The Surge, the new tactical combat sci-fi gem from Deck 13, is confirmed for release on May 16. The game is like Fallout 4 meets Dark Souls 3, with a solid post-apocalyptic atmosphere and some intense, visceral combat. You’re rocking a robotic exoskeleton contraption that can be outfitted with a variety of industrial salvage weapons. Think long, jagged pieces of metal and the occasional arc welder. You also get to dismember enemies and attach their exoskeleton limbs to your suit for upgrades, a nice mechanic that makes the limb targeting system pretty important. I played through a hands-on of the game last month so I feel OK endorsing the combat system, but the story remained a bit of a mystery to me. Here’s the official story summary from Deck 13:
As the intelligence of technology incrementally increased over the years, many jobs for the human race had been made redundant, forcing Earth’s citizens to head out into the suburbs seeking labor, aided by exoskeletons to improve their efficiency. The world of The Surge offers a very grim vision of the future, where the evolution of our technology, our society and our relation with the environment led to a decadent state of the Human civilization.
Megacorporation CREO works to reverse the devastating effects of climate change, but the facility is hit by a mysterious, catastrophic event. After awakening from a blackout caused by this disaster, Warren is thrust into a deadly new world. Robots gone haywire, insane augmented co-workers, and rogue AI―it seems like everything wants him dead.
It seems like pretty heavy sci-fi dystopian stuff, which generally makes for good fodder for video games. Today’s release date announcement for The Surge came accompanied by a new trailer (above) that does a bang-up job of showcasing the vibe of the game. Stuff is kinda ruined, you’ve got this big clunky suit to tool around in, and crazy-ass dudes/robots wanna mess you up. You’re not really sure why, and you don’t get much time to sit and think. It’s gonna take a lot of hacked-off arms and legs to get to the bottom of it, I guess.
The Surge releases May 16 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
