The Surge

Great game. Only complaint is that when you beat the game it automatically takes you to NG+. I was wanting to do the DLC after completing the main game but now I'd have to play up to the point where you can access the DLC again and then do a much harder version of it. Either way, not enough to make it a negative review, more of a warning for those who play next.

Ok. So I played this for the free-to-play-for-a-day thing, after being scared to spend money on it, since everyone was almost unanimously talking about how bad of a game it was. And while I have not played Dark Souls to provide an intimate comparison of the two, I have to say I have NO idea what people are talking about concerning some of the problems in this game.
tl;dr: it's not that bad.
OK. So I'll try to list and address the outstanding issues I've seen in the comments so far:
Dodging is useless.
Quite honestly this was the clincher for me not buying it. I mean, after waiting for so long to find a game that was like Dark Souls, as hard as Dark Souls, without all of the "crying souls from the netherworld" type of theme, I was crushed to hear that one the major parts of the swordplay wasn't even worth trying. And after playing it...they're wrong. Sure, you can't dodge through enemies, and you don't have any i-frames during the dodge, but that's not what it's meant for. It's just meant to be a quick way to get around danger or the back side of an opponent, and it works. I love the dodging in this game. It's useful and really quick, without making you invincible.
Blocking is horrible
So if one is not coming from a game where stamina played a huge role into what one could / couldn't do (besides sprint for days) I can see how one could have a problem with this type of implementation, but if one did, then you know exactly how it works. If you have sufficient stamina, you can block, and it only eats at your stamina to block the attack. If you don't then it eats at your health: easy. And whenever I remember to use it, I haven't had a problem with it at all. Yes, it does add an extra level of difficulty to the game, but hey, you came here after Dark Souls.
"Samey environment"
...Now that...I have to agree on. It's mostly staged within an industrial facility designed to manufacture form-fitting mech suits. With that, the battle-torn environment carries the usual stuff: crates. metal shipping containers in droves, lots of stairways and catwalks, that sort of thing. With that in mind, I find that forgivable, but maybe they could have made the map a little more interesting, especially since you're going to spend a great deal of your time running around that same environment.
Map is confusing
Yes, yes it is. It's what you've already read; the game gives you a lot of ways to shortcut back to your safety zone, but because of that, you can easily either get lost, backtrack too much, or lose your footing on how to get some places in the area. When I first came into the game I was expecting there to be several safety zones all over the map, and traversing the map would provide a sense of progression. However, when I found that, after what felt like a long sojourn, to find that I've merely walked in a circle, I was a little heartbroken. However, for me, I got over it, since I had a lot of scrap on me, and I really need to save it now.
As for the maps occasionally posted on the walls inside the place: HOLY. FRICKIN'. YES! What on moldy earth were they doing when they made those maps?! I had just about already toured the entire area before reaching, and after passing, one of those maps, stared at one of those blasted things for several minutes...and I had no idea where I was. Nothing lined up, at all.
The grinding is boring ~
...So for me, I love swordplay, and anytime I get a chance to dodge, block, and slash at enemies is wonderful. And it gets better to find that over time, decapitating and severing limbs gets easier and easier. And with this, even with my short time of playing it, I can tell you that you do feel the progression. However, I will note that boredom does begin to set in a little. Right now I'm just waiting for me to get my core to level 55, so I can progress, and ignore that giant robot that keeps taking my life, and my scrap, away from me.
And while I'm on that note...
The game is unfair with it's enemies, maps, deathtraps, scrap drops, etc.
...so with what little I know about the notorious hardness or Dark Souls, I do know that that game was very free-roaming; you could go anywhere right off the bat, and that often meant you wander your happy little under-armored behind straight into daunting territory you had no business being in at your level. But, since you had heard that the game was supposed to be hard, you wouldn't question it when you got your butt handed back to you several times, after multiple attempts to prevent those one-hit kills. This, which from the trailers and promotions promised to be a Souls-like game, shouldn't have taken anyone by surprise by its difficulty...except I haven't really felt the severe difficulty that everyone is talking about. What does make this hard is that it's not a hack-and-slash button-mash; you can't mindlessly pound your controller into a pulp and expect to win. Toppling even the smallest of opponents requires patience, especially since you have limited stamina. So if you try that here, you'll get winded and floored. But even with that, to me, the character doesn't feel that very squishy. Sure, I've died a lot already, but I was expecting menacing difficulty, like enemies flying out from the middle of nowhere and wrecking your everything in one hit: hasn't happened.
And as for that one comment where the enemy changes into a much harder one out of nowhere: if you're only two hours into the game, that "change" was clearly announced as PSA over the entire facility. So expect a surprise at some point. Now...did I get surprised by it still and lost a LOT of scrap? You can bet your sweet poop toot. But...that's part of the game. Dark Souls did the same thing...except worse...much worse.
Controls are clunky
I have a Steam Controller: I ain't got no worries.
Nonetheless, the initial controls, which I have not altered, even though I can, do NOT feel clunky. What they probably mean is that the character does not immediately respond to your button press with a fully-completed attack, much like what you would get from a hack-and-slash or one of those Capcom Street Fighter games. The character here is "weighted", meaning his actions, and the mild slowness thereof, is providing a heavy feel based on what he's currently holding. I mean, come on, The guy is strapped, head-to-toe, in a fullmetal onesie, whilst holding either a heavy-metal plasma sword, a piston, or a giant meat mallet, all of which looks REALLY heavy. And people expect him to swing the mess like he's holding a wet noodle in a swimming pool. And...if that doesn't beat all, all the enemies, at least, from what I've seen in my notably short time of playing, share the same encumbering circumstance, so it's not like the game is being unfair on that point.
Crashes to desktop
While it does tend to "black out the screen in some spots where other applications are still running, I have not suffered a crash of that magnitude. Also, once you focus on the application, the black out goes away; no biggie.
So if you've made it this far, I have to say, that for all those that quit the game before the five-hour mark, I cannot see what all they're seeing in terms of the "blistering, hair-pulling difficulty". For me, this is just a game you have to take your time on. I can't speak for the scorpions or other beasts you fight later on, but for all the stuff you see before you beat that giant mech in that wide open area (that honestly, after looking the area, I was kind of expecting far before it even showed up), and that "Level 55" door lock, I can tell you that this is not bad as people make it out to be, and this is coming from a person that almost never selects "Hard Mode" on a game.

