ELEX II

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 115 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 115
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 115
  3. Negative: 28 out of 115
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  1. MolokoNoir
    May 25, 2022
    2
    The first Elex was unpolished but had some decent ideas and an alright world. I found the combat system to be a bit clunky but serviceable once you understood how it worked (not that the game did a good job of relaying that to you). Dialogues and characters were sometimes funny, sometimes a bit off, but overall reminiscent of Gothic in their blunt but endearing manner. It mostly sufferedThe first Elex was unpolished but had some decent ideas and an alright world. I found the combat system to be a bit clunky but serviceable once you understood how it worked (not that the game did a good job of relaying that to you). Dialogues and characters were sometimes funny, sometimes a bit off, but overall reminiscent of Gothic in their blunt but endearing manner. It mostly suffered from a world that was way too large and mostly filled with nothing. Loot was 90% literal junk item, that you could simply sell and rarely use for some crafting. Overall story was fine, nothing groundbreaking, but presentation was hit-and-miss with PB trying too hard to sell an emotional story while lacking the ability to write one.

    I had hoped that Elex II would build on the strengths (world design, interesting factions and their relations to each other) and polish out the weaknesses (janky animations, useless jet pack, clunky combat and overall presentation). Instead, it massively improved the jet pack (that really is a lot of fun now) and dropped the ball on everything else.
    The world is once again large but mostly devoid of anything interesting.
    Writing took a turn for the worse and is now complete trite and nonsensical - on top of that it seems there was nobody looking over the finished dialogue trees. Conversations jump between topics, NPCs suddenly start mentioning things completely unrelated or change their voice. They added children and wrote them in the most obnoxious and cringeworthy way. It's supposed to be a core gameplay item that you build a relationship with your son (btw you have a son now), who, by the timeline of the game, must be 5 at most, but talks like a teenager using a small child's voice. Any kind of emotion that PB wants to create is lost in atrocious writing, terrible timing and involuntarily funny moments.
    Loot is slightly better but still meaningless overall.
    The story is an incoherent train wreck that dawdles for most of the game only to sprint into the finale and throw twists at you.
    Combat is janky and poorly balanced.
    The end of the game (as well as the majority of quests) are literally "go there and kill X enemies" over and over and over.

    I honestly cannot understand the reviews that give this game a glowing recommendation. I can only assume that those are bought, same as the ones from the German review sites that name this as a great game.
    Even as Gothic/PB fan, this is a slap in the face. A huge step down from what was a niche appeal to begin with. An unfinished, unpolished, janky hell of a game. And I liked Elex I, despite all its shortcomings. It had the chance to lay a good foundation for a sequel that could really take off.
    Instead we got this ... a trash indie game that has the audacity to ask for a AAA game price, while delivering an insulting game that could have been spat out by any random indie studio faster and better.

    At this point I don't know what the problem is PB has. If they're trying to recreate Gothic despite not liking it. If it's all because of their own outdated custom engine they refuse to let go. If it's simply terrible project leads that time and again end up running out of time to deliver even the basics. If it's purely cynicism trying to milk the remaining PB fans that keep hoping to have that Gothic-feeling again.

    Either way, Elex II has deleted any last goodwill I may have had for the studio and I really hope Elex III will either be done by a competent studio, or better yet, will never release.    … Expand
  2. EmperorZorn
    Mar 3, 2022
    9
    As all PB games this game isn't without flaws, a bit clunky here and there but it has heart and soul. I wish other games would take a similar approach when it comes to world design, exploration has never been this much fun. The story itself is a bit cliché, but fun to experience nonetheless. Overall Elex 2 is a sequel that has improved in every aspect: not perfect, but you'll love it withAs all PB games this game isn't without flaws, a bit clunky here and there but it has heart and soul. I wish other games would take a similar approach when it comes to world design, exploration has never been this much fun. The story itself is a bit cliché, but fun to experience nonetheless. Overall Elex 2 is a sequel that has improved in every aspect: not perfect, but you'll love it with all its flaws.… Expand
  3. tyr8338
    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.    … Expand
  4. Sinatra
    Mar 15, 2022
    5
    About 50 hours in game and I decided to stop playing. This will be my first Pyranha Bytes game, that I won´t finish. As this will be quite the long review, let me summarize first:

