18 Best Video Games Of 2017 (So Far)

16. The Surge

Leave it to a more fan-minded dev studio to play with a genre's tropes and really shake them up. The Surge is the second 'Souls-like' effort from Deck13, their first being Lords of the Fallen, a game that was severely underrated, coming with some pretty innovative mechanics regarding the accruing of the Souls themselves.

Onto The Surge, and Deck13 have taken all the Dark Souls-style mechanics into outer space, force-fitting your hapless protagonist with some biotic augments before forcing him to survive against waves of mechanised enemies. Is it just 'Dark Souls in space'? Sure, but what a fantastic concept - one that's most welcome after eight years of fantasy being the genre's go-to backdrop.

The Surge bolsters its approach with more depth in how you block, limb-targeting, an actual narrative thrust with easily digestible lore and side missions, and an art style that really gives a macabre brutality to every clash of flesh and steel.

Destined to be one of this year's overlooked gems, The Surge is just as feature-packed as its exo-suit equipped hero.