You should pick up this game if....
- you like Dark Souls (or souls-like) games
- you like a BIG challenges and learning from your mistakes and can learn to be patient!
- you like single player.... no multi player ;(
- you do not want your hand held. you learn as you go!! you don't get anything spoon fed to you except for the very basics
- you like dystopian futuristic settings
- you like cutting off limbs in brutal fashion, and using said limbs to craft gear for your awesome character
- you don't have hundreds of hours to play videogames (the game is relatively short, but that's a good thing in my book)
You may not like this game if.....
- you are all about story (i personally like the story, but its one of those things you have to go searching for...and even then it doesn't make the most sense) It's ok, not the best.
- you are looking for a 'chill' game. You HAVE to pay attention in this game or you will Die....A LOT.
- you are looking for multiplayer or PVP.....none here
- you hate dark souls or souls-like games
I hope this has been helpfull.

The Surge (2017) | Mar. 29, 2020 |
The Surge is a surprise, utilizing its near future sci-fi setting to create a unique world that is a wonder to explore and uncover. Though its story fails to take off, the awesome combat and engaging crafting and upgrade system are more than enough to make the game stand out amidst the increasing gaming landscape.

The Surge is a mixed bag - I heard Surge 2 was much better, started with that game, and absolutely loved it, so came back to The Surge.
This game definitely has some issues - there are a couple of huge difficulty spikes that are extremely frustrating and unfair, and almost drove me away from the game. The first half of the game takes place in nondescript factory settings and it's difficult to keep a mental map of the environments, and is very easy to get lost.
However, the second half of the game is fantastic. The level design does that Dark Souls thing of constantly looping back on a single checkpoint as you open up more and more shortcuts and returns, and as the environments become more varied it becomes a lot easier to keep track of where you are. After the huge midgame difficulty spike, things feel much more fair and remain challenging without being frustrating. The game is well-written and the combat feels weighty and satisfying.
The Surge 2 fixes almost every issue with The Surge, so if you're on the fence, start there. If you loved The Surge 2, give The Surge a try, but be prepared for a bit of a slog through some uneven patches before the game hits its stride.

Lots of people are trying this game in preparation of The Surge 2, and you'll typically find them giving negative and grating reviews of the difficulty being too much, or the areas looking similar. These are the same people who got on the Dark Souls bandwagon when Dark Souls II came out, then went to Dark Souls thinking it'd be as easy as the second game.
The combat is fun, high stakes, and when you hit an enemy it feels like you've hit them hard. I guess that's partly because the game focuses on a character literally wearing construction equipment. From heavy lifting forklift arms, to welding guns, and everything in between. The style of combat really reflects the weapons at your disposal.
I don't want to compare it to Dark Souls, since it'd be similar to comparing a screwdriver to a drill. Everyone wants a screw driver, but then they come over to the hand drill section and say that the drill is bad, because it's not exactly like the screwdriver.
The game has similar mechanics to the Souls genre, but such can be said about many, many, many, third person hack and slash games. If you've got a reusable healing item and a third person camera, people call you a souls-like. And I'm going off topic.
If you want combat that feels like a random guy in a wheel chair just jumped into a forklift and started fighting a team of cops in an armored car, this is what you'll want.
Play Surge because you want a game about exo suits and fighting robots. Don't come here because it has souls-like as a tag. You won't like what you get.

A seriously under rated game. Sci-Fi Dark Souls-Alike. The game mechanics are brilliant if you want to upgrade your exo-suit you literally have to tear it off one of the myriad enemies. Mix and match the suit components until you find your perfect build.If you love a challenge or a fan of the souls games then it's a must have. Fantastic from the outset, beautiful to look at and tougher than hospital meals.
9\10