With the downright absurd success of the Souls series, it surprising we haven’t seen many other titles fully emulate that style of action-based RPG combat. Sure, elements of From Software’s megahit are everywhere, but the true Dark Souls-likes aren’t really coming with the frequency you’d expect. Lords of the Fallen is one of the few exceptions, and now its developers are working on a sci-fi follow-up called the Surge.
And the Surge now has a lengthy gameplay video with developer commentary walking you through the game’s systems and mechanics. The biggest moment-to-moment change from Dark Souls is a limb-targeting system, which allows you to build toward powerful finishing moves that sever limbs and let you loot from the disconnected body part.
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Those pieces will let you learn new gear blueprints, which in turn allow you to craft new equipment. Equipment might have special abilities ranging from elemental defense to flashlights. Tech scrap takes the place of souls, though you can bank unused scrap to save it from a post-death loss. Implants will have you managing a resource of core power to build the most efficient loadout of bonus abilities.
The Surge is shaping up to be a solid take on the Souls formula, using its sci-fi setting to build just enough unique mechanics to differentiate itself from its inspirations. We’ll have to wait some time to see how it feels in action, as the game is scheduled for release on an undetermined date in 2017.