The Surge: A Very Early Look

The Surge is the new RPG from Deck 13, who's previous games were Venetica and Lords of the Fallen. For a reason that eludes me, someone somewhere decided that it would be a good idea to present the game on Gamescom. Although presenting is perhaps not the right word. There was only a total of two pieces of art work to show as the game is simply not in a production phase where there is something substantial to show. This also meant that there are a lot of things that have not been decided on and many things are still vague. However there we were at a table with Lead Game Designer Timo Treffer who did his best to tell what he could about The Surge, which wasn't much, but I certainly have to give him credit for trying and answering the questions.

The Surge is a single player action-RPG for hard-core players and it has a strong melee real-time combat system, which they designed based on what they've learned from their previous games.

Our hero wears an industrial grade exoskeleton. At the start of the game the exoskeleton of the hero is not really suited for combat. However it can be enhanced.

The combat system has changed from Lords of the Fallen in that it is more tactical, They now introduced a hit-zone system, in which you can hit various zones on the body of your opponents and sever for example the leg or arm of your opponent from their body.
When you have won the fight, you can take the parts you cut off during combat and remove the technology attached to them to modify your own exoskeleton offering new and improved features, like more strength or being able to jump higher.

The game is set in the near future, some 60 years from now when the technology that humanity has come to depend upon has turned against it. The world has becoe a  devastated place where enhanced humans and inhuman creatues live among the ruins of a technologically gifted society. This is a future with a sufficient amount of problems to need a hero.

It is not an open world game. It is based on levels that you open up during the cause of the game, making your game world bigger and bigger. The game features respawns, but it is not entirely clear how this will implemented.

As for role playing features: There will  be a character building system, with attributes that can be increased during the cause of the game and there are skills as well. In what way skills are gained or improved is unclear at the moment.

The story plays a more important role in The Surge than it did in Lords of the Fallen. They also utilize the game world in telling the story instead of using only dialogues. In Timo's own words: "It is environmental story telling". And that without using too many cut scenes.

The Surge will feature boss fights, who utilize the possibilities of that era. By being in a future setting they feel they can create better opponents with features that are not possible today.

If you want to know the type of weapons that can be used than look not here, as that remains to be vague as well. There will be weapons like swords, daggers, hammers, guns and other things, but Timo could not tell much about it.

The game will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC using the same engine also used for Lords of the Fallen, that has been somewhat modified for The Surge.

And that about sums up the information that was provided about The Surge. No additional information could be provided, but given the early production stage the game is in, probably anything that was said and could have been said can be different in the final game. Next year at Gmescom 2016, I'm sure we will get more solid information.