Hello,

The Surge 2 brings the nanomachine nightmare of Jericho City to players everywhere on September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. To survive this brutal world you will need new equipment - and The Surge franchise’s iconic limb-cutting mechanics provide just such an opportunity.

In our new You Are What You Kill Trailer see how every weapon, every piece of enemy armor and equipment can be targeted, torn off, and equipped to your exo-rig. This produces new builds, letting you destroy your enemies in ever-more-satisfying ways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1lwHeW8Kio
Combat in The Surge 2 is quick, brutal, and packed with decision making. With new and deadly techniques like directional parries, drones, and brand new weapon types, The Surge 2 upgrades everything. Your style is your own, from picking implants and armor set bonuses to how you use energy, stamina, health or ammunition. Combined with an intricate world to explore and incredible, unique bosses, The Surge 2 is an action-RPG experience like no-other.



Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and come with the URBN Gear Pack, which includes a new armor set, two new weapons, and other cosmetics and equipment. The Surge 2 releases September 24.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/

The Surge 2, our hardcore Action-RPG featuring brutal exo-skeleton combat on a dying earth, comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th!

As we draw close to the release, we’re sharing a series of devblogs that we hope will give you some insight into the creative process of The Surge 2.

Check out our previous DevBlogs here:

1. Level Design
2. Sound Design

Today, we’re happy to have Sven, Lead Game Designer on The Surge 2, talking about the Combat System of the game!

Hi! Could you please introduce yourself and what you do on The Surge 2?

Hi there! My name is Sven and I’ve been with Deck13 for about 12 years now, working as Lead Game Designer on The Surge and The Surge 2. Together with a team of Game Designers I’m working on a variety of gameplay topics including the combat system of The Surge 2 in general and on all of its details.



There are many new features coming to the combat in The Surge 2. Could you give us a brief rundown of what’s new?

It will be hard to list all of the features that are new to the combat of The Surge 2 because there really are quite many, but let’s try to name at least some.

Parry System
There is now a parry system called Directional Blocking. This will allow players to parry incoming attacks in the direction they are coming from. If done successfully, it leaves the attacker in a vulnerable state for a devastating counter attack.

Drones and weapon types
The new combat drone will give players a variety of different ranged and utility options to survive the challenging fights, while the nine weapon types will let players choose their own preferred close combat style.



Charged Attacks
All weapon types will feature charged attacks that are especially handy when fighting against shielded enemies or enemies that use attachments to buff up their combat abilities. Sometimes also just to quickly gather more combat energy.

Combo System
The combo system of all weapons has been reworked quite a bit and combo attacks in general are now much more powerful. Some are particularly effective against armored body parts and others against unarmored body parts.

Partial Set Bonuses
All gear sets will now not only have a special set bonus when fully equipped but will also feature a partial set bonus that is active once 3 parts of the set are worn.

Leveling up Character Stats
And last but not least leveling up your Core Power will now not only let you equip heavier gear and use more implants but will also grant you 2 Module Points that you can spend to level up one of your base character stats: health, stamina and battery efficiency.

What would you say is the main difference between The Surge and The Surge 2 in how combat feels?

If you really compare them side by side I would say the combat in The Surge 2 feels more fluent, faster and in some ways also more aggressive. And to me the original The Surge never felt slow or anything like that. I mean I know that we did a lot of things to actually create the feeling I’m trying to describe right now but I’m still proud that it worked out so well.

Changes like the player being able to cancel out of attacks before the attack actually lands or being able to evade or block out of enemy combo attacks makes a big difference in how responsive the combat feels. And these are just two small examples of things that we tweaked and tried to improve on.

There are many weapon types in The Surge 2. Could you talk a little about how you approached making them all feel fresh and unique?

