The Surge

I completed this game on the Xbox a loooong time ago, and seeing the Mixed reviews on Steam, I could only assumed the game was poorly ported to PC. Now I'm replaying it... nope! I honestly don't get the hate, I suspect this may just come down to folks expecting more Souls-aligned gameplay/design, and not getting it.

Brief summary, this is in the action-rpg field, and does contain many of the trappings of Soulslike games. Fairly challenging gameplay (I'd say this leans a little easier than many in this genre), big boss fights that, once cleared, are largely gone for good, save points where you can assign points you've accrued from killing mobs to level up stats. All that good stuff.

Where this one differs is the combat is limb-based, which is to say you fight an enemy and you choose something to focus on. This is actually a really fun mix on the formula, as it allows you not just to adapt to certain enemies and their weaknesses, but also you perform finishers if you're performing well and... well, no easy way to say this, steal said limb. So if you see an enemy with a giant hammer and you think "gosh I sure would like to have that hammer..." then there's a pretty solid chance you're able to get and use said hammer. And as you kill and scrap enemies, if you collect bits you already have, they're converted into upgrade materials for those same items. It's a unique gimmick, offers up some fun combat variation, plenty armour/weaponry to collect. All in all, I really enjoy this aspect of the game.

Story wise, nothing to write home about. Intro movie is dope, early story beats of where you are, why things are as they are? Intriguing enough to keep you playing. Wouldn't say the pay-off is anything huge. But few people play games like this for the story, and I dare a single one of you out there to pretend any Dark Souls game has award winning narratives.

So, I don't get the hate on this, truly. Lots of stuff to collect, a fun way to collect it, big levels with varied design. If you like the soulslike genre but are open to variations on the theme, this is for you. If you're a hyper-purist who demands bonfires and individual stat leveling, maybe not.

A paraplegic undergoes LOBOTOMY, wakes up in a needle infested junkyard with a MEGA hangover folllwed by a narcotic crashdown induced psychotic episode.
Proceeds for the following 24hrs to wreck the nearby OpenAI data center, skulking around air vents and service tunnels, pulling at electric pannels and biting off copper cable, all while murdering and dismembering brain-rotted personnel with a duct-tape jury-rigged handsaw and a ripped off door from a Tesla truck which he was excaliming it was "loot" from a "climatic bossfight" he was going to use in order to "purge the Evil AI".
8/10 solid, shorter souls-like

too freakin hard for me. :(
The game has a cool setting, diverse weapons, and moves, and the executes are VERY cool.
That said, the run backs are brutal and the game in general is super punishing.
I recommend for very experienced players.

Underrated game and may even be better in some aspects than its inspiration.

Surge is a Souls-like game. It's not very creative these days, but man, this is an amazing game on its own. It's a Souls-like, so there is respawning, stamina management, and such, but it offers so much more.

Pros

* Amazing limb dismemberment system giving more choice and agency to the player

* Lowkey horror industrial setting

* Wide variety of choice in player arsenal

* Amazing level design (not level aesthetic)

* DLC is really good as well.

* Pretty well optimized and cheap these days on sale

Now for the cons, and this is a little bit subjective, as I am personally not the biggest fan of Soulslike games. I don't hate them; in fact, I like them, but they are not my go-to genre of games, and unfortunately, Surge follows some of that genre negativity as well.

Cons

*Art style not great, can cause confusion in level traversal

*Some random difficulty spike

* Pacing issues

Overall I think Surge is amazing, and despite my gripe with the game, its gimmick and effort by Deck13 really outshine its discrepancy. If you love Souls like this, it's a must buy. If not, then this most likely won't change that, but buy it on sale and check it out for yourself; it might change your mind. Solid "7/10" game

I really enjoyed the game's atmosphere. It has a pretty fluid combat, nice story and I feel it is a bit underrated/unknown.

Very underrated Souls-like. The combat is super satisfying especially with the crazy looking finishers.
The setting and story is really interesting too, but my main complaint is that since most of it takes place in a big factory, a lot of the scenery looks the same which makes it REALLY easy to get lost. However, I have a horrible sense of direction so maybe that's just a personal problem!
It was well worth the $8 or so that I paid for it.

PROS:
1. Visual design of armour, enemies, bosses, environment is simply a HELL YEAH moment for anyone enjoying the cyborg aesthetic. It looks an feels COOL
2. Finishing animations are one of the best in (non-slasher) soulslikes that I have seen, feel very satisfying and not like a waste of time
3. Some really refreshing and original combat / upgrade systems are introduced in this game - targeting different body parts, energy system in addition to regular stamina
4. Classic linear soulslike level design with unlockable shortcuts, exploring is payed off with upgrades and weapons
5. Good variety of attacks ensures combat doesn't get too stale during the game duration - horizontal and vertical attacks with separate binds, sprint attack, jump attack, block counter, dive counter, drone attack
CONS:
1. Boss fights are pretty unintuitive and janky - you often need to attack specific part of boss model at specific time in order to deal damage and move to the next part of the fight.
2. Dodging attacks is pretty consistent, but blocking isn't - some attacks have weird hitbox and might reach you anyway. Perfect blocking is not rewarding, since if you miss it, enemies can drain you stamina and kill you way too easily.
3. There is no "real" map in the game and it is very easy to get lost in dozens of identical looking tunnels and shafts. There is no quick travel and getting back to early locations once you reach the level required to get late-game lootrooms there is so tedious that I didn't even bother with it.
OVERALL:
If you are tired of fantasy-themed soulslikes and seeing the same 3 mechanics, love the challenge and the futuristic cyber vibe, definitely give it a try!