Review for The Surge 2. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 24/09/2019
The cold of January, dangerously amplified by a long series of postponements, is slowly penetrating the bodies and minds of gamers, eager more than ever to return to breathe deeply the air of thick videogame releases. And so, in the week of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, The Surge 2: The Kraken, the DLC dedicated to that The Surge 2 which, only a few months ago, arrived on the market with many expectations, however, is likely to go unnoticed. largely due to the usual issues Deck13 doesn't seem to be able to distance himself from. The Kraken, on the card promising and full-bodied expansion able to catapult the player into a new (splendid) area and to reactivate the dormant desire for souls-like scifi that is in each of us, however it fails in its intent, or in any case not entirely resulting, as well as the base game , a job with good potential but unable to make the definitive qualitative leap. After having - literally - torn apart titanic hordes of new types of opponents, we are ready to give you our definitive response, which as you have already understood will not be entirely positive, on what is a good more of the same of the now iconic Deck13 saga.
Setting
The first great difficulty that the game faces us is to be able to return in the right direction, that is, in those places visited only at the beginning of the adventure and now almost inaccessible due to the mutation of the game world, a consequence of the clash with the general Ezra Shields which, in fact, opens the doors to what, in the base game, are the final stages of the main campaign.
Having overcome this not insignificant obstacle, generated more than anything else by a poor sense of direction, it is possible to find on the docks of the good old Port Nixon a small boat that will take us to the new destination, warmly suggested by HAROLD, who will tell us more times than taking a break from the main commitments to dedicate yourself to the exploration of the new area would turn out to be a more profitable idea than one might believe. And, in fact, that's exactly how it is. The new destination, VBS Krakow, a giant aircraft carrier transformed into a jovial town by a handful of robotic pirates, subjected to the diabolical mind of the CAIN AI, turned against man also because of the branches of the main story (well detached from the DLC), is presented at the first bars in splendid form, capable of leaving us almost dumbfounded - in a good way - for way of a decidedly apt aesthetic solution. In fact, the new location is very attractive, characterized by a retro style, in which it seems to have been involved in an American town of the 60 '.
The verdant land of The Kraken is home to a multitude of enemies, fierce and eager for death and destruction more than ever, but it is also the timid abode of some further narrative cues, both secondary and main, which will accompany the advance of the new mini -adventure linked to The Surge 2 which, like the main chapter, quickly ends up becoming the emblem of the “wasted opportunity” exclamation.
Difficulty, boss-fight, longevity
Once on the spot, after a short chat with a nice figure who delights in the barbecue, you immediately begin to get acquainted with the terrible hell on earth, characterized by a very high number of (new) enemies. They are, apart from the numerical discourse, characterized by an impressive level of aggression, and they can easily make your life very complicated, in case you arrive unprepared on the equipment front. Fortunately, however, they also drop their set, which once farmed in its entirety can give you good satisfactions and, above all, a level of protection much more suited to the difficulty of the aforementioned DLC.
It must be said that if you have already arrived at NG + and therefore with a very level character, these difficulties could disappear or in any case thin out dangerously, although overall it is fair to underline that the general challenge level of the new adventure is decidedly set upwards. However, if the new location is splendid to see, the same beauty does not translate into playful and structural terms. The various shortcuts and in general the level design of the map are quite redundant and confusing and they offer, on the whole, a chaotic exploration which, linked to the excessive force of ordinary enemies in some moments, offers an all too evident feeling of frustration. The meager quantitative contribution that The Kraken DLC stains is also linked to one of the most delicate issues, when it comes to souls-like: the bosses. In fact, they are present in a fairly narrow way and fail to be objectively memorable in any way.
All this is further compromised by a too narrow longevity, which makes the experience of The Surge 2: The Kraken, although pleasant to see and demanding on the playful front, all in all very hasty. Well equipped, in fact, all the practice can be done in a few hours, provided that you do not want to complete all the - few - secondary activities or start crafting the new pieces of equipment that, however, can be counted on the tip of your fingers.
In conclusion
As well as the "base" game, The Surge 2: The Kraken is a small waste on the part of the Deck13 team which, once again, demonstrates how it is possible to frustrate good ideas with an overall renouncing and sometimes listless job. The new protagonist setting of the DLC is splendid to see, but it is overall redundant and basically devoid of real interest on the narrative front. Fortunately, however, to save the shack there is an overall satisfactory level of challenge and a good number of new weapons and equipment to be found, elements that however collide with a small and not very memorable amount of boss fight. In total, however, we would like to recommend the DLC only to those who truly appreciated The Surge 2, thanks also to the overall acceptable price. Everyone else, honestly, can safely move on.
► The Surge 2 is an Action-RPG type game developed by Deck13 and published by Focus Home Interactive for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 24/09/2019