In total we have nine weapon types in The Surge 2. Five of them should already be familiar to those who played the original The Surge and four are brand new additions to offer the player a wide variety of different combat styles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3zu52jIPRU
When you look at the four new weapon types you will see that they are all quite unique and have something special that the other weapon types don’t have. The Double Duty for example. At first it looks and feels more like a Heavy Duty weapon, but as soon as you start double-tapping your attack buttons it shows its full potential and splits into two seperate weapon pieces that attack much faster. Or the Spear might sound like just another Staff weapon but it’s actually more than that. The Spear is in fact the only weapon type in The Surge 2 that uses light and heavy attacks instead of horizontal and vertical attacks because it’s centered around thrust attacks.

The five already known weapon types still received a complete overhaul to make them feel fresh. Like I already mentioned when talking about the new features of The Surge 2, all of the combo trees that we used in The Surge got renewed and we tried to highlight specials like our cross combo attacks a lot more to create a cool new combat feeling.

Stay tuned for more insight into the development of The Surge 2 in our next articles! You can also check out the Behind The Scenes series "Deck13 Inside" on Youtube. The Surge 2 slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th. Pre-Order now and get bonuses: http://thesurge-game.com/shop

Hi everyone,

The Surge 2 brings hardcore action-RPG combat to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24 - less than a month to go! Depth, challenge, and choice of playstyle define the combat in The Surge 2, highlighted in today’s Combat Trailer.

Start your path to mastering The Surge 2 by honing your skills in the original The Surge, available for free on Steam until August 29. The game and its DLCs can be purchased at up to 75% off until August 30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-7uJipAWk4
In The Surge 2, you are thrust into Jericho City, a dystopian sci-fi megacity under quarantine, where several factions vie for dominance over the various districts. In this urban jungle, you will be hunted by everything from religious cultists to nano monstrosities, so you must embrace the oldest law known to humankind - evolve to survive. When faced with an enemy, target specific parts of their body and slice off tech you need to upgrade your exo-rig.



The combat is intense. With 80 weapons to choose from, a directional parry system, dodge mechanics, drones, and a huge range of brutal execution moves, you can approach combat in the way that suits your playstyle. Charge in and pound your enemies into submission with punching gloves or sting like a bee using the spear.

Pre-Orders are now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and come with the URBN Gear Pack, which includes a new armor set, two new weapons, and other cosmetics and equipment.

The Surge 2 releases September 24. The original The Surge is free to try until August 29 on Steam and can be purchased at up to 75% off.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/378540/The_Surge/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/

Hello everyone!

The Surge 2 storms onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in just one month on September 24. To celebrate Gamescom and the game entering the final stages of production, we are proud to present the Gameplay Overview Trailer. This trailer details returning and new mechanics in the game, giving you a run-down of everything from lore to how best to extract the parts you need from your enemies.

https://youtu.be/tv7fRnwCsxI

With years of development coming to an end, the team are proud to say that The Surge 2 offers an experience that all can enjoy. Fast-paced, tactical combat returns, with satisfying executions and meaningful choices for each encounter based on which equipment you wish to gather, equip, and upgrade.

Many systems are designed from the ground up to accommodate gamers who want to play their way, be that carefully and at range or balls-to-the-wall all-out attacks. Whether you want indicators for directional parrying to assist or to rely purely on your skill and optimised build to defeat your enemies., you’ll find The Surge 2 a blast to play.



Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. All pre-orders come with the URBN Gear Pack free, which includes a new armor set, two new weapons, and other cosmetics and equipment.

The Surge 2 releases September 24. Watch the new Gamescom Overview Trailer today. Pre-orders are available now!

Hi everyone!

The Surge 2 brings hardcore combat back to a nano-infested dystopian future on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, September 24.

Over the past month, press and influencers have delved into the depths of Jericho City, slicing and dicing their enemies and their preference is clear - players have every reason to be excited. Today’s gorgeous Preview Accolades Trailer teases some story and shows off just how exciting it has been to go hands-on early.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUxbP4vZ4lk
We are also proud to announce that The Surge 2 has now officially gone gold! We're very excited about this milestone and can't wait for you all to dive into Jericho City to chop up your competition for survival.



