The Surge 2 combines a rewarding combat system with a fantastic game world to craft one of the best games of 2019. Fans of Soulsborne games shouldn’t hesitate to check this one out.

The Surge 2 is an exceptional Soulslike, with top of it’s class combat, stellar level design and a crafting system that makes experimenting fun and simple. Where the game falters it doesn’t do so tragically, instead being victim to its devout adherence to its more grounded setting and mediocre-at-best story.

The Surge 2 is frantic, punishing and moderately performing, to the point of entering in the ranking of the best soulslike. The flaws are there, but this new adventure will know how to get you right.

The directional blocking, the new fighting styles and combos, the improvement of the drone abilities and a still highly motivating looting system have inspired and motivated me.

Deck13 has learned from the first game and it has notably improved The Surge 2. Combat is visceral and fluid and the limb-targeting system remains brilliant. The level design has greatly improved and the boss fights stand out more, although there are a couple of dull fights left. The developer still needs to learn how to write an interesting story though, because this one couldn't peak our interest.

Deck13 took all the lessons learned from the first Surge, harnessed all the experience gained from its development and delivered a sequel that is improved in every aspect. Fans of soulsborne games should not miss on one of the best level-designs we have seen in the genre and the always satisfying and unique dismemberment function.

Sequels aren’t always a safe prospect to bet on, but The Surge 2 is one investment that Souls-like fans definitely won’t be disappointed with. The game’s visceral combat, robust RPG elements, and immersive exploration mechanics come together to create a second outing that’s just as compelling, if not more so, than its predecessor.

It may make some of the same mistakes as the first game, but The Surge 2 still manages to improve upon it in every way, to create a brutal but rewarding sequel.

Satisfying, brutal combat and fun exploration paired with some clever improvements make The Surge 2 a deeper, better experience than the first game, even when the story falls flat and forgettable most of the time.

The Surge 2 improves on every aspects of the previous game. It’s more nervous, more intense, more varied. It’s consolidating on the very solid base of the first The Surge, and does it well.

If you want a sci-fi, difficult timing-based combat game with that unforgiving hardcore Dark Souls touch, you can’t go wrong with The Surge 2.

Story and sidequests aside, however, The Surge 2 is absolutely worth the effort when the combat is taken in isolation. Not only does it pack a punch, but it also channels plenty of depth in its limb targeting and deflection systems, and is ably supported by a genuinely varied collection of weapons and potential character builds.

Deck 13 has produced a game that offers genre fans a lot to like. The story and setting is a welcome departure from the swords and sorcery that typically dominate similar titles. Most sci-fi games rely on gunfights or boring intergalactic diplomacy to handle conflict, while The Surge 2 presents medieval violence as a path to enlightenment. I can dig that. Uneven pacing, some visual issues, and inconsistent performance serve to prevent the experience from reaching its full potential, but the foundation is solid.

The Surge 2's improved exploration and performance go a long way in making it better than its predecessor, though it's held back somewhat from the unreliable lock-on and bugs. Anyone that liked the first game will have a blast with the sequel, and while there are Souls-like games out there that feel less derivative of its inspiration (like the co-op focused Remnant: From the Ashes, for instance) The Surge 2 is sure to please anyone looking for more Dark Souls-style action.

The Surge 2 is a great action RPG with a funny and intense combat system.

The Surge 2 is a definite improvement over the original game in pretty much every possible way. Combat is much faster and smoother, with an offense-oriented focus that makes it even more engaging, exploration is much more interesting thanks to the improved world design and the story will keep players moving from one dangerous district of Jericho City to the next in search of answers. The technical issues currently found in the game, unfortunately, do damage the experience a bit, and so does the fact that, despite the changes, The Surge 2 doesn't offer anything substantially different from the original game.

Deck13 has built their success on imitating FromSoftware’s games but each of their entries to the genre shows that there still is room for gameplay innovations. It’s a pity though that the Germans lack the narrative prowess of Miyazaki’s team. [12/2019, p.70]

The steely smash-and-crunch of the combat merrily pushed me through its 20-hour campaign and beyond into New Game +, compelling me to ignore the rudimentary world and focus on those glorious moments where sparks, limbs and scrap metal fly with brutal abandon. Deck13 has come a long way, welding together a solid, structurally sound Soulslike that adeptly showcases what makes this genre special.

Although The surge 2 is just another souls-like game, the special combat experience somewhat creates a unique feeling that we are playing as a human size Gundam, which is superb and impressive. Besides that, enemy's AI design and all the voice acting in the game is really frustrating.

Graphics are rarely worth mentioning nowadays, since most games look good or great. That’s not The Surge 2’s case: sometimes graphics are so bad it messes with gameplay, as it gets hard to tell if it’s a puddle of water, poison or a chasm. [Issue#242, p.50]

The Surge 2 has some really satisfying moments. It’s worth an investment based on the wealth of customisation options available, solid progression and genuinely fun combat. These innovations go some way to making up for the lack engrossing story or meaningful characters. However, the overriding sense is that the positive traits of Surge 2 often feel suffocated, mainly by a lack of visual and narrative investment in the world that surrounds its core mechanics.