    Graphics: ok-ish Performance: atrocious and full of glitches and bugs Quests: mostly bad World design: not as good as the first Elex, but still good The new Jetpack: fantastic! Ai: mostly braindead,    About 50 hours in game and I decided to stop playing. This will be my first Pyranha Bytes game, that I won´t finish. As this will be quite the long review, let me summarize first:

    Graphics: ok-ish
    Performance: atrocious and full of glitches and bugs
    Quests: mostly bad
    World design: not as good as the first Elex, but still good
    The new Jetpack: fantastic!
    Ai: mostly braindead, especially companions
    Overall: boring, soulless

    But let me explain: Personally I really enjoyed Elex 1 and saw it as a fantastic successor to Gothic 2. Yeah, it had it´s problems, but I enjoyed it so much, that I played it 3 times. So what changed ?

    Graphics:
    ...look ok. But there´s something very wrong with the lighting (and shadows) in the game. Sometimes shadows are so dark (in the middle of the day), that I could not see an item 1 meter in front of me. (later I lowered the shader quality and this helped a bit). And sometimes indoors it gets so dark, that you won´t see anything at all, and sometimes the game "forgets" that you are inside and only some parts are dark, while others are very bright.
    And I won´t even start with the "uncanny valley"....

    Performance:
    ... so I just bought a new powerful PC. In the first hours it ran really smooth. Everything to max and I still got an average of 85 fps. Sometimes even 100 or more. I was just asking myself, why so many people complain about the performance.... well, a couple of minutes later I walked into my first city... yeah... suddenly I had an average of 35 fps, with occasional drops to 20!!!!!!! What a disaster!
    And on top of that, glitches , bugs, pop-ins.... wow....

    Quests and the world:
    And here is the main issue with the game - at least for me. Elex 1 had a world that felt alive and quests that complimented it. The quests had many twists and always told you something about the faction you were working for or the world itself. (as an example in Elex 1 the outlaws send you to collect scrap metal and the quest transforms into a conflict with the clerics. Or the quest searching for Calaan - wow, that really was something!). In Elex 2 the quests are: fetch 10 something, kill 5 then 10 then 20 then 40 of something or find someone. 95 % of the quests are so mundane and shallow, that even for an MMO they would be bad. The NPC´s did react to stories in Elex 1. In Elex 2 a faction can be under siege and no one will care, no one will react to changes in the world. On top of that, in Elex 1 you always had a choice on what to do, in Elex 2 they´ll give you 3 choices that are the same. So many times I just wanted to say "no", but that was not an option. But there is one quest I have to mention and careful ... minor spoilers now! About 25 hours into the game I was about to quit for the first time. Then I spoke to an Alb commander (I think her name was Larissa) and that started one of the best quests I have ever played!!!! The people you meet, the unexpected twists and how the story evoives... This quest is a masterpiece and I think the best quest I played in a Pyranha Bytes game.
    Do you see the problem? Suddenly all the other quests seem even more shallow and boring. And unfortunately this remained the only good quest in my playthrough.

    The jetpack:
    Just let me mention that it is a lot of fun running around finding tanks to upgrade your jetpack. What a fantastic and motivating idea!

    A.I. and NPC´s:
    Some NPC´s glitch, one of my trainers disappeared after the first patch and it took me some time to find him. He was glitched into the floor and only his head was visible under a table.... lol....
    Companions are useless. The melee companions will draw their weapon in a fight and then just stand there and contemplate how a monster wipes the floor with you. The ranged ones are a bit better. I usually ran around with Caja and she will shoot her fireballs, but mostly into rocks or buildings, and on rare occasions into enemies... but hey... at least she is trying!!

    Overall:
    This game is just bad! And it´s such a shame. If you consider that this was made by a small team, that manages to take on such a challenging project, that has so much work put into it (just consider that EVERY NPC is voiced and many of them by really good voice actors).... and then it ends up beeing mediocre at best.
    One last thing I NEED to complain about.... in the beginning you´ll learn that you became a father some years ago and you start the game by searching for your son. When you find him, the game will try very hard to make you like him. This part of the game is so bad, that I just wanted to run away. And Dev´s, it would help a lot, if this wasn´t the ugliest child I have seen in my life!

