First released in 2017, The Surge took the format of games like the Souls series and brought them to a gritty, sci-fi setting; one featuring industrial robots, over-sized weapons, and brutal dismemberment. Launching to mostly positive (although not perfect) reviews, fans wondered for some time whether the game would get a sequel. That sequel, The Surge 2, was finally announced at E3 last year, and is due to release sometime in 2019. Although information is scarce at this stage, here’s everything that we know so far about the upcoming sci-fi RPG.
The Surge Series Will Continue With The Surge 2 This Year
A sci-fi franchise inspired by games like Dark Souls, The Surge released in 2017. The game was developed by Deck13 Interactive, the studio behind Lords of the Fallen, a fantasy title also inspired by the Souls series. The Surge was published by Focus Home Interactive, and received fairly positive reviews at launch; it holds an average score of 73 on Metacritic across PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Most recently, Deck13 released a DLC expansion called; “The Good, the Bad and the Augmented.” This DLC added a host of new content to the game, all featuring a heavily ‘Wild West’ style.
Following that release in early 2018, The Surge appeared to be over, although there was speculation over a possible sequel. Those rumours were confirmed at E3 last year, when Deck13 Interactive revealed a pre-alpha gameplay trailer for The Surge 2. The studio is once again partnering with Focus Home Interactive, and announced that The Surge 2 has; “a release date planned for 2019 on consoles and PC.”
“The Surge 2 keeps what fans and critics loved about the original,” explains the studio; “hardcore combat utilising a unique, dynamic limb targeting system and deep character progression – while also expanding greatly on the formula. The Surge 2 takes place in a brand new environment: a sprawling, devastated city with larger and more ambitious level design, made possible by Deck13’s upgraded and improved engine.”
Most recently, Deck13 Interactive released the first (and currently only) trailer for The Surge 2 at Gamescom 2018:
Jericho City: The New Setting of The Surge 2
While The Surge took place in and around a massive futuristic factory complex, The Surge 2 is changing the style of the setting considerably. The game will take place in ‘Jericho City,’ a huge futuristic metropolis with much more plant life; although, Deck13 Interactive has said that all of the plant life is actually artificial. It seems as though the city’s wealthy rulers are using technology to create the illusion of beauty, a theme which is certainly apparent in the trailer as a graceful statue unfolds and transforms into a brutal robotic boss.
The trailer apparently takes place in one of the city’s parks, so it’s fair to assume that the entire game is unlikely to be so lush. Nevertheless, it’s a welcome change from the stark, industrial factory floors of the first game. In an interview with WCCFTech last year, game director Jan Klose revealed that the game follows the story of the first game directly; “The Surge 2 takes place a couple months after the first game,” he explains; “so we’re continuing the story. Of course, we’re no longer in the industrial setting of CREO Industries, but in Jericho City, where we’ll witness a lot of the effects of the mysterious power surge we witnessed in part one.”
Players won’t be continuing to play as Warren, the protagonist of The Surge, however. Instead, The Surge 2 will feature a character creation system. Beyond that, not much is known about the new setting at this early stage. The game isn’t open-world, but it is more open than the first game, with greater verticality and larger areas. There will also be more characters than in the first game; particularly with the addition of human mercenaries who appear as enemies.
Combat and Gameplay Changes in The Surge 2
With The Surge 2, Deck13 Interactive appears to be taking the combat system of The Surge and building upon it as much as they can. The number of weapon types has doubled from 5 to 10, for example. Plus, the game features a totally new system for blocking from different directions. “Our combo mechanics are greatly enhanced this time,” explains Klose; “they’re much more precise and give you more control of your character. For example, in the past you’d string together a combo and after the fourth or fifth hit, you want to break, but you can’t because the character is still doing the combo animation – that’s no longer the case.” Of course, the dismemberment mechanics of the first game will also be returning, and with overall improvements.
The Surge 2 is due to release sometime in 2019. However, neither Deck13 Interactive nor Focus Home Interactive have announced a release date. Given that the first trailer didn’t appear until Gamescom, it seems likely that The Surge 2 will be coming in the latter half of the year. As such, fans can likely expect to see plenty more of it at E3 this year. What we do know at this stage is that the game will once again be coming to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Additionally, Klose has said that the studio has no plans to implement micro-transactions of any kind.