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Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

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7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 107 Ratings

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  • Summary: ELEX II is the sequel to ELEX, the vintage open-world role-playing experience from the award-winning creators of the Gothic and Risen series, Piranha Bytes. ELEX II returns to the post-apocalyptic Science Fantasy world of Magalan with massive environments that can be explored with unrivaledELEX II is the sequel to ELEX, the vintage open-world role-playing experience from the award-winning creators of the Gothic and Risen series, Piranha Bytes. ELEX II returns to the post-apocalyptic Science Fantasy world of Magalan with massive environments that can be explored with unrivaled freedom via jetpack, you will be able to move through the epic story any way you want.

    Several years after Jax defeated the Hybrid, a new threat arrives from the sky, unleashing the dangerous powers of dark Elex and endangering all life on the planet. In order to defend the peace on Magalan and the safety of his own family, Jax has to go on a mission to convince the factions to unite against the invaders.

    Dive into a huge, hand-crafted, completely unique world with multiple factions and diverse environments set in a post-apocalyptic science fantasy universe.
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ELEX II - Release Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 24
  2. Negative: 2 out of 24
  1. Mar 1, 2022
    84
    Those expecting a well-polished AAA RPG experience with the highest possible production values will probably have to lower their expectations. For Piranha Bytes fans, however, ELEX II is exactly what they would want it, and expect it, to be.
  2. Feb 28, 2022
    78
    Elex II is a classic Piranha Bytes RPG: clumsy, crude, imperfect, but full of virtues that will lead fans to overlook problems.
  3. Feb 28, 2022
    75
    Returning to the apocalyptic fantasy associated with science fiction offers a new threat that the player must face and he constantly die there.
  4. Mar 31, 2022
    67
    In contrast to the original Elex, this awkward sequel is a typical Piranha Bytes game. And no, it’s not a compliment.
  5. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 19, 2022
    62
    Two decades have passed since the first Gothic came out, but Piranha Bytes still sticks to the old formula in hopes that once again it will make a miracle. [Issue#259, p.66]
  6. Feb 28, 2022
    60
    Elex II is a second instalment we could live without. It’s still a solid RPG but once again too ambitious for its own good. It simply doesn’t bring as much joy as it could have.
  7. Feb 28, 2022
    30
    The saying that everything deserves a second chance should not have applied to Elex. Elex II takes so many steps backwards from an already poor game, it’s astounding. Its writing, optimisation, combat, and game systems all stand as a new benchmark on what to not do.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 50
  2. Negative: 15 out of 50
  1. Mar 5, 2022
    10
    what a great game the atmosphere is just super I got so carried away that I played 120 hours and didn't even notice how time flew by I'm gladwhat a great game the atmosphere is just super I got so carried away that I played 120 hours and didn't even notice how time flew by I'm glad I bought it I'm waiting for 3 part Expand
  2. Mar 8, 2022
    10
    Meilleur rpg au quel j'ai pu joué depuis skyrim. Dans ce jeu tu fais partie de l'univers et tu ne le survoles pas. Les dialogues sont la clé du jeu
  3. Mar 2, 2022
    10
    Best rpg from PB since Risen 1 imo. This is improved in every aspect from the first Elex except for performance which is worse. Combat isBest rpg from PB since Risen 1 imo. This is improved in every aspect from the first Elex except for performance which is worse. Combat is vastly improved, Amazing exploration, jetpack is improved and the graphics are slightly improved.

    Give it a try, there might be some jank as always with PB but this is there best game in years.
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  4. Mar 7, 2022
    9
    I love this game. Not perfect since it can’t hold 60fps on a 3080 RTX at max settings. I’m not sure why it’s so demanding. The gameplay is anI love this game. Not perfect since it can’t hold 60fps on a 3080 RTX at max settings. I’m not sure why it’s so demanding. The gameplay is an improvement from the first. Combat is a bit smoother. Graphics are better. The lip syncing is far better and actually seems to match what they’re saying. Voice acting could still use work, but not the worst. The story is fine, while the actual CGI cut scene seems are a step up from the first. Overall an improvement and likely for those who appreciated the first one. May bring in more fans if they can fix the fps. Nothing VRR couldn’t solve for me. Expand
  5. Mar 31, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I`ve ijust finshed this game after 52 hours so I can sumarise my experience with it
    alot of content
    +some parts of story are really flashed out, loved fort and berserkers quests where you help out cultivators, get to know many people in fort and thier little strugles, the whole area feels alive and detailed.

    -unfortunately other factions bases and quests arent nearly as detailed or rich so I was quite a bit underwhelmed by them, I really hoped all will be as good as fort/berserkers and it would be a 10/10 game for me

    +graphics are good enough
    -optimization is pretty bad, on 1080ti in 1440p ultra Ive got around 40 fps in cities but luckly while exploring its often over 60

    -later part of the game when you focus on finishing main story start to be a slog with a lot of main missions being like kill 100 mutants, kill 100 skyanids etc. Boring and repetetive.