    If people give this mess a 10/10, then I am wondering if we have been playing the same game....    … Expand
  5. FreshFriendz
    Mar 28, 2022
    3
    Elex 2 is a fantastic Action RPG until you enter the second chapter.
    At this point, the story reveals its uninspired, disorganized, and dull face.
    Any quest turns into a fighting/kill quest, highlighting one of the weakest parts of the game: the old fighting system. The game let me down after I had invested ~30h during chapter one. I also created multiple save files for each    Elex 2 is a fantastic Action RPG until you enter the second chapter.
    At this point, the story reveals its uninspired, disorganized, and dull face.
    Any quest turns into a fighting/kill quest, highlighting one of the weakest parts of the game: the old fighting system.
    The game let me down after I had invested ~30h during chapter one. I also created multiple save files for each path/faction because I was so hyped.    … Expand
  6. coltsr2
    Mar 4, 2022
    9
    Well i wasn't expecting a this to be a great game but am really impressed..its really good! I much prefer this to Elden ring! I love the open world gameplay....I love the basic dialogues, no nonsense and to the point. And the slower pace i can explore and do what i want as i want. This game is a mixture of Skyrim, fallout 4, and the Witcher 3..perfect. Considering its not had aWell i wasn't expecting a this to be a great game but am really impressed..its really good! I much prefer this to Elden ring! I love the open world gameplay....I love the basic dialogues, no nonsense and to the point. And the slower pace i can explore and do what i want as i want. This game is a mixture of Skyrim, fallout 4, and the Witcher 3..perfect. Considering its not had a massive budget and hundreds of software developers on it, its really good!
    I would of given it a 10 but its let down by sluggish fps in 4k at ultra and 100 resolution, even with my trusty RTX 3090 and i9 5.1ghz 64gig ram system. I have played far more detailed games graphically, so no idea why this can only deliver around 55-62fps on average, and compare that to say Assassins creed origins, curse of the pharaohs, which in ultra at 4k, and 100 resolution, returns 80-85fps and is a far smoother experience.
    Aside from the poor frame rate and frame drops, its a solid experience and one am enjoying....not played any Piranha Bytes games before, i must say am impressed, i just love the jet pack! Definitely a great addition to any avatar!
    Piranha Bytes if you're watching this, well done! but sort the dodgy slow fps issues out! the webs abuzz with the performance problems!    … Expand
  7. huskiescrack
    Aug 8, 2022
    0
    Worst PB game yet. I played all of them.

    -Bad music. especially near Dex and Caja -Worst combat design, shooting blasters etc. got so bad. Mods can do it 1000 times better. -Worst enemy design. Even the Skyands are copy and paste. None of them are special or dangerous. -Incredibly useless perks, attributes. -Ammo Crafting is again more expensive than buying, just wtf. -Worst    Worst PB game yet. I played all of them.

    -Bad music. especially near Dex and Caja
    -Worst combat design, shooting blasters etc. got so bad. Mods can do it 1000 times better.
    -Worst enemy design. Even the Skyands are copy and paste. None of them are special or dangerous.
    -Incredibly useless perks, attributes.
    -Ammo Crafting is again more expensive than buying, just wtf.
    -Worst story-quest design, kill 1000 types of the same enemy.
    -Bad mobility, need more jetpack fuel, teleporters and movement speed.

    Without modding I would never have played it to the end and it was still extremly boring.    … Expand
  8. star1ord
    Mar 3, 2022
    10
    Simply awesome. Gothic style RPG like no other. I prefer plain fantasy but atmosphere is here
  9. chrisothen
    Mar 9, 2022
    9
    I really enjoy it so far. It's not a AAA title but it shows a lot of heart. That's why it's unfair how some "critics" judging it like a AAA game from a big studio. I you don't care a lot about graphics you should give this game a chance.
  10. zeneb21
    Mar 4, 2022
    9
    A game for Piranha Byte and for RPG fans who love deep systems and do not mind Euro Jank.
  11. Ratingss
    Apr 3, 2022
    3
    Same as the first game, as in even the same map and locations, a blatant rehash, but they managed to make it a worse game.
    The combat sucks and you can exploit it easily. Its a direct sequel with just a few years lapse but your character unlearned everything, lost all his gear and become a weak lvl 1 again, of course.
    Most quests are immortal npc escorting. The performance is abysmal,    Same as the first game, as in even the same map and locations, a blatant rehash, but they managed to make it a worse game.
    The combat sucks and you can exploit it easily. Its a direct sequel with just a few years lapse but your character unlearned everything, lost all his gear and become a weak lvl 1 again, of course.
    Most quests are immortal npc escorting.
    The performance is abysmal, the story boring and the world not interesting anymore.    … Expand
  12. Zizivision
    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
  13. Czechinator
    Oct 23, 2022
    2
    Exploring and combat is slightly better. Incredibly boring walls of text.Dialogues are cringe More is not better , if the dialogue sucks. I'm so bored with the quests .Elex is the worst series from PB. Please don't do a third episode!!
    After I finished playing it, I realized they wanted to make a third episode of this **** God, why?!
    Uninteresting factions, uninteresting characters.    Exploring and combat is slightly better. Incredibly boring walls of text.Dialogues are cringe More is not better , if the dialogue sucks. I'm so bored with the quests .Elex is the worst series from PB. Please don't do a third episode!!
    After I finished playing it, I realized they wanted to make a third episode of this **** God, why?!

