In the opening moments of The Surge 2
my character looks like a walking junkyard. He had ridged red armor on his left arm, a bulky yellow metal casing on his right, grey leg braces, and a jumble of circuitry on his chest.
His weapon of choice is a spinning sawblade that looks like it should be used for construction work.
Flash forward dozens of hours, and my character stands tall like an angelic being outfitted in unified white armor, a gold halo on his back, and a staff that sizzles with magical power.
This strange rags-to-riches journey is just one reason why The Surge 2 is notably better than its predecessor.
Developer Deck13 Interactive sticks to its guns on what The Surge is, yet improves upon the predecessor’s systems and flow to create a thrilling pursuit of power backed by excellent combat encounters.
Deck13 included a number of new weapon and armor types, all of which can be upgraded extensively, again putting heavy weight on the act of grinding, which is a bit excessive, but thankfully it ends up being fun.
If you like the idea of cobbling together armor sets earned by felling difficult foes, give The Surge 2 a try.
Taking inspiration from the Dark Souls series, The Surge 2 is a difficult game – but it isn’t just enemies that you have to worry about.
Figuring out where to go is part of the challenge, and the cluttered environments don’t make it easy.
My progress frequently came to a screeching halt because I didn’t know where to go next.
Getting stuck is frustrating, but it also comes with benefits;
Deck13 also rewards thorough exploration with meaningful shortcuts that extend from the safe zones.
Clearing out a zone completely can create four or five shortcuts leading to different sectors and directly to bosses.
