But do get the Walk In The Park and Good Bad Augmented dlcs as they are both excellent. Combat and exploration are what The Surge is all about but I want to give a special nod to the story which is well written and affecting; check out what happens in the board room at the Executive Forum. Also don't miss the Maddy sidequest, it's very good.

The Surge is a science fictionaction role-playingvideo game developed by Deck13 Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is considered a spiritual successor to Deck13 Interactive's earlier action role-playing game Lords of the Fallen, with which it shares many gameplay features. Deck13 Interactive described the game as inspired by Rise of the Robots^[2] and the Souls series.^[3]

Gameplay[edit]

The Surge is designed in the challenging role-playing game style of the Souls series of games. The gameplay involves players using an exoskeleton to battle enemies. The exoskeleton can be customized through the game using 'modular upgrades', according to the developer. The combat allows players to target different body parts of enemies, as well as utilize finishing moves often ending in dismemberment in bullet time fashion.

Plot[edit]

The game takes place in a dystopian future where humans have exhausted the world's resources, leading to strained social service and environmental diseases. According to the developers, the game paints a grim portrait of the future where the evolution of technology in relation to society and the environment has led to a decadent era for humanity. The proliferation of drones and working robots has created mass unemployment, with humans forced to resort to augmentations and powered rigs to keep up with a far more efficient equivalent.

The player takes control of Warren, a new employee on his first day on the job on board a bullet train towards the headquarters of CREO, one of the largest tech conglomerates now controlling the world, renowned for its revolutionary breakthroughs in a multitude of fields, from common household items to advanced exoskeletons. Its most relevant activity however is 'Project reSOLVE', ideated by its founder Jonah Guttenberg, which involves a complex chemical formula dispersed via rockets to slowly reseed the Earth's damaged atmosphere, as well as boost the growth of flora worldwide.

After choosing a starting robotic rig, Warren (who uses a wheelchair) is prepared for surgical implantation of an advanced CREO exoskeleton, gone horribly wrong when the automated system fails to sedate him, painfully grafting each component until he passes out during neurosurgery. Waking up, Warren finds the facility in ruins, with drones attacking personnel and fellow workers prey to a deranged bloodthirst. Guided by an executive known only as 'Sally', Warren is forced to traverse the entire complex, up to the Executive Forum, in order to find out what exactly happened.

As the player gathers audiologs, meets different NPCs and explores the decadent structures, it becomes evident that Project reSOLVE is indeed working, but at a pace far too slow to ensure mankind's survival, along with unspecified long-term toxicity. Under pressure, the CREO board of directors chose to fast-track 'Project UTOPIA', which involved large-scale usage of nanites to achieve the intended result much faster, but at the expense of killing off 95% of the human race after its initial deployment. Battling his way into the Executive Forum and disabling its firewall, Warren is exposed to the truth about the plot and CREO: as the board of directors debated whether to launch or not UTOPIA's rockets, its nanites became self-aware and, in an attempt at self-preservation, created a system-wide crash (the eponymous surge) that corrupted every human and machine connected to CREO's network. The devastation destroyed CREO's governing AIs ('Guttenberg' and 'Sally' being two of them) and killed off its executives. As the last one dies, UTOPIA's launch is authorized by the automated system.

Warren subsequently advances through UTOPIA's launch platform in order to stop the rocket, until he is confronted by an amalgam of the nanites' consciousnesses, the 'Rogue Process'. Upon its defeat, the player is presented two different endings:

• if a plot-critical audiolog was recovered and uploaded into the rocket's payload, the nanites will be rendered inert. A United States Army squad is sent to investigate the now silent facility, succumbing quickly to its deranged denizens and a still alive Rogue Process. Realizing the danger, further military action is taken.
• if the payload was launched intact, worldwide communication and radar equipment will quickly start to fail as the Rogue Process takes them over, dooming mankind.

Regardless of the player's choice, an epilogue is played from Warren's perspective as he slowly crawls out of the wrecked maglev station he initially arrived in, his exoskeleton gravely damaged and disabled, cutting to black just as he is within reach of his wheelchair.

Development[edit]

Development of The Surge began in August 2015. The first concept art and pre-alpha gameplay footage was publicly shown in March 2016, in advance to German site PC Games Hardware. The game is powered by the FLEDGE engine, developed from scratch by Deck13 Interactive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and features integration of Nvidia GameWorks.

