PlayStation Magazine UK - 12.2019

081

REVIEW

parade of faceless enemies

noteworthy only for the type
of armour they’re wearing.

Duelling with the city’s

denizens is still gratifying, as
each weapon feels different. A

spear has a distinct rhythm, as

do axes and the rarer ‘double-
duty’ swords; holduand it

performs as a single weapon,

but successive taps split the
blades to land a flurry of hits.

But enemies are like cookies
waiting for a cutter. Lacking

opponents with personality, the

combat loop, good though it is,
becomes fittingly mechanical.

NEW HOOK
Thankfully Jericho City, though

visually stifled, demands to

be explored – you can always
use a new weapon. Gadgets

such as the Force Hook enable

you to discover hidden areas
of districts you’ve previously

harvested for parts. Better,
though, is the priority now

placed on drones. An unused

sidekick in The Surge, here

drones come in all manner

of designs for use in and out

of combat. From lasers and

grenade launchers to an EMP

tool to unlock doors and lifts,

you’ll constantly be turning to

droney for aid.

Yet for all the refinements

and additions (and this game

isan improvement over the

previous title), The Surge 2

stalls technically on PS4. On

a Pro it’s playable but lowers

texture detail, on a base console

it suffers framerate drops. In

tandem with screen tearing,

this ambitious sequel doesn’t

quitemake the cut, though

its combat grind does keep

drawing you back, and New

Game+ certainly adds a spark.

VERDICT

THE OPM BREAKDOWN

Right Out of the
Creo factory,
The Surge 2’s
Jericho City
offers more
exploration.

Below The low
textures of
Performance
mode are a
necessary evil.

Above left The series’ humour, last seen in the Walk In The Park DLC, is too rare.

The core combat loop delivers

a unique and very satisfying

soulsborne, and the push to

an open world is a win. But

technical problems and a lack of

enemy variety hold The Surge 2

back from greatness. Ian Dean

10% Physically

yelling at the TV

when you land

that final blow

on a tricky boss

who’s given you

grief for the

past four hours.

11% Grinding

around the map

to upgrade your

stats and

uncover new

side-quests.

21%Parrying

every attack an

enemy throws

your way.

12% Wishing the

game was playable

in Beauty mode.

WHAT YOU DO IN... THE SURGE 2

41%

Chopping off that

much-needed

piece of armour.

5% Fighting

the same boss

character, again.

And again.

ON TARGET

Being able to target areas of an

enemy and parrying to inflict

maximum damage are two of the

best new additions to soulsbornes...

MONSTER MASH

... Though this goes out of the

window somewhat for the boss

battles, in which levelling and button

mashing can be your best weapons.

LOVING/HATING

MULTIPLAYER

The game’s online mode

turns into a very handy

tool when scampering

about the map, as death

can be around every

corner. You can graffiti

advice and directions

into the world for other

players to follow. You

can rate players’ advice

too; it’s a Strand Game.

IS IT BETTER THAN?

YES

This sequel improves

on the original The

Surge in many ways

but shares some of its

forebear’s flaws too.

NO

Sekiro is the current

soulsborne of choice

• a masterclass in
  combat, pacing, and
  art direction.

YES

Darksiders III treads a

similar path but can’t

match The Surge 2’s

core combat loop or

sense of scale.

ALSO ONPLAYSTATION 4 PRO

The Surge 2 developer Deck13 has some

love for PlayStation 4 Pro players, with

upscaled 4K at 30fps (Beauty mode), or

fluid 60fps at 1080p (Performance mode)

on offer. Sadly, the only playable mode is

Performance, so you’ll need to take a hit

on textures to make your blows count.