The Surfer PS3 Review

Here was a nice surprise a new PlayStation 3 game for me to check out, The Surfer. The Surfer is brought to us from Australian developer, Bungarra Software and while The Surfer is on PlayStation 3 it is my understanding that the hope is to get it out on current-gen platforms sooner than later.

I had a soft spot for the surfing event in California Games and I put a lot of time into Kelly Slater Pro Skater on the PlayStation 2 so I was excited to get to grips with The Surfer.

The first thing that is worth noting is the graphics. They have gone for what they call an old school style of graphics and that is something I do kind of like. They are very reminiscent of a game that you would find on the Sega Dreamcast or the PlayStation 2 and that is pretty cool.

Gameplay wise The Surfer’s main game mode sees you pick from a number of different surfers, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and moves. Some are better at air tricks while some are better at riding the waves. Once you pick your surfer, you then go on your quest to become the best in the world. Australia, France, the USA, and Scotland are some of the places that you will be showing off your skills.

One thing that deserves very special attention here is the presentation of this mode. They have some fantastic video packages for the areas and lots of information about the kind of waves, the area and so on. It is very interesting stuff and very well done in my opinion. Going from the extremely high quality video packages to the in-game graphics can take a second or two to get used to, but it somehow works. The commentary and the soundtrack fit the game perfectly and the music is actually very catchy and goes great with the surfing that is taking place.

During the main game mode, you will be competing against other surfers and the idea is that you need to score as many points as possible to finish first or second. If you do this you can move on, make some money and prove what a great surfer you are.

You have a practice mode and a free surf mode which I highly recommend you play around with before you tackle the championship mod. The Surfer is a game that has an arcady feel to it, but it can take a few plays to get the hang of the controls. Pressing R1 will activate your “pump” this is essential to putting together different combos and getting high in the air to do more high scoring and cooler tricks. Once you get the hang of it, you will be pulling off all kinds of crazy moves and impressive combos. One thing that is helpful is the way that you can pause the game to see what your surfer’s special moves are. To be honest, these are pretty easy to pull off, but it is learning how to form combos that are going to help you score big. Be careful though because if you break your surfboard too many times it is the end of your run and you come in last. So make sure you know what you are doing before going for some of the more intense tricks.

I did have a play around with the multiplayer and this was a blast. You go head to head in a split screen battle to see who can do the best tricks and get the highest score. It has a very old school feel to it and it is the kind of thing where you both will be having a lot of laughs.

The Surfer is a fun game. If you played games like Transworld Surf and Kelly Slaters Pro Surfer I would say that The Surfer kind of feels like it is in between those two games. It certainly has an old-school arcade style heart, but there is quite a bit of depth here with the controls and while there is a learning curve. There is no denying that once you get the controls down and start to figure out how to put together combos, you will be having a fun time.

Final Verdict

Graphics: The graphics look the way they do on purpose and while I get a kick out of it looking like a Dreamcast game this may be something that you have a hard time getting over. Still, I think The Surfer has an interesting look and once you are in the middle of a wave you really are not paying attention to how the water looks or your character model.

Presentation: This is one area where The Surfer really excels. The video packages that they have done for this game are truly remarkable. They are high quality and they pump you up for the area you are about to be surfing in.

Sound: The soundtrack fits the game perfectly. It is quite understated in all honesty, but it really does go with the game very well.

Game Play: I think this is where The Surfer is going to polarize opinions. It has an arcade soul that is for sure. However, this is a game that does require you to put the work into learning the controls to make it through the single player campaign. This is not a knock on the game at all and once you get the hang of it, you will be having a blast.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Surfing games are in short supply these days and The Surfer is well worth checking out if you were a fan of surfing games back in the day. Just make sure that you are willing to stick with it and learn the controls and you will have a blast.

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Contacts and socials: 

Store:   https://store.playstation.com/en-au/product/EP1379-NPEB02271_00-GTHESURFER000001

Store:   https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1391-NPUB31777_00-THESURFERGAMEPS3

Website:  http://www.thesurfer.bungarra.com/

Website:  http://www.bungarra.com/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/bungarrasoftware/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thesurferconsolegame/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BungarraS

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Co-writer and reviewer:

Jason Kingsley

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Tags:

The surfer ps3 review, surfing games, new surfing game, the surfer ps3, surfing ps4, surfing Nintendo Switch, surfing

Mohsen Daemi
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