Reception[edit]

The Surge received 'mixed or average' reviews, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.^[4][5][6]

IGN stated, 'The Surge makes good use of its detailed sci-fi setting and provides an engaging experience throughout the 30 to 40-hour campaign, mostly thanks to its widely customizable inventory and wickedly fun combat system. It may struggle to keep the action moving and tell a strong story amid the chaos of battle, and its weapon progression plateaued early, but it offers some interesting ideas and delivers a solid new take on a familiar genre.'^[11] While Game Informer stated, 'I didn't mind investing over 50 hours to the grind in The Surge. I felt powerful at times and exploring every little area rewarded me with a nice bounty. It just clings too tightly to a one-note approach to world building, enemy encounters, and level design. This is a genre that has a rich history of wowing players, sometimes from the look of a boss, and maybe even the design of the world it inhabits. I was never dazzled by The Surge. I mostly felt like I was battling animated junk in a junkyard.'^[9]

Sequel[edit]

It was announced on February 8, 2018 that a sequel was in early development for a 2019 release.^[14][15]The Surge 2 was released on 24 September 2019^[16]

References[edit]

1. ^Eiser, Martin (17 December 2015). 'Fighting the Future: Jan Klose on The Surge'. Gamereactor. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
2. ^Warman, Dylan (13 May 2017). 'The Surge Launch Trailer Released Ahead of Schedule'. OnlySP. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
3. ^Kollar, Philip (13 June 2016). 'See Dark Souls reimagined as sci-fi in the latest trailer for The Surge'. Polygon. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
4. ^ ^ab'The Surge for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
5. ^ ^ab'The Surge for PlayStation 4 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
6. ^ ^ab'The Surge for Xbox One Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
7. ^Porreca, Ray (16 May 2017). 'Review: The Surge'. Destructoid. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
8. ^Goroff, Michael (26 May 2017). 'The Surge review'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
9. ^ ^abReiner, Andrew (15 May 2017). 'A Mechanical Soul - The Surge - PlayStation 4'. Game Informer. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
10. ^Starkey, Daniel (17 May 2017). 'The Surge Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
11. ^ ^abRyan, John (15 May 2017). 'The Surge Review'. IGN. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
12. ^Macgregor, Jody (16 May 2017). 'The Surge review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
13. ^Kollar, Philip (15 May 2017). 'The Surge review'. Polygon. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
14. ^Hall, Charlie. 'The Surge 2 is coming in 2019'. Polygon.
15. ^Donnellan, Jimmy (Feb 7, 2018). 'The Surge 2 Announced, Coming To PS4, Xbox One & PC In 2019'. Cultured Vultures.
16. ^Wales, Matt (2019-06-04). 'The Surge 2 gets a September release date'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 2019-06-27.

External links[edit]

Welcome to Neoseeker's The Surge walkthrough and guide. The Surge is the latest Dark Souls-like game from the creators of Lords of the Fallen!

This comprehensive guide will endeavour to cover all aspects of the game including a complete walkthrough to the main game from beginning to end as well as links to the walkthrough for the expansion DLC. It also features a list of NPCs and their associated side-quests as well as incorporating this information into the main walkthrough to ensure you don’t miss anything. The walkthrough will also provide you with a heads up for specific locations in which you can obtain mission/context specific achievements/trophies as well as useful items so you can collect 100% of everything in the game.

In addition, this guide will also presents brief enemy strategy primers each time you encounter a new enemy type and will also include the locations of all of the game's many collectibles – Weapons, Audio Logs and Comic Books.

Please edit the guide or contact me (Sokkus) on Neoseeker if there is anything missing, you have an alternate strategy or any advice that you would like to give.

To use this guide, you can look at the Table of Contents on the right-hand side (or on a mobile device, the Table of Contents button at the top of the page). You can also refer to this first page for links to all key sections of the guide.

What this guide will offer:

• Complete walkthrough to the game from start to finish.
• A list of boss encounters and strategies.
• A list of NPCs and associated side-quests.
• Location Guides for every Audio Log, Comic Book and Weapon.
• Achievement/trophy guide.

Gameplay Basics

The Surge can be a little tough on newcomers thanks to its Dark Souls/Lords of the Fallen inspired gameplay and the complete lack of shields! As such, this section aims to fill you in on some of the game’s mechanics, systems and gameplay so that the beginner stages are a lot less painful and you can get to stomping mechanical butt much quicker. The sections include:

• Tech Scrap Tips - Tips on gaining Tech Scrap, Tech Scrap Multipliers and Tech Scrap loss and retrieval.
• Using an Ops/Command Centre - How to level RIG Core Power, Install Implants and improve Weapons and Armor.
• Managing Action Bars - How to monitor Health, Stamina and Energy bars and what they mean.
• Combat - Using combat techniques, targeting enemy components and utilising Drone support.

