Squad Surge

The game

You’ve probably seen those mobile game ads: a tiny squad runs through a “×2” portal, turns into an army and sweeps away everything in its path… and then the real game, once you download it, is nothing like it. Squad Surge is that game, for real, and it runs right in your browser.

You lead a company of rangers and militiamen armed with black-powder pistols, led by a bearded gunner. Standing in your way on the road: the infernal horde, a flood of imps, puglins (pig-goblins that run in packs) and brutes. Your company fires on its own: all you do is choose where it goes. Each level lasts about a minute. You race to the finish line while your army grows, win the final battle and collect your loot.

How to play

Phone

slide your finger left or right, anywhere on the screen.

Computer

your company follows the mouse; the arrow keys or A and D work too.

Pause, sound

P or Esc to pause, M to mute.

The road is split into three lanes. It all comes down to picking the right lane:

• Portals: blue (+20, +40…), gold (×2, ×3) or red (−20, ÷2). Your company goes through the one in its lane, and your headcount changes in an instant.
• Cages: shoot them until they break, and the prisoners run over to join your ranks.
• “WEAPON” chests: empty their counter with your bullets, and all your soldiers switch to a more powerful weapon until the end of the level.
• The horde: the bigger your army, the more bullets it fires. A bullet that kills a monster keeps going with whatever power it has left.
• The finish: past the line, your company runs over ×1.5, ×2, ×3, ×4 and ×5 strips. The more soldiers you have left, the farther it gets, and the bigger your coin bonus.

Tips to go further

• Do the math before you choose. With 30 soldiers, “+40” gives you 70 and “×2” only 60. With 50 soldiers, it’s the other way around: 90 versus 100. The ×2 is only worth it if you already have more soldiers than the number on the blue portal. For the first three levels, the game shows you the result under each portal; after that, you do the counting.
• Shoot the portals. Every bullet that hits a “+” or “−” portal raises its number. Stay in its lane for a moment before you go through: a +20 can end up as a +30, and a −20 hurts less.
• The best portal is often guarded. From level 2 on, a small horde sometimes stands in front of the most valuable portal. It doesn’t move: mow it down in time, or take another portal.
• Watch out for powder kegs rolling toward you: blow them up before they reach you, or switch lanes.
• Against the boss, get out of the red circles. He announces each of his attacks with a circle on the ground: just switch lanes in time.
• Don’t skip the chests. A better weapon halfway through a level often does more than a few extra soldiers, especially before a boss battle.

Progression

The levels never end and keep getting harder, but a level always keeps the same layout: you can learn it and try again. A giant boss awaits every 5 levels (the Demon Lord, the Puglin King and the Archfiend, each in turn), and a new region opens up every 10 levels: the Green Vale, the Cursed Marsh, then the Ashlands.

Every 10 levels, your company also moves up a rank, with new colors and new pistols: Militia, Arquebusiers, Musketeers, Rune guards, then Dawn paladins. The gunner, for his part, unlocks new weapons as the levels go by: after the Blunderbuss, he gets a Rotary gun, a Culverin that fires exploding shells and a Volley organ that fires across the whole width of the road.

With your coins, you buy upgrades: Recruits (more soldiers at the start), Caliber (more damage), Loot (more coins), and others in the “Upgrades” menu. From level 3, a Daily challenge offers a special level, the same for everyone, and three Daily missions earn you extra coins. At level 10, Survival mode unlocks: endless waves, for as long as you can hold out.

Frequently asked questions

Is the game really free?

Yes, completely. There’s nothing to buy: everything unlocks as you play.

Do I need to download an app or create an account?

No. The game opens in your phone or computer browser in a few seconds. You can also add Kamori to your home screen to launch it like an app.

What if I lose?

You keep all the coins you’ve earned, plus a bonus based on how far you got. The game suggests an upgrade, and if you fail the same level several times in a row, the horde there gets a little weaker: there’s no wall you can’t get past.

Is my progress saved?

Yes, automatically, in your browser. It stays on this device as long as you don’t clear the site’s data.

Are there ads?

A few: that’s what keeps the game free. No ads are forced on you during the first levels. Ads that give you a bonus (doubling your coins, continuing after a defeat) are always optional, next to a button to carry on without one.