The Surge

It'll either grow on you, or it won't.
Lots of things about this game may irritate players who are coming in from other Souls-likes and souls games.
TLDR:
Cons:
>Timer to get scrap(souls) back. Scrap is gone once the timer is depleted.
>No Map. Convoluted area layouts. Easy to get lost.
>LOTS of backtracking. Almost feels like a Metroidvania at its best and worst times.
>You only get bonuses from armor if you equip all parts of the same kind.
>Combat is all over the place. Good at times. Frustrating at others.
>Game sometimes feels unfair due to design.
>Upgrading system feels very unforgiving considering how many materials you need for all the weapons you get.
>Weapons have a proficiency system,
>Damage system isn't quite explained. You're meant to figure it out with context
The timer is an iffy inclusion. Killing enemies extends it, but it's a risk/reward mechanic that I feel didn't need to be included. It puts pressure on you needing to run back to the location you lost it at and if you didn't memorize that map (or if you went through some particularly tough enemies that took a long time to kill) then get ready to rush through and potentially die.
It's so easy to get lost, but the areas are decently deigned to seem interesting if you like the aesthetic. Some areas are easy to figure out, but others can be convoluted.
You do have a "directory" system where certain areas have maps you can consult like a 'you-are-here' directory map in a mall, but it's still easy to get turned around. The worst part is that if you equip the module that alerts you to secret items, it might drive you insane considering THERE ARE A LOT of hidden items. But this is also a good thing as most of those items are actually good to track down and obtain. The backtracking can lead you on a lot of wild goose chases and sometimes the game doesn't tell you where to go. You have to rely on context clues when NPCs don't give you a clear indication of where to go next.
Weapons having a proficiency system is another odd choice. For one I understand where they're coming from with this type of game as they have you backtracking A LOT and fighting weaker enemies again and again, so it gives you many opportunities to use unleveled weapons and not be completely screwed on damage. But this is a double-edged sword because if you pick up a really strong weapon and you haven't leveled up the proficiency in that weapon? Well guess what you aren't using.
The damage system is as follows. Weapons have:
-Impact value (the ability to stagger enemies)
-elemental damage value (ideal against machinery)
-slash damage value (ideal against unarmored limbs/targets)
-thrust damage value (special interaction function with specific enemies when they do certain moves)
-crush damage value (ideal against armored limbs/targets)
It doesn't explain it, but high thrust on a weapon can interrupt certain enemies attacks before they get them off. And it doesn't quite explain what type of elemental damage is good against what type of armor/machinery. You're kinda meant to experiment. Which is fine if you like that sort of thing since swapping weapons takes little effort, but if you're putting your life/scrap/progression in a map on the line you may be less prone to testing these things out.
There are modules you can equip to speed up the proficiency leveling but you have to find/obtain them first and it might take you a while depending on your penchant for search and rescue.
The pros:
>Satisfying combat loop/upgrade system once you start getting more fun modules, but this requires getting a bit into the game to collect them and sufficient levels to include them in your rig.
>Decent looking game. Nothing cutting edge but the environment and the environmental storytelling is top-notch.
>Weapon/rig/exoskeleton designs are really fun
NPCs feel like there was so much missed potential. It kinda works like Dark Souls where you can find certain NPCs in areas and you can progress them through if you give them items, do a quick task, or advance their dialogue and perform a quest for them. The game doesn't keep track of any of this, so I hope you remembered to get that item from that person after you logged off and came back after a week.
Their dialogue and personalities are mostly summed up to "I'm confused." "What happened!?" "Thank god you're sane. Help me out!" but in different flavors of person.
Sure it helps flesh out the environment to know there are survivors but they offer nothing to enrich the game's storytelling or experience. You could cut out 90% of them and the game would still feel the same.
Upgrading your armor and weapons requires you to cut off limbs of corresponding items you want to level to get the upgrade scrap needed. You can't just buy any of it. You want to level weapons and arm armor? Start cutting of limbs with weapons attached. You need to upgrade your helm? Start cutting off heads. And in order to upgrade them you have to find the OPS areas (your hub for leveling up your rig, resting, regaining health, talking to NPCs you rescued, et cetera. But whenever you enter it and interact with the machines, you reset all enemies in the area.
The game *really* forces you to go back and backtrack through a lot of areas, which is a blessing if you wanted to level up those other weapons you haven't touched yet.
I know this was a lot and thank you for reading all of this if you got this far but... there's a lot to talk about. I really want to really love this game and recommended it to others, but it's an iffy recommendation because despite me being able to bear some of these mechanics I can see them easily turning others away.

I can't believe how quickly I fell in love with this game. It has good story premice, amazing setting and very brutal combat system. Weapon impact is beyond fantastic, you can slice off body parts from enemies and also feel the weight of your tools of justice. Level design is pretty solid, you always making progression to unlock new parts of maps (which are HUGE) or shortcuts. Exploration is always rewarded.
Overall in my opinion The Surge is a very underrated game, it deserves much better.