    Overall it`s descent 7/10 game but really for firsts 20 hours while I was doing fort/berserkerers quests it was awesome 10/10 game so it`s sad piranha didnt menage to keep the quality even thru whole game.
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  6. Jun 2, 2022
    4
    The game is like all past Piranha Bytes offerings in the past fifteen years or so. You begin as a wimp who can barely wield a weapon, SLOWLYThe game is like all past Piranha Bytes offerings in the past fifteen years or so. You begin as a wimp who can barely wield a weapon, SLOWLY build up your character, in a world where every enemy is much stronger than you. At some point, you manage to join a faction, which finally allows you to develop some really powerful abilities, and eventually you are strong enough to confront even the strongest enemies.
    Unfortunately, the combat system is possibly the worst I’ve ever seen. In any game. Characters move as through molasses; enemy movement harks back from the last century. I’m positive I’ve seen games from the 90s with much better combat animations. Reading their stance to decide when to parry or dodge, is completely random: they twitch and turn, but apparently some of these erratic movements count as attacks; you only realize it because your health drops to zero and you die. Since all creatures can kill you in two hits, even combat against minor enemies becomes a deadly danger (I'm playing on hard). Hitboxes that are so glitched as to be almost funny: an axe may cut the air one full meter away from you, and you still get the damage. Also, you can lock onto enemies, which helps in attacking and avoiding damage - that is, until the game decides you lose your lock for some reason: bam! You dodge the wrong way and die.
    Earlier today, I was fascinated and incredulous, as I watched my cyborg companion utterly failing to land a single hit against a tough enemy. The AI was broken, like most other things in this game, and he kept freezing, looking at the enemy without doing anything, even though I tried to interpose him between me and the attacker. When he did decide to attack, he regularly missed, because his attacks were too slow to ever connect. Essentially, I was alone – but fear not, he’s not the only companion available. At the moment, I have two more. A fire mage, whose slow fireballs rarely hit anything, and a small robot, whose sniper shots deal relatively low damage, but thankfully usually hit the intended target. But does he fly out of enemy range? Of course not, he usually remains where they can hit him with melee weapons.
    Save often! There is an auto save feature, but it doesn't work 90% of the time.
    Everything in this game costs in-game money, even level ups. Money is hard to come by; the best renewable source of income is trophies from monsters, but you need to attain the highest level in this ability, and this can only happen late in the game. So, for now, I have to grind like crazy to afford anything, while the game designers thought it fine to include stupid missions where the quest giver gives you money to buy something, but the actual price turns out to be much higher. Pure genius.
    Dialogs are boring and badly written. Even when discussing something straightforward, NPCs tend to antagonize you and ramble on and on, with nonsensical lines that only induce sleepiness. The temptation to right-click through the voice acting is strong. NPC attitude is inconsistent as well. The first companion you encounter, wants you to butcher a party of invaders. Makes sense, no problem (apart from the fact that you are WAY too weak to do that, and she won’t join forces with you until you do). Later on, I encounter a hiding alchemist, whose bodyguards have been killed by an outlaw. He asks me to deal with said outlaw, but if I accept to kill the murderer, the warmongering mage doesn’t like it, she is suddenly averse to violence. Fast forward a bit, and she becomes bloodthirsty again, asking me to kill someone for a minor slip. Duh.
    On the positive side, the jetpack is fun, especially after you upgrade it with sprint jets, which allow you to zoom over the terrain like a missile. I really like the environment and the graphics, it’s a relaxing world, at least if you forget all the monsters that want to eat you. And character growth is satisfying.
    This keeps me playing, at least for now, but really: both the Gothic and the Risen series had better combat and equally satisfying character progression. I preordered this game after liking the first Elex in spite of its shortcomings, but I won’t certainly preorder a third one, if it ever comes out. They NEED to fix combat; as things are, it's simply atrocious.
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  7. Mar 18, 2022
    0
    Yes i played Gothic, yes i played Gothic 2. At Release. And i love them. I played Risen 1-3. And i liked them. Even they are not as good asYes i played Gothic, yes i played Gothic 2. At Release. And i love them. I played Risen 1-3. And i liked them. Even they are not as good as Gothic. And yes im German. So Piranha Bytes gets their German Studio Patriot Bonus they get from the German Magazines.

    But im done with it. After 20 Years the same, in the past cool and new, Mechanics are boring. Different Camps, Harsh Speech, Open World. Yes thats all fine, but Björn Pankratz, the Head of the Studio, dont recognize that the Gaming World evolved. Its not enough and after 6 Games the old "Gothic was cool and the best RPG of its time" Fame is only a memory. Elex 2 is a shame. It looks awful, while PB was 20 years ago a guarantee for benchmarking grafx, but today there is much more money in the business. As a small studio you have to license a engine. Or People will laugh about you. The Face look way more awful than in Mass Effect Andromeda, there is no DirectX12, no Vulkan, no DLSS, no FX, even no good AA or AF. It looks like **** and far worse than a risen 3.

    Then the Fighting system, the animations.....12 years after a dark souls you cant bring an "smash the healthbar but the mob dont recognize your sword" Hack and Slay System. Especially when Elden Ring comes one week earlier. The game looks and feels like a beta and after 20 years im done with the same game. Play Gothic 1 and 2. Maybe Risen. Far better Games. This game is a shame for german games development.
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