The Surge: A Walk in the Park DLC | Xbox One | Review

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The Surge’s suffocatingly dark and claustrophobic maze of interiors made for a nightmarish setting that was arguably the star of the show. Continuing that trend, A Walk in the Park places it’s fantastical and fresh theme park at the fore to draw fans of the action role-playing game back into the fold.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Deck13
Interactive
Publisher: Focus Home
Interactive
​Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC
​Players: 1

Unfortunately, accessing this four hour expansion proved to be a bit of a headache. A Walk in the Park is embedded into the main game and accessed through either the Central Production B or Research & Development areas, which means you’ll either need to progress to, or, more dauntingly, remember your way back to one of them these six months later without an in-game map. While it’s nice that the DLC so seamlessly slots into place, undoubtedly complementing new playthroughs nicely, due to the fact you’ll discover it naturally, that process is much less streamlined for players deep into the experience that’ll need to specifically look to trigger their new content.

The delay in reaching CREO World had us like impatient children on the backseat drive to Disneyland, but the hardship was worth facing. While not a wholly original concept, the lighthearted location is enticing - especially around the festive season - in providing a welcome break from an otherwise largely bleak game. The colourful, bright and breezy outdoor area brims with creativity, really popping on a 4K screen in collaboration with the Xbox One X, thanks to visual enhancement and the implementation of HDR.

If that sounds like too big a departure, don’t worry, as there’s a definite tinge of the macabre throughout. A grimy underbelly more in keeping with the aesthetic of the main game also connects surface areas, producing an intertwined, looping level design full of secrets and shortcuts that are joyous to uncover.

CREO World should be a place for the megacorporation’s employees and their families to get some R&R, but it’s now almost exclusively home to malfunctioning animatronics and crazed co-workers. You’ll utilise the same weighty and visceral combat system to dispatch them - the many nuances of which quickly came flooding back - strategically tearing off limbs to discover and craft modular elements for three new gear sets, as well as four outlandish and oversized mascot heads.

In doing so your overall goal is, ironically, to search for and rescue any surviving members of a Search & Rescue team. Collectable audio logs fill in missing elements of The Surge’s wider narrative along the way, but, ultimately, they serve to change the story’s course and send you on a more befitting comic book caper that culminates in an encounter with superhero Iron Maus’ arch rival.

The lighthearted location is enticing - especially around the festive season - in providing a welcome break from an otherwise largely bleak game.

Two boss battles help to offset the lack of big bads in the main game, though the first is as bog standard as they come and both are, arguably, too easy. A Walk in the Park lives up to its name for the most part, with easily telegraphed enemies and frequent healing opportunities hardly taxing returning veterans at all.

An abundant supply of high level implants to gather and a new drone attack further tip the odds in your favour, though swapping out an existing, upgraded weapon for one of 16 new additions - amongst them a flaming candy cane staff (!) - will help to stop you steamrolling the competition, should a high level of challenge be something you wish to preserve.

While A Walk in the Park won’t quite scratch the same masochistic itch as the base game, its lighter tone and less demanding nature are just the ticket this time of year and see the add-on dodge merely feeling like more of the same. In managing to juggle this with remaining loyal to The Surge’s core tenants, the £11.99 asking price is one that everybody with a copy of the game should consider.

Pros

• Makes for a great change of pace & scenery
• Fun, creative enemy & level design
• Stays true to itself despite being quite a big departure
• Lots of new gear to carry over to the main game
• Slots seamlessly into the main game...

Cons

• … Though can be a pain to uncover as a result
• Perhaps too lacking in the game’s signature level of challenge
• The first boss is incredibly uninspired & sticks out like a sore thumb

8/10