We just finished seeing Deck 13s new title:The Surgeat the Focus Home Interactive booth on the E3 floor. It was our first time seeing gameplay footage and we were absolutely blown away! Between the fluid, tight combat and the beautiful visuals, Deck 13 has elevated their craft a few notches sinceLords of the Fallen.
Genre: Action RPG
Developed by: Deck 13
Edited by: Focus Home Interactive
Release date: 2017
Age rating: PEGI 18
Platforms: PS4®, XBOXONE®, PC
The Surge Features
The Surge Gameplay
When the demo began, the first thing we noticed was the fantastically gorgeous graphics that supersede even those of Lords of the Fallen, whichin our opinionwas the best looking RPG on PS4/Xbox One at the time of its release. The lighting is realistic and the colors are some of the most vibrant we have seen of any game at E3. If Deck 13 maintains this graphical progression, they will soon become visual standard bearers.
As the demo proceeded we were given our first taste of combat in The Surge. The player is wearing a mechanized suit that allows you to dodge quickly and execute the powerful melee attacks that the game is designed around. The dodge is lightning fast and appears to work very similarly toBloodbornewith a slight difference being that it appears to slow time briefly at the end of each dodge, giving it a very cinematic feel and adding a dramatic kinetic flair.
The game features astamina system, similar to Lords of the Fallen, that must be managed during combat as the player chains attacks and combos. Players can lock on to enemies and target specific parts of them. Those paying attention will target the weakest/unarmored parts for maximum damage and by striking the same area repeatedly, you will prompt an opportunity to sever the limb or decapitate the enemy, which takes place as a slow motion cinematic event. you may then equip these parts at the nearest safe haven, or use them to craft better equipment and gear.
Enemiesare powerful, deliberate, mostly robotic and you could see that each enemy is designed to challenge the player. you’re able to clearly see that they went for quality over quantity in terms of numbers; something I think many fans of Lords of the Fallen or Dark Souls will appreciate. The boss that was shown was a large malfunctioning mech that shot missiles and looked similar to ED209 from Robocop. We were told that there were multiple ways the boss could be defeated and that some were more rewarding (in terms of loot) than others.
What impressed us most was how fluid, tight, and electrifying the combat looked. The player dashed through and around enemy attacks, getting in 2 or 3 hit combos before finally finishing his target withvicious fatalitiestime and time again, each looking different based on which part he targeted. At one point, the player equipped claw like weapons that were dual-wielded, allowing for some really fast combos that ended in the player kick flipping off the targets head and landing some meters back. This method of kill, cut, craft and repeat gave it an Armored Core vibe, albeit on a smaller scale.
We cannot wait to see more of this game and luckily Jan Klose (founder of Deck 13) alluded that we may be able to play it at Gamescom later this summer. In the meantime,visit the wiki!
The Surge E3 Trailer
The Surge Gallery