The Surge 2 is a good follow-up to its predecessor. The level design and lock-on based combat are really enjoyable, but boss encounters and the story’s presentation feel a bit lacking. It won’t blow you away by any means, but it does well for what it is. If you’re a fan of the first game or simply want to see this type of game in a more futuristic setting, The Surge 2 is a fine choice.

The Surge 2 takes the premise and mechanics set by its predecessor and takes them even further with some welcome new ideas. The beautifully choreographed battles are a real success once mastered, provided the visibility problems sometimes caused by the camera — as well as the repetitiveness of the actions — are ignored. The system of crafting and customization through the dismemberment of enemies, and allowing players to create their own style of play, is still as successful as ever. Nothing new then, but rather more content and options — it's certainly demanding, but just as pleasing when we take up the challenge with an undeniable sense of power.

In the end though it’s the improved combat, minus a few camera issues and frustratingly difficult boss encounters, the progression and build possibilities, and the wonderful level design that go a long way to make up for the lack of narrative drive. Or interest in what happens to the world. In this regard The Surge 2 is an improvement, but an experience that still feels like it’s a few more brutal dismemberment finishers away from finding the right plan to research and build its full potential.

Deck13’s second go of the sci-fi themed action RPG set-up, carves out just enough of a worthwhile combat and upgrade system alike, for The Surge 2 to leave players both optimistic and curious — if not eager — for what a hopeful third entry may have in store.

From its title screens to its combat mechanics, The Surge 2 copy/pastes a great deal from the two-year-old original and while it moves the franchise into a more open and populated world, I was hoping for a more dramatic evolutionary leap. Like its Soulsborne models and its predecessor, The Surge 2 is a challenging game, made more so by an inconsistent frame rate and sometimes imprecise combat controls. It’s still a pleasantly familiar Souls-like experience but like The Surge, the sequel hasn’t quite discovered the alchemy that transmutes repetitive grinding into a satisfying feeling of mastery.

While its plot, setting, and navigation are as subpar as its predecessor, improvements to combat and equipment, as well as other small touches, make this a title worthy of grabbing if you’re into games with a heavy focus on exploration and stamina-based combat.

The Surge 2 makes several smart gameplay refinements from its predecessor that polish up some rough edges, and environmental design & traversal have improved considerably. However, the lack of enemy variety, disappointing boss encounters, and overreliance on blocking prevent The Surge 2 from making the full next step into being a great action RPG.

Despite some of the technical issues and difficulty scaling, The Surge 2 is a fun game that should satisfy those looking for a souls-like experience. The combat is rewarding, and the directional blocking system is definitely something I would love to see implemented into other action games. The Surge 2 shouldn’t be seen as a Dark Souls clone; instead, it’s a great game standing on its own feet that has done some exciting things to expand the genre.

So far the best soulslike from Deck13. Miyazaki’s admirers won’t be enraptured, but not put off either by this game full of contrasts, bloody fun and several original ideas.

The Surge 2 doesn’t look well aged. The gameplay is basically the same of the first chapter, and graphics are somehow worst. At least farming is enjoyable, and the bosses represent a real challenge.

Despite a few technical hiccups, The Surge 2 presents a marked improvement over its predecessors and an all-around good game.

Hugely satisfying combat and some smart world design carries a decent Souls-like that feels like a solid, if safe, alternative for genre fans. The Surge 2 is competent, with flashes of excellence, but loses some of its own identity in the shadows of its inspirations.

The Surge 2 nicely scratches the itch for open-world action. Its less punishing flavour of Souls-like is easier to stomach, and it’s worth checking out for the gratifying combat and clever – albeit confusing – level design. Just don’t expect it to set the genre on fire or captivate you with its narrative.

The Surge 2 offers the hard-earned pleasures of Souls-style combat, with less of genre’s signature sting.

With the environment changing from a factory to a city, The Surge 2 loses its appeal of heavy machinery. With a spiritual story and a confusing map, it was never really clear where The Surge 2’s gameplay or world atmosphere was heading. Luckily, changes in the game’s system are more clear. By making battles less challenging and improving the upgrade system, the game’s dismemberment-focused action has become genuinely more fun. That being said, there are just too many aspects that hold it back.

A weak story and uninteresting side-quests and characters keep The Surge 2 from reaching true greatness beyond the original, but it is clear that the developers ARE learning and improving. Although it may not be a better game overall, the combat improvements go to show just how good a future title could be.

Forced gameplay features and pointless limitations are the key problem of The Surge 2. Deck13 refuses to improve and expand its combat mechanics to an acceptable level.

The Surge 2 isn't a bad game, but it gets some pretty big things wrong. In the end, I had some fun with it, but the broken parrying, awful enemy placement, and bland level layouts made it more of a slog.