ELEX II Review Summary

Engaging story and quests: The game offers an enjoyable story and well-developed quests. The narrative is interesting and well-written, with side missions that are fun and multi-level, adding depth to the gameplay experience.

Rewarding exploration: Exploration is a strong aspect of the game, with a well-designed world that encourages players to discover hidden secrets and challenging enemies. The vast and organic world design makes exploration enjoyable and rewarding.

Enhanced combat mechanics: The combat system has seen significant improvements, including smoother and more dynamic combat, better melee and magic systems, and improved balance. Players appreciate the less clunky fights and the overall satisfying combat feel.

Rich and immersive world: The game world is vast and diverse, offering a rich blend of exploration, combat, and narrative depth. The world is fun to explore and has interesting areas despite some flaws.

Jetpack feature enhances mobility: The jetpack feature is a notable addition, providing faster movement and enhancing exploration. Players find the jetpack fun to use and it improves traversal mechanics.

Poor character models and animations: Character models, especially faces, are frequently mentioned as poorly designed. Facial animations and expressions are noted as particularly weak, making characters feel less unique.

Bad voice acting and dialogue: Voice acting is described as bad, abysmal, and fake. Dialogues are criticized for being poorly written, cringe-worthy, and awkward.

Mediocre gameplay and poor controls: The gameplay is described as mediocre, disappointing, and lacking depth. Controls are frequently mentioned as poor, contributing to an overall lackluster experience.

Frequent bugs and crashes: Players report numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches, affecting various aspects of the game. These technical issues significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Clunky and janky gameplay: The game is described as janky and clunky, with mechanics that feel unrefined and unbalanced. This contributes to a frustrating and unpolished experience.

Open-world exploration: The game offers a large open world with various biomes and detailed environments. Players are encouraged to explore freely, finding unique weapons and secrets.

Comprehensive combat system: The game features a detailed combat system that includes both melee and ranged weapons, along with magic-like abilities. It emphasizes stamina management, timing, and mechanics such as blocking and parrying.

Jetpack mechanics: The game includes a jetpack feature that enhances exploration and combat, allowing for vertical and horizontal movement.

Character progression and customization: Players can develop their characters through skill trees, attributes, and skill points. The game includes character customization and upgrading mechanics.

Quest design: The game offers a variety of quests with a connected structure, providing freedom in how players approach them. Some quests involve killing large numbers of enemies.

Performance and optimization issues: Many players report poor performance and optimization problems, including FPS drops, stutters, and crashes, especially in certain areas or on specific hardware configurations.

Bugs and glitches: The game suffers from various bugs and glitches, including graphical bugs, animation glitches, clipping errors, and technical issues that affect gameplay.

Mixed graphics quality feedback: Players have varying opinions on the game's graphics, with some praising detailed environments and weather effects, while others criticize blurry textures and graphical artifacts.

Hardware and system requirements: Players report issues with high-end hardware and note that the game has higher system requirements, which can be a barrier for some.

Loading times and storage requirements: The game has long loading times and high storage requirements, which can be a drawback for some players.

Recommended for RPG fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of classic RPGs, particularly those who enjoyed the Gothic series, Risen, and other titles by Piranha Bytes. It is also suggested for general RPG lovers and those who appreciate open-world games.

Play the first game first: Many reviewers suggest playing the first game in the series before starting this one, as it enhances the overall experience and understanding of the game world.

Mixed recommendations on gameplay: Some reviewers recommend the game only for the first few chapters or for those who can accept its clunky gameplay and various technical/project flaws.

Worth the price for fans: Despite some flaws, the game is considered worth the price, especially for fans of the series or genre who are willing to invest many hours into it.

Recommended for specific fan groups: The game is recommended for specific fan groups, such as those who played Elex 1 and those who haven't, as well as fans of Fallout and Piranha Bytes.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for ELEX on the Steam Deck reveals significant issues with the user interface and performance. Users have reported problems with combat mechanics, inventory management, and inconsistent frame rates, which severely impact the overall gaming experience.

Studio closure disappointment: Players expressed sadness and heartbreak over the game studio, PB, being gone. This reflects a strong emotional connection to the studio.