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The Surge

The Surge excels thanks to fantastic combat, boss battles, and intense challenges
The Surge Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
77% User Score Based on 7,766 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 54 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Game PassCloudXbox OneXbox Cloud GamingXboxWindows
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The Surge Game Cover

About The Surge

The Surge is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Deck13 and was released on May 16, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

A catastrophic event has knocked you out during the first day on the job… you wake up equipped with a heavy-grade exoskeleton, in a destroyed section of the complex. Robots gone haywire, insane augmented co-workers and rogue AI - everything wants you dead. Defy deadly enemies and huge bosses in tight, visceral melee combat. Target and slice specific limbs off your foes, with a next-gen loot system…

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Reviews

77%Audience ScoreBased on 7,766 reviews
story736 positive mentions
grinding637 negative mentions
  • Unique limb-targeting mechanic adds depth to combat and allows for strategic gameplay.
  • Engaging sci-fi atmosphere with a compelling dystopian narrative.
  • Customization options for gear and implants provide a variety of playstyles.
  • Confusing level design with repetitive environments makes navigation difficult.
  • Combat can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating encounters.
  • Limited variety in bosses and enemy types can make the game feel repetitive.

  • story

    2,539 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 62% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The story of "The Surge" is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling, audio logs, and NPC interactions, requiring players to piece together the narrative themselves. While some players appreciate this indirect approach and find the dark sci-fi themes engaging, others criticize the story as thin, confusing, or lacking depth, often feeling overshadowed by the gameplay. Overall, the narrative is seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoying the intrigue and atmosphere, while others find it forgettable or poorly executed.

    • “Creo’s corporate culture, with its dubious ethics and hidden secrets, becomes clearer as players progress, but much of the storytelling is indirect, requiring players to pay close attention to their surroundings.”
    • “Despite its cryptic presentation, the story does manage to evoke curiosity, encouraging players to dig deeper into the twisted inner workings of Creo and the tragic circumstances that led to its downfall.”
    • “The story is interesting, and told in that Dark Souls style where you pick up the story along the way and help a cast of weird people (some good, some nefarious).”
    • “While some players may appreciate the subtlety and piecing together of lore, others may find the story thin or difficult to fully grasp.”
    • “Additionally, the limited variety in NPC interactions and minimal story exposition may make the game feel a bit hollow to those looking for a richer narrative.”
    • “The story is a mishmash of various sci-fi concepts and tropes but it works enough to make me curious as to what happened and what's to come.”

  • gameplay

    2,387 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    30% positive mentions, 62% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    "The Surge" offers a unique blend of gameplay mechanics reminiscent of the "souls-like" genre, featuring a gritty sci-fi atmosphere and a distinctive limb-targeting system that allows players to strategically sever enemy limbs for loot. While the combat is generally engaging and challenging, many players find the mechanics can feel clunky and inconsistent, particularly with dodging and blocking, leading to frustration during encounters. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative ideas and satisfying combat, but it suffers from repetitive environments and some poorly explained mechanics that can detract from the experience.

    • “With its gritty cyberpunk atmosphere and punishing, souls-like gameplay, 'The Surge' delivers a unique take on the action RPG formula, setting itself apart through intense combat mechanics and a dark, intriguing narrative.”
    • “However, 'The Surge' sets itself apart with a unique limb-targeting mechanic that allows players to strategically target specific parts of enemies’ bodies. This mechanic adds a satisfying layer of strategy, as players must weigh the risk of targeting armored limbs for high-quality loot versus going for easier, unarmored areas to finish the fight quickly.”
    • “Agile and sharp combat, full of addictive gimmicks (especially the dismemberment mechanic); immersive (and occasionally very atmospheric) and rewarding exploration; good level design, with intuitive and internalizable layouts, full of secrets, diversions, optional challenges and shortcuts, all in the right proportion; and a great presentation, with nice graphics and effects, memorable art direction and a healthy dose of visual storytelling.”
    • “The repetitive environments and occasionally clunky camera mechanics can detract from the overall experience.”
    • “Decent combat and character building mechanics ruined by insanely frustrating, confusing and uninspired level and map design.”
    • “Combat is even worse with hitboxes making no sense and being extremely inconsistent, especially on enemy attacks making all the mechanics like parry pointless which only work on a very little amount of enemies anyway.”

  • graphics

    929 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    55% positive mentions, 41% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many users praising the impressive visuals, detailed environments, and strong art direction that effectively convey a dark sci-fi aesthetic. However, some players noted issues with optimization, occasional graphical glitches, and a lack of variety in level design, which can lead to a repetitive visual experience. Overall, while the graphics are considered a highlight, they are not without their technical shortcomings.

