Deck 13 Interactive most notably bought us Lords of the Fallen in 2014, a western contender to Dark Souls — the current king of the hardcore action RPG niche. Fans of the rarely contested market waited with baited breath, and we were graced with a surprisingly passable game. Lords of the Fallen was 'a viking's nightmare come true', with heavy Nordic influences and themes, founded on the shining jewel From Software had built with their franchise.
Deck 13 Interactive has set aside its snow crusted heavy fur cuirass and swapped it for something a little more dark and industrial in The Surge.
The Surge is another foray into the hardcore action genre. It's set in a heavily dystopian future, during Earth's dying age. Cities are overcrowded, plagued with an aging population and an increase in environmental disease. As the years' progress, humanity has been made redundant by the use of machinery taking over manual work. Those seeking work took to the suburbs, utilizing exo-suits to increase their capability.
It's a somber and bleak look at a potential Earth-to-be should our society decay and our technological potential increase, as automation becomes more commonplace.
There is little story to go on at this point, but we do have a 4-minute video of raw, unedited footage from beta testing.
This video is set in the dysfunctional CREO Complex. What we know is this:
- This is your former place of work.
- The enemies are your former colleagues.
- They're the result of unspeakable experiments and as a consequence, they're a little insane.
This video looks into the reaction of some low level enemies, which if handled with caution will be taken down without a worry. However, not all enemies will be so easily placated. It also gives us a glimpse at the tight combat and makeshift weapons.
In The Surge, you are in control of creating and upgrading your own industrial weapons, and can utilize upgrades via cybernetic implants. Take a look at the dismembering moves — there are a couple of ways of tackling a fight. You could play it safe, and secure yourself an easy victory by going for their weak spots, or play hardball, go for their armored areas and obtain rare materials for upgrading in the meantime.
With a gritty environment similar to Dead Space, and the hardcore action roots already firmly in place, The Surge is shaping up to be one to watch!
Lauren Relph is a games writer, focusing on Xbox. She doesn't like piña coladas but loves getting caught in the rain. Follow her on Twitter!
