- Engaging story and quests
- Reward exploration and open-world gameplay
- Enhanced combat mechanics and jetpack mobility
- Poor character models and animations
- Bad voice acting and dialogue
- Frequent bugs, crashes, and performance issues
Emotions
Players feel disappointment due to the game's lack of innovation and repetitive mechanics compared to its predecessor. The story, quests, and combat system are criticized for being dull, uninspired, and poorly designed, with many technical issues and bugs further detracting from the experience.
Players are frustrated with the game's repetitive quests, poor AI behavior, and numerous technical issues. The combat mechanics are criticized for being clunky and unbalanced, and the game's performance issues and bugs disrupt the gameplay experience.
Players enjoy the open world, exploration, and freedom of action. The jetpack mechanics, crafting system, and engaging gameplay contribute to a positive experience despite the game's flaws.
Players are satisfied with the improvements made in the game, such as combat mechanics, graphics, and world design. The customizable character growth, explorable world, and enjoyable missions contribute to an overall satisfying RPG experience.
Players feel nostalgic due to the game's references to the Gothic and Risen series, as well as the return of legendary characters and familiar locations. The game evokes memories of previous titles in the series, creating a sense of nostalgia and loss for the qualities of older games.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 43% · Negative 57%. Score: 57 / 100
Verdict
Tinkering Required
Summary
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. Score: 50 / 100
Top points
- User Interface Issues - High
- Performance Issues - Medium
Positives:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Negatives:
- Character models, especially faces, are frequently mentioned as poorly designed. Facial animations and expressions are noted as particularly weak, making characters feel less unique.
- Voice acting is described as bad, abysmal, and fake. Dialogues are criticized for being poorly written, cringe-worthy, and awkward.
- The gameplay is described as mediocre, disappointing, and lacking depth. Controls are frequently mentioned as poor, contributing to an overall lackluster experience.
- Players report numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches, affecting various aspects of the game. These technical issues significantly impact the gameplay experience.
- The game is described as janky and clunky, with mechanics that feel unrefined and unbalanced. This contributes to a frustrating and unpolished experience.
Gameplay:
- The game offers a large open world with various biomes and detailed environments. Players are encouraged to explore freely, finding unique weapons and secrets.
- 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.
- The game includes a jetpack feature that enhances exploration and combat, allowing for vertical and horizontal movement.
- Players can develop their characters through skill trees, attributes, and skill points. The game includes character customization and upgrading mechanics.
- 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:
- Many players report poor performance and optimization problems, including FPS drops, stutters, and crashes, especially in certain areas or on specific hardware configurations.
- The game suffers from various bugs and glitches, including graphical bugs, animation glitches, clipping errors, and technical issues that affect gameplay.
- 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.
- Players report issues with high-end hardware and note that the game has higher system requirements, which can be a barrier for some.
- The game has long loading times and high storage requirements, which can be a drawback for some players.
Recommendations:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Miscellaneous:
- Players expressed sadness and heartbreak over the game studio, PB, being gone. This reflects a strong emotional connection to the studio.