Walkthrough

The Surge features an approximately 40+ hour campaign spanning 7 core mission zones (Abandoned Production, Central Production B, Resolve Biolabs, Research and Development, Executive Forum and Nucleus). Each of these areas is further broken down into a series of named areas. Below you'll find links for walkthroughs for how to approach and complete each area in order from start to finish.

• Abandoned Production
• Central Production B - First Visit
  • Conveyor Hub
• Resolve Biolabs
• Central Production B - Second Visit
• Research and Development
  • Exhibition Floor
• Central Production B - Third Visit
• Executive Forum
• Backtracking and Area Clean Up
• Nucleus

.

Boss Encounter Strategies

Bosses are the biggest, toughest enemies in the game and will present the biggest challenge during your progression through the game. Fortunately, we've created a detailed boss fight strategy guide ofr each of the five bosses in the game complete with text and videos. Looking for help with one of the bosses, we've got you covered. Check out the links below for the boss of your choice:

The Surge Side-Quests

In addition to the story-based NPCs in the game (of which there are several), you can also find a number of other NPCs inhabiting the various locations in The Surge's game world. Many of these NPCs will give you optional side-quest tasks which often result in some nifty rewards.

• Alec Norris - Ghost in the Machine - Alec and his daughter can be found in the Command Centre/Medbay Research and Development but can also be found later in the Nucleus zone.
• Davey - Pusher Man - Davey is first found in the Material Depot section of Central Production B.
• Don Hackett - CREO Killed the Video Star - Don is the PR spokesman that you see on the videos scattered throughout the CREO facility. He can be found in the Executive Forum area.
• Gene Barrett - Homo Machinalis - Gene Barrett is one of the scientists located in the Research and Development area.
• Hobbs - Rescue Hobbs - Hobbs is first found in the Material Depot section of Central Production B.
• Irina - Duty Bound - Irina is encountered in several locations in Central Production B and the Executive Forum areas but can first be found in Conveyor Hub area of Central Production B.
• Jo - Repeat Customer - Jo is initially found in the Toxic Waste Disposal section of Central Production B but is also encountered in the Research and Development area.
• Sally - Turing Test - Sally is the hologram of the lady that you'll see throughout the game at the Contact Terminals in the Command Centre/Medbay areas. She can be found in the Executive Forum area.
• Vending Machine Cult - Infidel - The Vending Machine Cult is good for an Achievement/Trophy and can be found in the Conveyor Hub section of the Central Production B area.
• Smelter Bots and Ironmaus Gear - You'll find five Smelter Bots in total in the Abandoned Production, Central Production B and Resolve Biolabs areas. Killing them will enable you to find the hidden Ironmaus gear.

Collectible, Gear and other Useful Item Locations

There are a large number of different Collectibles littered throughout the various zones comprising The Surge’s sizeable game world and they come in a number of different forms. This locations guide will give you a brief description of each type of collectible and gear type, a brief intro on how and what they are used for and then a complete list of all of the different collectibles, weapons, implants and armour in the game sorted by the game's major and secondary locations. I have included a brief description of the location of each collectible to assist you in finding them.

The following pages will help you find the most important of the collectibles – Weapons, Armor Sets, Implants, Audio Logs and Comic Books sorted by type and level:

• Weapon Locations – Weapons can be acquired through either defeating enemies/bosses or locating specific Loot Pyramids holding them. They are used as your primary source of attack, so it’s a good idea to find a few that you like.
• Armor Locations – Armor in the game can only be crafted using blueprints acquired through severing pieces of armour from enemy combatants. There are several sets of armor and a number of different class types. Each set has four blueprints for collection.
• Implant Locations – Implants can be found by locating trickily hidden Loot Pyramids in the environment or by defeating specific enemy types. These can be inserted into empty sockets in Warren’s RIG to grant a range of different passive bonuses.
• Audio Log Locations – Audio Logs appear as glowing tablet computers on the floor or activated Communication Terminals. Finding these will give you a little additional backstory into the CREO Company and the game world’s inhabitants.
• Comic Book Locations – These are the trickiest of the collectibles to find as they look just like a normal book.

Achievements and Trophies

The walkthrough/guide also features a complete achievement/trophy guide which lists every achievement/trophy in the game, their unlock criteria and a solution as to how to earn each of them.