The Surge 2

I think "The Surge 2" all in all is a good game, some mechanics have been improved since the first part came out. It´s much bigger than the first game and has a lot of RPG elements (that are not really important here, by the way). I can´t really say if I like the level design more than in part one. On the one hand, the levels are partly well designed, e. g. when it comes to shortcuts (reminds of Dark Souls I), but sometimes they´re somehow confusing and maybe a little bit too big for a soulslike game. What I definetely can say is that the graphics engine has some issues. It really doesn´t look better than the first game (which came out in 2017!), but needs a far better graphics gard than the first title. I don´t know why. The lighting feelds odd in many places, mostly too bright and unrealistic. And the level of detail is just mediocre, even textures are not convincing. Maybe their Path Engine doesn´t work so well for open areas... Still, I hope for "The Surge 3" someday. I really think that their gameplay concept was innovative and brought the Souls-Formula forward. And it feels much smoother than clunky "Lords of the Fallen"... (didn´t like that one)

A bit of a warning. If you don’t like games where you block and counte (like Sekiro) a lot, stay away from this game. TS2 is a decent action adventure game (think Dark Souls mixed with Sekiro). While the City of Jericho doesn’t seem that big, there is still of areas to explore, plenty of enemies to fight and shortcuts to find. The game will take you around 25-30 hours to complete depending how many side quests and deaths you will face on you journey. The combat system REALLY wants you to use the block system to beat most of the game, which can make it a hard sell for some. But for you who seek a Sekiro like experience this will be right up your ally. For me it became at bit too much near the end. I recommend that you grind and choice your armor and weapons with care, since it can effect you in the final hours of the game. Runs very stable and didn’t experienced any crashes or major bugs in my playtime.

The Surge 2 has the best combat in it's genre by a country mile, bar none. People are sleeping hard on these games.

The game is very good. With the last update fro 6th march my Vulkan crashes were gone and I played it fully through once already without a single crash. There is no minimap, which trains your orientation skill. Fortunately the maps are well made so you can indeed orient well, the areas are more diverse compared to The Surge 1. The graphics are good as well and fit to the game. All those different weapons actually feel different. It is very good designed and gets my full recommendation. But why only four stars? It is very grindy, you go through the same areas a lot to cut of (literally) new armor and resources to upgrade your stuff while trying not to die. Some of the bosses are too overpowered for me, so you may need a helper for health later on, but I recommend using it only when you cannot get forward.

I really like the first The Surge, but I didn't love it - it was hampered by a some small but very annoying design decisions (like having enemies deal way too much damage, there were so many one-hit kills in TS1 it's not even funny). The Surge 2 is everything I wanted from a sequel. The combat system feels way more polished - I especially like the parry system. Dodging in the first game felt clunky (you travel a bit too far, with very little animation and a very fast startup), and it still feels weird here, so I love that the game doesn't force me to use it too much. Big clear indicators make it way easier to use than in Soulsborne games, where I never feel like it's worth the trouble. The implant system is expanded further, with armor sets nicely synergizing with it, it feels really good come up with some crazy combinations later in the game. Locations also feel more distinct. It's nothing to write home about, but a big step up from the first game. Bosses also feel more involved and way, WAY less cheap. To the point when some of them feel undertuned, I wouldn't mind dying to a chapter boss a couple of times, but I cleared some of them on the first try. But if I had to choose between those two options, I'd choose TS2 boss difficulty any day. Enemy variety is still the weakest part of the series. I understand that the limb targeting system requires humanoid enemies, but the nanite monsters from the end of the first game showed that you can do some really creative things with the same framework. I like how the developers managed to give enemies more character (there are enemies that fight with shields you need to break, enemies that create turrets and exploding drones, cloaking hunters etc.) but I loved every time I had to fight a hulking giant or a multi-limbed cyber monstrosity. For me, this detail is what would earn The Surge 2 the fifth star. Overall, a great addition to the soulslike genre.