Review: Surge Deluxe

Posted by angelcruz2241991 on March 10th, 2014 | 0 Comments | Tags: FuturLab , Surge Deluxe

Ever since I got the code to review Surge Deluxe, it’s been pretty much the only game I’ve played on my Vita since. Its addictive nature and easy pick up and play style has had me hooked, with no end to my obsession in sight. Surge Deluxe is the kind of game the Vita was designed for; the touch controls work really well. Who ever knew that a match three game could be this fun?

Surge started out as a Playstation Mobile game back in December 2012, and Ben liked it a lot. If you don’t know what Surge is already, it’s a match three style puzzle game. The screen fills up with little color coded blocks, and you have to connect them to make large combos and earn points. There is, of course plenty other multiplier and other bonus block that will help you improve your score as well. But what I find most interesting about Surge, is its venting system. When you clear an entire row of blocks, you open up a vent. Venting does 2 things, one is that it will double the score of every block that is the color of the vent, and it lowers the pressure gauges on the sides. If the pressure gauge gets to the top, then it’s game over.

While the arcade mode that I just described is the real meat of the game, FuturLab made some additions to this version of Surge. The main change is the addition of a puzzle mode. The puzzle mode offers 15 puzzles to play, and the goal is to get to a set score in the lowest amount of time possible. I honestly did not find this to be all that fun. After playing through the frantic arcade mode, I felt that playing the same game in a slow thinking fashion wasn’t that fun. It just didn’t seem like the right way to play Surge.

Along with the puzzle mode, Surge has made many more improvements in its remastering. First off, it’s been fully optimized for the Vita’s OLED screen, and it looks electrifying. Plus, the new soundtrack is the perfect kind of music you’d want to listen to while playing a game like this. Trophies and leaderboards are now both hooked up to the PSN, not just separate like in the PSM version. Both of those add real incentive to play the game, and have definitely been a factor in what’s been keeping me playing the game.

Surge Deluxe is addictive and easy to pick up and play. The arcade mode is excellent, while the puzzle mode is an unwelcome change of pace to the main gameplay. The revitalized soundtrack and visuals are what really sell this rerelease. FuturLab has made itself comfortable on the PlayStation Vita.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here.