3/5 ★ – geddycahoon's review of The Surge 2.

I have a real soft spot for The Surge - I think it’s one of the most unique and ultimately well executed soulslikes , for all its flaws. It’s a massively unpolished game that felt really good the rare times it was totally clicking There was something great lurking beneath the surface Sadly, The Surge 2 really just doesn’t bring that lurking greatness to the forefront Don’t get me wrong - this sequel changes things. most prominently: 1. it takes place in a circuitous open world that really tries to go all in on the traditional soulslike idea of looping paths and backtracking. 2. The combat entirely revolves around a directional input based parrying system that requires you to match your movement with the incoming enemy attack. These two elements define the surge 2 when compared to the original, and are much better ideas in theory than in execution. The open world is ultimately a little too unwieldy to navigate for my tastes - there’s no true fast travel until very late in the game, and the system takes the dark souls 1 approach of being limited warps that need to be initiated before they can be used. The surge 2’s world is filled with a commendable amount of side paths and sub quests , but I often found myself simply beelining to the next main objective. It’s a little too easy to get lost as the game gives you no true map, and also features no quick way to even warp back to your last resting point. A true open world and a soulslike sense of vagueness in terms of conveying your objective just don’t really mesh well unless quality of life features such as a fucking map are included. I wish the exploration element had been a little more palatable, as I think the world is well designed for the most part and I would’ve liked to spend a bit more time poking around off the beaten path. The combat is the other big issue. The original game’s combat was janky, but workable. It was full of odd, off feeling hitboxes and a lack of responsiveness or weight to the damage your character was giving and especially receiving. It was very easy for your entire healthbar to suddenly melt in seconds with no real clear visual feedback or display of the damage you were taking. This was the biggest thing I was hoping the surge 2 would achieve - fix the combat. They didn’t. The combat in the surge 2 is exactly as janky and sloppy as the original , just with a new mechanic implemented. While the parrying system defintiely gives the surge 2 a distinct flow compared to the first, combat ultimately still *feels* the same. Unpolished, weird, and (frustratingly) at times really fun when you get in a nice flow. The directional parry system is a total mixed bag. Sometimes it feels great, other times there are certain enemy attack combos that literally feel impossible to correctly parry the way that the game wants you to. The weird feedback and hitboxes don’t mix well with a timing based blocking mechanic. It doesn’t always feel like you can trust what you’re seeing on the screen. When it’s working though, there’s something very satisfying about successfully pulling that parry off and getting in a nice counter hit. It’s well suited to one on one encounters. In gank scenarios, it’s best to just panic mash and pray. this is an unpolished, messy game that I still had a decent amount of fun with. I made a decision in the end game to knowingly skip a lot of side content due to my aforementioned issues, and I finished the entire thing in about 18 hours, which is definitely very short by genre standards. The surge 2 never feels unplayable or totally broken, which still puts this series several notches above most other b grade soulslikes. Genre fans will likely appreciate the uniqueness and effort that went into this game , even with its massive and glaring flaws. Endure the jank and you’ll really be feeling the combat and gameplay loop at the times when it clicks. The Surge franchise is currently 2 for 2 on delivering decent games that do certain things well, but fail to realize their full potential. I’d be interested to see if these guys can truly make real improvements to the game’s core for a third installment. You know what they say though. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times…? The Surge 2 is a solid pickup for masocore fans looking for something unique, so long as you can pick it up on the cheap