.
If you are interested in buying the game, The Surge 2 is currently available for PS4 and XBox.
Armor
There were always a plethora of weapons and armor to find across the city in The Surge, but the armor always felt like nothing more than a light, medium, and heavy armor system. Pretty basic in the first Surge however, in the second they really added to it with buffs that came along with using sets.
This added a whole level of depth into decision making because all buffs had their uses.
It felt as though all the equipment was usable if you thought about how you wanted to use it. This may seem minor but in my experience, far too frequently, there are weapons and gear that tend to be unusable after a certain point.
I feel as though it is quite a feat to be able to design a game where you can use all equipment throughout the entirety of the game. Overall I would give the equipment a 9.5 out of 10.
Conclusion on The Surge 2
To sum it up The Surge 2 is a great experience if you are looking for a challenging new game. The game is filled with serious moments as well as some lighthearted ones to help ease your mind when facing difficult enemies.
I would recommend this for anyone into action and souls-like games because the surge has definitely left it’s own unique mark on the genre. Overall I believe the game to be a 9 out of 10 and I believe that all involved with this project definitely stepped up to create such improvement.
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