Info about ELEX II:

Official game description:
**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 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 and find his own son, Dex, who got separated from him …  
Dive into a huge, hand-crafted, completely unique world with multiple factions and diverse environments set in a post-apocalyptic science fantasy universe.  
The game allows you to:  
*   explore the planet of Magalan with unprecedented freedom, using your trusted jetpack to traverse the map and even fly!  
*   interact with a lived-in world, full of unique NPCs, who  
    *   will remember what you’ve done and react accordingly  
    *   will join or leave your group depending on how you behave  
    *   are able to be killed, which will have an effect on the story
*   engage in fluid close and ranged combat with a massively improved control system  
*   experience a story where your actions have consequences, immersing you in a world of moral decisions
Powered by the Piranha Bytes Engine Genome in its 6th iteration.

Release date: Mar 1, 2022

Categories: Open-World Exploration, Character Progression, Jetpack Traversal, Action RPG, Choice-based Narrative, Combat, NPC Interaction, Moral Decision-Making

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 50; 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.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging story and quests (weight 0.26): 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 (weight 0.24): 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 (weight 0.22): 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 (weight 0.16): 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 (weight 0.15): 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.
- Improved graphics and environments (weight 0.15): The game features enhanced graphics with better textures and lighting, resulting in beautiful and varied environments. The visual improvements contribute to a more immersive experience.
- Improvements over the first game (weight 0.14): The second part of the game is better than the first, with various improvements in gameplay, graphics, and mechanics. It is recommended to play the first part for full understanding.
- Unique RPG mechanics (weight 0.07): The game features unique RPG mechanics, including classic RPG elements and innovative systems. These mechanics provide a complex and engaging experience.
- Nostalgic elements for fans (weight 0.05): The game includes nostalgic elements that appeal to fans of Gothic and Risen. These details enhance the experience for long-time fans of the series.
- High-quality Russian localization (weight 0.05): The game features high-quality Russian localization, including voice acting by Denis Bespalyi. This enhances the experience for Russian-speaking players.

Common complaints:
- Poor character models and animations (weight 0.26): 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 (weight 0.19): 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 (weight 0.17): 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 (weight 0.13): 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 (weight 0.12): The game is described as janky and clunky, with mechanics that feel unrefined and unbalanced. This contributes to a frustrating and unpolished experience.
- Poorly designed combat system (weight 0.12): The combat system is frequently mentioned as clunky, unstable, and unsatisfying. Players find it counter-intuitive and frustrating.
- Poor AI behavior (weight 0.09): Companion and enemy AI are criticized for being poor, ineffective, and behaving unnaturally. This affects both combat and general gameplay.

Gameplay feedback:
- Open-world exploration (weight 0.37): 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 (weight 0.33): 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 (weight 0.32): The game includes a jetpack feature that enhances exploration and combat, allowing for vertical and horizontal movement.
- Character progression and customization (weight 0.2): Players can develop their characters through skill trees, attributes, and skill points. The game includes character customization and upgrading mechanics.
- Quest design (weight 0.1): 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.
- Character dialogues and interactions (weight 0.1): The game features character dialogues and interactions, including humor and simplicity in dialogue, which adds depth to the narrative and character development.
- Old-school RPG mechanics (weight 0.04): The game incorporates familiar mechanics and elements from previous games in the series, offering a unique RPG experience with depth.
- Learning curve and difficulty (weight 0.04): The game has a high difficulty curve and a steep learning curve, requiring players to invest time in skill learning and adaptation.

Performance notes:
- Performance and optimization issues (weight 0.2): 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 (weight 0.17): 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 (weight 0.16): 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 (weight 0.06): 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 (weight 0.04): The game has long loading times and high storage requirements, which can be a drawback for some players.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for RPG fans (weight 0.17): 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 (weight 0.05): 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 (weight 0.04): 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 (weight 0.04): 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 (weight 0.03): 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.
- Not for advanced combat/graphics (weight 0.02): The game is not recommended for those seeking complex combat mechanics or advanced graphics, suggesting it might feel outdated or simplistic in these areas.
- Recommended for story continuation (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for those interested in continuing the story from the first game, particularly for fans of the character Jax.
- Compares favorably to other RPGs (weight 0.02): The game is compared favorably to other popular RPGs like The Witcher, Dark Souls, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls, indicating it has qualities that fans of these series might enjoy.
- Mod recommendation before playing (weight 0.02): Reviewers suggest downloading the Elex 2 enhanced mod before playing to improve the gaming experience.
- Not recommended for new players (weight 0.02): The game is recommended mainly for old fans and not for new players, suggesting it might be less accessible or enjoyable for those unfamiliar with the series.
- Wait for Gothic 1 remake (weight 0.02): Some reviewers suggest waiting for the Gothic 1 remake if you haven't played the previous games, indicating that it might be a better entry point or experience.

Other player notes:
- Studio closure disappointment (weight 0.02): Players expressed sadness and heartbreak over the game studio, PB, being gone. This reflects a strong emotional connection to the studio.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.34): 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.
- Frustration (weight 0.26): 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.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): 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.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): 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.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): 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.
- Sadness (weight 0.03): Players feel sadness due to the potential end of the series and the studio, as well as the cliffhanger ending. The uncertainty of future games and the state of the developer contribute to a sense of sadness.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players are angry about the poor quality and unfinished state of the game, as well as the repetitive and grindy quests. The feeling of wasting money on the game and the lazy development choices contribute to the anger.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's rich storyline, open world, and unique features such as the jetpack and mix of ranged and melee combat. The game's detailed visuals, soothing music, and solid world exploration are also appreciated.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's unique and engaging open-world experience, as well as its innovative RPG systems. The story, voice acting, and possibilities offered by the open world contribute to the excitement.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players find joy in the immersive adventure, beautiful landscapes, and enjoyable combat mechanics. The game provides a positive and joyful experience, especially in the first and second tiers of the game.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Players are amused by the character models, their expressions, and the comedy elements in dialogues. The funny story and unique combat mechanics also contribute to the amusement.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the story, atmosphere, and well-developed quests. The open world and rich quests, along with the improved combat and interesting story, contribute to a high level of engagement.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's world, mechanics, and atmosphere. The improvements and overall quality of the game contribute to a positive and enthusiastic response.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Players have mixed feelings due to the game's improvements in gameplay being outweighed by its shallow story and other negative aspects. The game's strengths and weaknesses create a complex and conflicting emotional response.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players feel boredom due to the repetitive gameplay mechanics and lack of depth in role-playing choices. The slow story progression and boring combat contribute to a sense of boredom.
- Hope (weight 0): Players hope for the release of Elex 3 and improvements in future gameplay. The potential for future enhancements and the anticipation of a sequel contribute to a sense of hope.
- Admiration (weight 0): Players admire the game's interesting world and unique setting. The depth and complexity of the game's world and setting contribute to a sense of admiration.
- Positive (weight 0): Players have an overall enjoyable experience and recommend the game. The enjoyable gameplay experience contributes to a positive emotional response.
- Gratitude (weight 0): Players are grateful to the developers for creating the game and the countless hours of exploration it provides. The appreciation for the developers' efforts contributes to a sense of gratitude.}