    • “Agile and sharp combat, full of addictive gimmicks (especially the dismemberment mechanic); immersive (and occasionally very atmospheric) and rewarding exploration; good level design, with intuitive and internalizable layouts, full of secrets, diversions, optional challenges and shortcuts, all in the right proportion; and a great presentation, with nice graphics and effects, memorable art direction and a healthy dose of visual storytelling.”
    • “The graphics are great, the combat loop is fun, but a little weird at times, especially with directional hits in some cases.”
    • “The futuristic/apocalyptic setting is very well done and the visuals are excellent, with great animations and sharp texturing.”
    • “Currently using the Intel Arc 770 and it crashes my graphics card on startup.”
    • “There are graphical bugs where some assets don't seem to display, as well as bugs with executions causing you to get stuck in objects or fall to your death.”
    • “Graphics are unremarkable aside from cutscenes (which look great).”

  • grinding

    649 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    1% positive mentions, 1% neutral mentions, 98% negative mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often comparing it unfavorably to other titles in the genre. While some appreciate the unique limb-targeting mechanic that allows for more strategic farming of materials, others feel that the overall experience is marred by clunky combat and monotonous level design, leading to a frustrating grind for upgrades. Overall, players who enjoy grinding may find satisfaction in the game's mechanics, but those who dislike it are likely to find the experience tedious and unenjoyable.

    • “However, all equipment remains useful and for just 2-3 equipment sets essentially no farming is necessary.”
    • “Didn't find it boring; it was fun, the story is engaging, the graphics are good, and the progression is not grindy, which I always like. No gambling mechanics in it, which is a plus for me, and it's not a live service game.”
    • “Little to no grinding needed for scrap.”
    • “The game is also needlessly grindy compared to their inspiration, killing enemies, getting the currency to level them up then finally obtaining the material to craft the armor is such a long and tedious process.”
    • “The grinding gets repetitive and it feels less skill based and more die and learn.”
    • “Everything about this game is designed to be an unrewarding, tedious slog through same-y environments.”

  • music

    484 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    16% positive mentions, 73% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the soundtrack generally unremarkable and repetitive, particularly criticizing the incessant country song that plays in safe zones. However, some players appreciate the atmospheric qualities of certain tracks, like the song "Prisoner" in the medbay, and the option to customize music adds a positive touch. Overall, while the ambient sounds contribute to the game's atmosphere, the music itself is often seen as a weak point, lacking memorable or engaging compositions.

    • “Not to forget the amazing soundtrack to make it all come together.”
    • “Every time you make it back to your place it softly plays the song 'Prisoner', which is honestly a fantastic choice for the setting and character.”
    • “Its limb system and fast-paced gameplay encourage aggressive play, and the soundtrack is fantastic.”
    • “The soundtrack of the game is perhaps the weakest domain, which is highlighted by the fact that the ambient soundscapes work far better at building tension and immersion than do most of the more coherent musical tracks on offer.”
    • “One particular piece of music that you will often hear can become grating quickly, and you may find yourself hearing it in your nightmares after extended play.”
    • “The music is almost non-existent and the medbay music is so infuriatingly catchy you'll either hate it and turn it off after 2 visits or set it to always play and max out the volume on it like I did.”

  • atmosphere

    416 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    57% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions

    The atmosphere in "The Surge" is widely praised for its gritty, immersive, and darkly atmospheric world, characterized by a dystopian industrial setting that enhances the game's tension and exploration. Players appreciate the detailed environments, sound design, and the sense of isolation and danger that permeates the gameplay, often drawing comparisons to other titles in the souls-like genre. While some critiques mention issues with level design and gameplay mechanics, the overall consensus highlights the game's strong atmospheric presence as a key element of its appeal.

    • “The dystopian world and detailed environments create a compelling atmosphere that draws you in.”
    • “The atmosphere is fantastic and the story is interesting.”
    • “The entire game has an oppressive and lonely atmosphere, with a hint of creepy/horror, which really lends itself to the genre, and gives some of the feelings of desolation you get from the soulsborne games.”
    • “Fails pretty consistently at what I assume it's trying to do, both in atmosphere and in gameplay.”
    • “There is just very weak atmosphere and game identity, but I played on lowest graphics and not so sure.”
    • “Story and atmosphere-wise, The Surge is a bit lacking, but you can't do much to differentiate the levels too much because then it wouldn't feel like a highly efficient factory.”

  • stability

    186 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    22% positive mentions, 2% neutral mentions, 76% negative mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs that can significantly disrupt gameplay. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly on certain hardware configurations, others experienced severe issues that rendered it nearly unplayable, particularly on high-end systems. Overall, the technical state of the game appears to be inconsistent, with a notable number of players expressing frustration over its stability.

    • “The game runs smooth, no glitches at all.”
    • “The game looks and runs great, and I didn't have any problems running it.”
    • “Great buy, runs great, no major bugs.”
    • “Game freezes within minutes of playing and basically bricks my PC, forcing me to restart my PC.”
    • “It's unbelievably buggy and crash-prone.”
    • “Spent 3 hours on the first boss that constantly glitches out - his rockets hit me everywhere flying even through him, sometimes the overload bar glitches and cannot damage him at all and need to reload.”

  • optimization

    172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    47% positive mentions, 34% neutral mentions, 19% negative mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing excellent performance and smooth gameplay, while others report significant issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and poor GPU utilization even on high-end hardware. Many users noted that while the game can run well on lower-end systems, it suffers from optimization problems that detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration for those with more powerful setups. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be inconsistent, with a notable divide in player experiences.