The Surge 2 will deliver brutal combat in the winding streets of Jericho City on September 24. Waking with no memory of the plane crash that left you stranded here, you’ll have to survive rampaging machines, fanatical cultists, and much worse as you explore and discover the truth.

Utilising the renowned limb-targeting system combined with upgraded combat design, a new, bigger world and many more surprises, The Surge 2 will impress new players and fans of the series alike.



Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. All pre-orders come with the URBN Gear Pack free, which includes a new armor set, two new weapons, and other cosmetics and equipment. The Surge 2 is also available for play by the public at Gamescom, as part of the Koch Media/Deep Silver booth in Hall 9.

The Surge 2 launches September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Pre-orders are available now!

The Surge 2, our hardcore Action-RPG featuring brutal exo-skeleton combat on a dying earth, comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th!

As we draw close to the release, we’ll be sharing a series of devblogs that we hope will give you some insight into the creative process of The Surge 2.

Today, we’re happy to have Daniel, Sound Designer on The Surge 2, talking about the Sound Design of the game!

Could you please introduce yourself and your job on The Surge 2?

Hello! I'm Daniel and I've been a Sound Designer at DECK13 for quite a while now. My first internship was about 9 years ago. After that, I worked part time at DECK13 during my studies until I started working full time, around 5 years ago. I’ve done the sound for several DECK13 projects and I’m currently working on The Surge 2. In my job I take care of the production of the game's sound effects, reaching everything from what the characters do to UI sounds to level related noises like ambients.

I also take care of the audio outsourcing, which mainly consists of music production.
Besides that, I’m responsible for the implementation of all the stuff you can hear, always working in close collaboration with the tech-department and the game and level-designers.



What were your main inspirations for the sounds and music of The Surge 2?

The music for The Surge 2 is inspired by a mixture of different musical styles. The main inspirations are soundtracks from old and modern sci-fi movies and games. On the other side we tried to incorporate elements of urban music styles like electronic music and trip-hop to fit the vibe of a sci-fi-megacity.

The sound effects are of course inspired by Surge 1, because we aimed to create a similar tone for the second part. But we did not only rely on Surge 1, the sound effects are also inspired by pop culture and by an approach of experimentation and combination of sounds and audio effects during the production process.

The Surge 2 has a lot of varied locations. Did this affect the sound design?

Yes, definitely. Even while the game plays in this giant city, we tried to give each level a unique environment and a different openness to feel special. Soundwise this resulted in unique ambients for each level that reach from evacuated, empty cities over nano infected forests, to destroyed, rusty, rotten harbor areas. And through the different architecture and layouts of each level the reverbs were also affected by this, creating different acoustic spaces and environments.



The Surge 2 has more voice acting than the first game. What were the main challenges of this aspect?

The voice implementation is mainly done by the narrative team but of course the amount of dialogue had an impact on the sound implementation. The biggest challenge was to make speech and especially the most important dialogue audible at all times.

This means putting speakers in a 3D room with exact ranges, toning down sounds that are not important during a dialogue or simply adding effects to voices that sound good but are still understandable, so the players don't miss any important information.

Was there any sound you had to improvise to record, or to physically go and record out in the open?

To be honest, every sound is improvised in some kind of way, especially if we're talking about all the nano stuff. I mean, what does nano sound like? The base of all the nano sounds was in the end a weird combination of glass and ice shards, glibbery vegetable sounds, insect recordings and a lot of bit-distortion and grain synthesis. Most of the time you start with an idea and end up with something completely different - everything that counts is the result.

If you had to pick a single favorite sound in The Surge 2, what would it be, and why?

Oof, this is a hard one, but I think I’ll pick the facebeam attack of the statue enemy - a large robot that shoots a giant energy beam straight out of its head. What I like about it is that it has a lot of details of the mechanical parts of the enemy and the energy build-up that then results in this giant beam of energy roaring and screaming through the level, damaging everything in its way. It just sounds like you really shouldn’t touch it.



