The Surge: First Impressions

[Endwar]

Hi guys!

Just had a solid 6 hour run playing the Surge. I am pretty sure by now everyone knows that this game is basically a Dark Souls clone but in a sci-fi setting and different mechanics. Never played Dark Souls myself, but I enjoy watching other people play it. I am now experiencing the frustration that they have felt when you die over and over again.

I am playing it on a keyboard, and the key mapping is surprisingly flows well. I'll probably give a full review once I have finished the game (which will take awhile), but so far it is a joy to play.

Anyway, what about you guys what's your impression?

 

[XBoxMaster131]

Been thinking of getting it, but I'm conflicted...

ALERT!!! WALL OF TEXT INCOMING!!!

Are there any really massive difficulty spikes? And I mean enemy damage-wise. Cause my first Souls-like game was Nioh, and once I beat the Water Boss, even basic enemies could take off like a sixth of my health in one hit! And I was 15 levels over the recommended level for that stage! I mean, i get those games are meant to be hard, but thats just fucking rediculous, right?!? My point is, are there any moments like that? Cause if so, im spending my $60 elsewhere.

 

[Endwar]

@XBoxMaster131
Hmmm, not sure and difficult to compare. Just as Nioh is your first Souls-like game, mine is this one; so to make a comparison would be unjust.

For me the difficulty is kinda gradual, and I don't know how you get stronger in Souls other than better gear, but The Surge has a nice mechanic that the more you use a certain type of weapon the higher the damage. You dont see it, but you can actually feel getting better at it, and the weapon styles are all distinct.

There is no leveling system as far as I can tell, except as I said gaining better gear. From my observations some enemies will be very hellish, but at the least doable some more than others. The armors are especially awesome and makes you feel very distinct in each one or mix and match, otherwise every armor set has its own passive effect. For example: I am usually a tank person so I immediately settled on the Rhino starter kit to start off my playthrough, however I quickly realized that going all the way through will just not cut it. Beginner's mistake I assume for Souls player.

The Lynx set however despite having a lower defense than the Rhino set, I was still able to soak up a good amount of damage all the while have an increased attack speed while wearing a full set, you become a powerhouse very quickly when you use the Lynx set and the Heavy Duty - Titan. The Titan not only does considerable damage (by that I mean very), it has a very powerful knockback that prevents my enemies attacking, and if used correctly and patiently, outright demolishes the faster enemies.

The Rhino set, while I was initially worried that it will go unused, makes up its slower attack by using lighter weapons that has average or high attack speed. The favorite once you get to the second area is the MS Negotiator Riot Staff, it has a good long reach, knockback, and attack speed; combined with the Rhino or the added speed of the Lynx makes it formidable in early game.

I dont know the price for The Surge on the US, but I think when I checked for the price its $50. So its all up to you of course, rent or buy, its pretty solid. Dont expect an immense depth of grandiose like Souls with its gigantic setting, and lore. As far as Soul's like games go though, this is definitely one of the better ones out there.

 

[XBoxMaster131]

@Endwar Thanks, man. In a souls game, it's all about the loot, and in all honesty, thats my major gripe with Nioh. Thing is, the devs tried to put an MMO style loot system in; all drops are random, there's a rarity system, each piece of gear has a level, yada yada yada. But this makes it almost impossible to get the stuff you need unless you're willing to spend 8 hours grinding the same enemies and praying to the RNGods that you get something good instead of an inventory full of sharp paperweights!

And leveling up your gear is a fucking nightmare! You need to spend over 100,000 gold just to get a pair of fucking boots to level 40!!! And no, I'm not exaggerating. That is an actual scenario I came across. And the thing is, even with some of the increased gold drop stats, I'll be lucky if I score 10 grand in a single mission! And the selling prices for unwanted gear is absolute SHIT! The only time they give a good offer on an item is when you've spent the last half hour grinding in order to level it up!

PLUS (almost done here), as I said before, the difficulty spikes without warning, and the fact that same enemies appear in every mission, only stronger, doesn't help. There's no "oh, gee, ive never seen that guy before, and he's kinda tough. Better get some better gear!". It's more like "psh, I've killed tons of these guys! This should be a piece of ca--- WAITWERETHEFLYINGFUCKNUGGETSDIDALLMYHEALTHGORRRAAAAGGGHHH!?!?".


*deep inhale*...
*deep exhale*...

Ok, I'm done.

 

[Woider]

Isn't this by the same guys that made that mediocre knock-off of Dank Souls, Lords of the Fallen?

 

[Endwar]

@Woider Don't know that game, so marketing must have not been very good.

Otherwise yes, it is by Deck 13 of the same title. I saw some footage, and boy that looked clunky like nuts. The Surge plays well though right off the bat, and I have yet to encounter any sort of bugs, plus the new direction is certainly a refreshing one along with some mechanics that makes The Surge its own. Souls game while a joy to watch other people play, I on the other hand don't think I can take it; as I enjoy the fantasy genre only for the sake of immersion and story-telling, not submit myself to rage-induced agony.

The Sci-Fi helped out immensely as I can take pleasure of supping myself up as a power armored bad-ass.

 

[Endwar]

@XBoxMaster131

Ouch. That sounds painful

Speaking of leveling up, I completely forgot about the Power Core system in the game! Its a really nice mechanic that both require some patience but otherwise, rapidly doable! In the game you have 8 slots to equip in your rig (Iam guessing once you can upgrade your rig you can have more slots, but I havent reached it). With a bit of patience you can easily upgrade from the initial 20 power core points to 40 in less than 6 hours filling up and obtaining the maximum number of slots in no time.

The game also has a high risk high reward system. Basically the more enemies you kill without going to the medbay, the more your money (in this game, Tech Scrap), the scrap number increments multiply with every enemy you defeat. I remember after upgrading the Lynx set sufficient enough, and skilled enough with my equipment, I could rapidly obtain two slots easy just on the first hour or so.

 

[XBoxMaster131]

Ouch. That sounds painful

You have no idea. Other than that, though, the game is pretty great! Long range weapons are not only useful, they're pretty effective, and even have a headshot mechanic! I've also never come across an item or spell that isn't useful in some regard. It also helps that you can actually IMPROVE the effectiveness of items and spells by leveling up specific stats!

Combat is also pretty tight. The Ki Pulse and enemy stamina mechanics add extra levels of complexity and skill and the former makes it really easy to just get in the zone during tough fights, where you kinda HAVE to use it in order to really lay on the hurt effectively. Add in the stances and unlockable combo and skill moves, and you got yourself a great experience! That is, as long as you're properly geared up. And I already told you about THAT.