This mage improved on nearly all aspects of the previous one, yet managed to keep the ones that were perfect intact and implement it into the new system, which is a rare sight. All the weapon classes feel and play like they should, there is room and possibility to play around with every class, none of them feel unimpactful or out-of place, they all handle well and have their own characteristics.

The combat largely remained the same, albeit faster, but the feeling is the same: satisying, punchy, impactful, fluid. Having played the first for around 60 hours, I felt right at home in the second one, I did not have to "get used to the game", aside from the few new mechanics, which are a great addition.

One can argue that the transition to the open world from the claustrophobic corridors is a negative thing and takes something away from the game, but I think it fits the setting well and opened up new possibilities for the devs and environmental/map designers to shine and show us what they are capable of. The maps are even more interconnected and more twisted than in the first game, some are so complax that I generally had to take my time and memorize them to even be able to traverse the environments, which is a good thing. Although I did not really like the aesthetic of Port Nixon and had hoped to see more leels like the CIT with that familiar look and feel, I was not disappointed and am amazed at the devs' skills crafting these maps.

The enemy variety is around the same as in the first game, but it does not feel detrimental. With new enemies comes new armor sets and weapons, of which there are many and more than enough to accommodate any player's needs for a custom playstyle. Paired with the new, partial set bonus it really does encourage experimenting with diferent sets and weapons on-the-fly. I never felt that there is no set to compliment a given weapon class or playstyle.

The health implants are gone and now players earn upgrade points when they upgrade their rig, a welcome addition, considering that in the first game, half of your implant spots were taken up by health implants just to not die in a single hit, thus, limiting your possibilities. Conversely, the new slots can be used to try out more implants, which are a bit reqorked and offer way more variety in terms of combat and gameplay. More would be a welcome addition, but still, I'm sure that with future DLCs, more will be added.

The game's length is about doubled (took me about 26 hrs to get through it the first time), there are more bosses to fight (albeit some are re-used multiple times, which is a bit of a letdown, but in general, they are fun to fight and have multiple phases for the player to memorize abd fight their way through.

Thanks to the more open environments, no encounter/fight feels cheap, even if you are outnumbered 2-1, because you have room to maneuvre and kite enemies, and they all have a very defining, easy-to-get attack pattern which is fun to fight against.

All in all, I would defnitely recommend this game to those who loved the first, and even to newcomers to the series. Even at full price, this game is a no-brainer to get, and if on sale, grab it as soon as you can if you are into Souls-likes or The Surge in general. It ticks all the boxes for me, which is always a good thing. I cannot wait for future DLCs (if there is any planned).

This mage improved on nearly all aspects of the previous one, yet managed to keep the ones that were perfect intact and implement it into the new system, which is a rare sight. All the weapon classes feel and play like they should, there is room and possibility to play around with every class, none of them feel unimpactful or out-of place, they all handle well and have their own characteristics. The combat largely remained the same, albeit faster, but the feeling is the same: satisying, punchy, impactful, fluid. Having played the first for around 60 hours, I felt right at home in the second one, I did not have to "get used to the game", aside from the few new mechanics, which are a great addition. One can argue that the transition to the open world from the claustrophobic corridors is a negative thing and takes something away from the game, but I think it fits the setting well and opened up new possibilities for the devs and environmental/map designers to shine and show us what they are capable of. The maps are even more interconnected and more twisted than in the first game, some are so complax that I generally had to take my time and memorize them to even be able to traverse the environments, which is a good thing. Although I did not really like the aesthetic of Port Nixon and had hoped to see more leels like the CIT with that familiar look and feel, I was not disappointed and am amazed at the devs' skills crafting these maps. The enemy variety is around the same as in the first game, but it does not feel detrimental. With new enemies comes new armor sets and weapons, of which there are many and more than enough to accommodate any player's needs for a custom playstyle. Paired with the new, partial set bonus it really does encourage experimenting with diferent sets and weapons on-the-fly. I never felt that there is no set to compliment a given weapon class or playstyle. The health implants are gone and now players earn upgrade points when they upgrade their rig, a welcome addition, considering that in the first game, half of your implant spots were taken up by health implants just to not die in a single hit, thus, limiting your possibilities. Conversely, the new slots can be used to try out more implants, which are a bit reqorked and offer way more variety in terms of combat and gameplay. More would be a welcome addition, but still, I'm sure that with future DLCs, more will be added. The game's length is about doubled (took me about 26 hrs to get through it the first time), there are more bosses to fight (albeit some are re-used multiple times, which is a bit of a letdown, but in general, they are fun to fight and have multiple phases for the player to memorize abd fight their way through. Thanks to the more open environments, no encounter/fight feels cheap, even if you are outnumbered 2-1, because you have room to maneuvre and kite enemies, and they all have a very defining, easy-to-get attack pattern which is fun to fight against. All in all, I would defnitely recommend this game to those who loved the first, and even to newcomers to the series. Even at full price, this game is a no-brainer to get, and if on sale, grab it as soon as you can if you are into Souls-likes or The Surge in general. It ticks all the boxes for me, which is always a good thing. I cannot wait for future DLCs (if there is any planned).