Stay tuned for more insight into the development of The Surge 2 in our next articles! You can also check out the Behind The Scenes series "Deck13 Inside" on Youtube.The Surge 2 slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th. Pre-Order now and get bonuses!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7bh2FQ1mZU&list=PLZ4kher7FeReKmhWBx2y13DKgHWN31F49

Hi everyone,

The Surge 2 brings uncompromising, limb-chopping, dynamic combat back to you on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 24.

In today’s trailer, witness new weapons, environments, enemies, colossal bosses, and moves that improve the formula. There are ever-more challenges to overcome, equipment to loot and upgrade, and threats to survive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANCvZG_lig0
The Surge’s iconic fast-paced combat and unique limb targeting and looting mechanisms return for a dynamic combat experience that is as rewarding as it is unforgiving. Experience brand new, bigger, more lively environments - Jericho City is a massive location, packed with secret passages, buildings, factions, friends, foes, and terrifying bosses.

Abandoned, half-finished mega-structures sit alongside ostensibly serene parks that have become nanomachine hunting grounds. As you progress through this nightmare, earn TechScrap and equipment pieces by tearing off enemy limbs to equip them to your exo-rig.



As the nanomachine infestation eats Jericho City, new, horrific amalgamations of man and machine roam the streets as gangs, the government, and cultists war for control over the most valuable areas. Suit up and try to survive this chaos, and triumph, when The Surge 2 releases on September 24.

The Surge 2 releases September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-Order now and get bonuses: http://thesurge-game.com/shop

https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/

The Surge 2, our hardcore Action-RPG featuring brutal exo-skeleton combat on a dying earth, comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th!

As we draw close to the release, we’ll be sharing a series of devblogs that we hope will give you some insight into the creative process of The Surge 2.

Today, we’re happy to have Alexander Bönicke, Game Designer on The Surge 2, talking about the Level Design of the game!

Hey! My name is Alex, I’ve been with Deck13 for about 3 years now, working as a Designer on the Design and World team. I contributed to The Surge and its DLCs and have been working on The Surge 2 since its inception.


Alexander Bönicke, Game Designer on The Surge 2

The time to talk about Level Design is just right, because with the work on the Walk in the Park DLC for The Surge and especially during the development of Surge 2, Deck13 iterated on the world creation and design process to address the feedback we received after the release of The Surge.

A closer relationship between Art Direction and Game Design allowed us to shape the game world more freely and iterate on its visuals and user experience more thoroughly.

On top of addressing the incredible amount of feedback we received from our players we also set out to turn The Surge formula on its head to create a new game experience.
Thus we chose Jericho City as the stage for the game – a place that offers countless opportunities for players to fight, explore and immerse themselves. With this plan on paper, we set out to:

• build a game world with a more natural and open feel – featuring more varied environments
  
• offer more choice in how to approach the game – on a micro and macro scale
  
• improve mobility and options of the player character, in combat and during world exploration
  
• create a more varied and deeper narrative experience

Concept Art of Jericho City

With a great playground comes great responsibility, so Jericho City and its outskirts naturally come with a price tag.

The long vistas through the spacious streets and alleys of Downtown, the rich and plentiful flora overgrowing Gideon’s Rock, and the Cultist-riddled swamps of Port Nixon are only some of the technical challenges we had to overcome while keeping and even one-upping the visual quality of The Surge.

However, populating the game world has not only been a technical challenge:

• there are many NPCs to interact with, side quests to complete, and decisions players can make to influence the inhabitants of the city - a very complex network of narrative content to maintain and develop
  
• more verticality in level design and more player mobility made it harder to assure the levels work as intended (as in preventing players from getting into undesired places)
  
• in an open, non-linear environment with so many options, informing players of their goals and helping them orient themselves (guidance) is a very difficult issue to address and track

Take a ride on the mag lift

In a project of this scale it’s hard to play favorites. So when it comes to the thing I am most proud of it’s a tough decision. Downtown Jericho is probably the largest and most complex level we have ever created. It connects almost all areas of the game and over the entirety of the playthrough it offers fresh challenges as well as a myriad of nooks and crannies to uncover. While it was certainly the hardest level to fully implement, it’s also probably the most satisfying for us to play – each and every day we return to it.

