Yeah, we've bandied about that comparison before. Like pretty much everyone else, the developer included. The Surge is a brutally difficult melee action-RPG set in the future. One where changing parts on an exo-suit and wielding large blunt weapons are the order for the day. Along with a lot of dying. Plenty of dying.

So how does it stack up? Well, pretty good. If very specific in its appeal and design approach.

I admire the classical design of Dark Souls. The way in which it feels almost completely old school in how punishingly difficult it can be, and how disinterested it is in utilising modern gameplay mechanics -- whilst retaining a sense that it has all been planned methodically in advance. And isn’t cheap.

There are plenty of cheap deaths in The Surge though. Which although annoying, become predictable when you realise that every blind corner will basically feature an enemy that will lunge at you. And proceed to kill you in a couple of hits. Where The Surge makes a name for itself is in the combat, and progression that revolves around targeting enemy limbs. With the idea being, if you want that cool weapon then you better target that exo-suit dude’s arms. It’s a great setup that also plays into the crafting and upgrade mechanics, as well as the difficulty of each encounter.

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