    • “No bugs, overall excellent optimization.”
    • “The game is almost bug-free, smooth, nicely optimized, and good mechanics too.”
    • “Well optimized, graphics are pretty good, runs on a lot of old machines.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized... I am running 4 GTX 680s, and an overclocked i7 4770k, with 32GB of RAM, and I can only get away with 45fps on high settings.”
    • “It would be worth it at half the price if not for the horrible optimization and constant crashes.”
    • “This has to be one of the most poorly optimized games ever.”

  • replayability

    96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 15% negative mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the New Game+ feature that offers additional challenges and gear upgrades, while others find the overall replay value lacking due to repetitive gameplay and limited content. Many reviews highlight that while there are RPG elements like crafting and weapon variety that can enhance replayability, the experience may not be compelling enough for multiple playthroughs. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some praising the depth and potential for replay, while others criticize it for being short and not offering enough new content in subsequent runs.

    • “Solid replay value.”
    • “Overall the game has a surprising amount of depth and replayability, I'm looking forward to starting a new game+ after I complete my initial playthrough!”
    • “There's a ton of replay value, and lots of different things to collect.”
    • “Little to no replayability.”
    • “A short game with less replayability and being focused on cutting body parts for cosmetics may be good for some time, but overall it's just plain same stuff.”
    • “There are only 5, yes five bosses in the entire game. I've seen people beat this game in 16 hours. For a £40 game, that amount of content is shocking; that price tag is far too high considering the replayability for this game is almost 0.”

  • humor

    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players noting its blend of dark humor, sarcasm, and absurdity throughout both the main story and DLCs. Many found the comedic elements to be a refreshing contrast to the game's serious tone, particularly in minor storylines and memorable moments, although some frustrations with gameplay mechanics were also highlighted. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm, making the experience enjoyable despite occasional challenges.

    • “The humor throughout is great too.”
    • “It also has a good sense of humor in many of the minor stories told through your investigating.”
    • “I really enjoyed the DLC 'A Walk in the Park' which added a welcome dose of humor to the otherwise serious tone of the base game.”

  • character development

    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    10% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 30% negative mentions

    Character development in the game is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with many players noting that the main character, Warren, feels bland and underdeveloped. While there are moments that hint at potential growth, these are quickly overshadowed by a predictable story and shallow character arcs, leaving players wanting more narrative depth. Overall, the game fails to deliver a satisfying sense of character progression, resulting in a disengaging experience for those seeking a rich story.

    • “More narrative depth and character development would enhance the overall experience.”
    • “The game’s story has been described as fairly predictable, with some interesting moments early on that lay the groundwork for potential character development.”
    • “The 'character development' philosophy of the game is really lightweight and fun.”
    • “However, the story and character development are somewhat lacking.”
    • “There is almost no character development.”
    • “Overall, there is no sense of character development whatsoever.”

  • emotional

    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    86% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with players noting impactful moments driven by voice acting and music, particularly in tense situations. While some found the story lacking depth and the main character forgettable, others appreciated the absence of clichéd emotional narratives. Overall, the game evokes a range of feelings, from unease to moments of genuine emotional resonance, despite its repetitive gameplay and underwhelming story.

    • “This game is quite dark and the emotional moments hit, mostly thanks to the voices.”
    • “The song playing in the med bay makes me want to cry.”
    • “Even though the ending itself leaves a little to be desired, the final act still manages some surprising emotional notes.”
    • “Stupidly told boring story but I had some fun with it, and in my opinion, this is the most important thing.”
    • “- boring story”
    • “- boring story”

  • monetization

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with players frustrated by intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay, particularly during critical moments like saving. While some appreciate the game's attempt to innovate on the "souls-like" formula, others perceive it as a cash grab, overshadowing the potential depth and enjoyment of the experience. Overall, the presence of ads is seen as a significant detractor from the game's quality.

    • “This game is more like Dark Souls, with hardcore annoying ads that always appear when you go back or save it, but it is truly a grinding game to get the armor and items you want.”
    • “They are trying to follow in the footsteps of Dark Souls by making several 'souls-like' games and they are just using this as a quick cash grab, before people realize it for what it is; a steaming pile of shit.”
    • “I could elaborate more on all the innovations/disruptions—but there's YouTube reviews for that; therefore, I am quite proud to see a developing studio taking the gloriousness that is Dark Souls and innovate on that formula rather than go for the cash grab; however, that's not me saying all the innovations/disruptions are for the better.”
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Critic Reviews

73%Critics’ scoreBased on 54 critic reviews
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Play Times

21h Median play time
21h Average play time
8-36h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 82 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Surge is a role playing game. Common tags for The Surge include gaming.

The Surge is available on Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Game Pass, Cloud and others.

On average players spend around 21 hours playing The Surge.

The Surge was released on May 16, 2017.

The Surge was developed by Deck13.

The Surge has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked The Surge for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

The Surge is a single player game.

Similar games include The Surge 2, Lords of the Fallen, Mortal Shell, Hellpoint, Remnant: From the Ashes and others.