As mentioned above we tried to be aware of what made The Surge unique. So we opted to stick to the idea of having only one save point per level (for the most part!) and utilized what the setting – a vast city center – gave us to connect everything smartly.

Not only while exploring the alleys of Downtown Jericho – all areas in the game offer a network of clever, interconnected streets, indoor locations, tunnels, even super efficient ziplines players can utilize to unlock the game world for themselves – one step at a time.

As they make their way through the levels, players will naturally open chests, break boxes and turn over every stone. They will uncover every nook and cranny, make impossible jumps, and explore pitch-black caverns on the hunt for loot and gear parts.


Downtown Jericho

Jericho City and its adjacent districts offer various distinct places for players to visit. All areas of the game are directly interconnected and can be visited by foot (and other more efficient means of travel players might discover during the playthrough).

Some of these areas are accessible as soon as players set their first foot into Jericho City, though we make sure that there is a 'recommended order' gated by the difficulty of gameplay encounters. Players may still try to challenge themselves by choosing their own route through the game – and might discover some unique interactions this way.

Ultimately all paths contribute towards a goal players will uncover and chase, so some later areas will only become accessible as the story progresses…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e7zI9Ynr5s
Please allow me to shamelessly use my last seconds of fame to express that I am very proud of my team and myself for what an enormous game world we created. It has been a wild ride and an incredible experience, and the experience keeps giving every day when I'm jumping in and exploring Jericho City. We hope you share our feelings when Surgetember arrives.

Stay tuned for more insight into the development of The Surge 2 in our next articles! The Surge 2 slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th. Pre-Order now and get bonuses: http://thesurge-game.com/shop

https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/

Hello everyone,

The Surge 2 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24, but before you return to the sci-fi post-apocalypse with axe in hand, let us talk you through the world, dangers, and changes coming to The Surge 2.

Today’s Dev Gameplay Walkthrough is narrated by Adam Hetenyi, Head of Game Design at Deck 13 Interactive. See the massive new levels, the return of uncompromising and brutal combat, now as intense as ever, as well as brand new features like asynchronous multiplayer and drones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e7zI9Ynr5s
Also shown off are the improved bosses of The Surge 2, inside new environments with stunning variety between the high walls of Jericho City and its various parks and suburbs. The new and enriched move sets combined with directional blocking alongside character customization, more weapons, more implants, and more armor sets mean your character is truly your own in The Surge 2.



Players who pre-order The Surge 2 at participating retailers will receive the URBN Gear Pack DLC for free, which includes an armor set, two weapons, one drone, one module, and a bonus online message icon.

The Surge 2 releases September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-orders are available now, including the Limited Edition - check the store page for more details.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/

Greetings!

The Surge 2 releases September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC! In a brand new, gorgeous cinematic trailer featuring The Day Is My Enemy by The Prodigy, get a glimpse of all the new features, stories, and enemies coming in our violent, sci-fi sequel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khr4DMxWAq8
Inside the high walls of Jericho city, trapped in a technological apocalypse that threatens to consume everyone within, our hero fights to survive and uncover the truth of the disaster. Cult members hopped up on drugs, nanomachines, looters, and security forces will try to stop you wherever you go while a mysterious girl leads you to parts unknown.



This plays out on a backdrop of a world on the brink of simultaneous total collapse and technological ascendency. Self-evolving nanobeasts crush buildings with swipes of their massive claws while the downtrodden, infatuated with machines through malfunctioning implants and rising religion, roam the streets in packs. The rich and wealthy exist above it all, while hunters try to capture their valuable nano-prey and what remains of the military maintains a flimsy order.

This is the world of The Surge 2. Are you ready?

The Surge 2 releases September 24 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-orders are available now, including the Limited Edition - check the store page for more details.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/644830/The_Surge_2/