Dark Souls 1 but you decapitate enemies to get their helmet. The best story and world building in the genre by a tremendous margin. Difficult without being overly punishing though gravity is an extremely potent enemy in this one.
One of the very best games in the genre and one of the best action games ever made.

I was super close not to recommend The Surge and give a review based on pure frustration and rage. If you always despised runbacks in the Dark Souls series, you will find a new level of hate here, and it's not even about the bosses.
In The Surge, you have one hub (acting like a bonfire) per every bigger area plus a lot of shortcuts that need to be found and unlocked first. As a result, you will find yourself roaming through the same corridors with a sh!tload of dead ends. There's a high chance you will die randomly after a 5-minute run to the door that unlocks a shortcut, completely forgetting the path you took to get there in the first place.
The runbacks and backtracking wouldn't be that bad if the scenography was a little more diverse. Instead, the only 'biome' in the game is an abandoned factory with thousands of the same-looking rooms, hallways, and passageways. Most of the time, it's hard to tell where you are until you finally become familiar with this maddening maze.
THAT SAID, I'm still having a blast with this game. The combat system is directly linked to crafting - you have to target particular limbs and cut them in order to unlock new schematics (for the armor part/weapon the enemy has) or gather upgrade materials. You can also choose to target the most vulnerable spots to kill an enemy faster or just fight without targeting at all.
There is also an implant system that lets you change your build on the fly (in one of the hubs) - while pretty interesting, I feel most of the players will stuff the majority of available implant slots with health buffs, at least at the beginning of the journey. However, it lets you play a lot with the combat strategy later on when you unlock all the available implant slots and find the most interesting implants in the game world.
All in all, it's a bit different take on Souls games but super enjoyable nevertheless. You can also get it very cheap on sale with all the DLCs included and it's totally worth it - both 'The Good, the Bad and the Augmented' and 'A Walk in the Park' make a good break from the abandoned factory theme and let you enjoy the combat in different sceneries.

Still Unique, Still Brutal, Still Underrated.
Yep, it's an old game but it still holds up like a champ with a wrench in its hand and a grudge in its heart. While most Souls-likes stick to castles and capes, this one drops you into a grimy sci-fi nightmare full of malfunctioning machines and workplace hazards that will end you.
The limb-targeting system is Still unmatched ,the exosuit upgrades are savage and the setting a breath of fresh (toxic) air in a genre flooded with fantasy clones.
it may be from the past, but it’s still doing things most newer games won’t dare try.
A unique gem in the Souls-like scrapyard .

I tried playing this game and didn't like it at first.
The problem I had with it....it's souls-like. It's hard. It's unforgiving.
But my love for sci-fi kept me coming back.
After installing it for the 3rd time...i realised one thing.
This game takes the "from zero to hero" formula and cranks it up to maximum.
The level design is one of the best I've ever seen.
Sooooo many hidden secrets and shortcuts...just pure genius.
The story pulled me in from start to finish, which is a rarity these days.
And my favorite part were the armor sets and weapons...and the upgrades of the two.
It is one of those games that make you feel lost...but the more you play the better you get...the more you find yourself.
The game requires you to be focused at all times and you have to remember things...like surroundings or the story.
Which only adds to the immersion.
I'm going to be thinking about this masterpiece for a long time I can tell.

I've beaten this game so many times that I actually got to New Game +10. Its pretty good if I'm being honest. Even though its the same thing over and over the style of the game is just so cool. It's a shame that this game is so underrated. If this game came released a couple years after 2017 (maybe 2019-2020) it would of been a big hit, but that's just what I think.
If you like the Dark Souls games then you'll like this. The Surge is Dark Souls but in the future. You play a character by the name of Warren, I man that cannot use his legs. After watching a video on Creo, a company working to repair the world, Warren applies for a job at Creo. When arriving to one of the many train stations in and around the Creo Facility, Warren proceeds to job registration. Here he is allowed to choose what kind of job he will have. For some odd reason there are only two options to pick from, the Rhino Class (big lifting job) and the Lynx Class (field operator). You can choose either one of them. After selecting a class he is put into a medical chair to have the Exo-Skeleton installed. Every thing seems to be going smooth when all of the sudden, the system doesn't sedate him. While wide awake the surgical machines are drilling bolts and screws into his body. After all of the limbs have been installed with the Exo-Skeleton a Neural Link must be installed in the brain. This allows him to use the parts of the Exo-Skeleton attached to his limbs. The only problem is, the Neural Link is drilled into his head while he is awake. ... This is the first review I have ever written. I'm sure if I did a good job or not but I hope you enjoy the game if you decide to play it. Thank you for reading this!