    Uninteresting factions, uninteresting characters. The blending of medieval and magic into the modern world just doesn't fit here. (I love warhammer, they did it well there. Or horizon zero dawn.)

    Since risen 2, the quality of their games has only gone down.
    They can't use a good name from the gothic era indefinitely!    … Expand
  14. euu
    Mar 12, 2022
    4
    They had more than 4 years to work on this, a bigger budget and more support from the Publisher... and this is it? A game that reuses 70% of the assets from the previous one but manages to have even less content. Yes, there are more factions now, but they are mostly a variation of the first 3. Morkons are just Clerics without the cool technology stuff. Albs are just Clerics with autism.They had more than 4 years to work on this, a bigger budget and more support from the Publisher... and this is it? A game that reuses 70% of the assets from the previous one but manages to have even less content. Yes, there are more factions now, but they are mostly a variation of the first 3. Morkons are just Clerics without the cool technology stuff. Albs are just Clerics with autism. Berzerkers went from Viking hippies to just hippies and the Outlaws are just as useless as in the first game. Magic seems to also be useless, at least for the Berzerker faction, as most guns you will get will deal more damage by the time you advance well enough into the game to get magic. Also, there seems to be fewer weapons than in the first game, so no more cool stuff like the Flamethrower or Chainswords.

    Story and Dialog are also pretty bad. The storyline of the first Elex was not what pretentious game journalists would call the "Citizen Kane of Gaming" but I liked it. The premise of bringing together Traditionalists, Anarchists and the Religious to fight a Collectivist metahuman faction that seeks to transform and homogenize the entire planet is not something you see in most AAA games, where stories seem to be specifically made for Twitter feminists and redditors. In Elex 2 you'll be doing mostly the same thing, only without the few interesting bits of the Original. Also, Jax is so whiny and annoying and now he has a stupid kid and a nagging ex wife to deal with. I guess this is PB's idea of an emotional core. Also quest design is even worse than the first game. This is Gothic 3 level of fetch/kill quests, I think even modern MMOs have better design.

    On the gameplay side, it still sucks. A minor improvement for the Malee combat, but still bad even compared to other mediocre AA games like Greedfall. Ranged is still OP, like in most PB games, but the newly-includded flying enemies are the worst thing I've seen in a game latelly. Not only are they small and have smaller hitboxes, but they also move around so fast that you can barelly hit. They are more annoying than challenging.

    Lastly, performance is attrocious. I don't have a monster PC, but still the framerates are so low for a game that looks like it was made in 2010 on a low budget.

    Are there good things? Sure. The environment and world design still look great. Exploration is still fun and can be rewarding and the Jetpack upgrade system is pretty neat. But this is just not enough. I was a big Pyranha Bytes fanboy and even I can't recommend this. If you really need your Gohic fix you should tryChronicles of Myrtana: Archolos instead.    … Expand
  15. sweet
    Mar 25, 2022
    6
    The first Elex had rough edges but you could overlook them because it was an engaging game. You wanted to learn what happened to the world, you wanted to see where the story went. In Elex 2 those minor 'gamey' incoherencies turn into yawning chasms of nonsense. Nothing makes sense. Not the condition of the protagonist, not the way the NPCs behave towards you, not the changes to the world.The first Elex had rough edges but you could overlook them because it was an engaging game. You wanted to learn what happened to the world, you wanted to see where the story went. In Elex 2 those minor 'gamey' incoherencies turn into yawning chasms of nonsense. Nothing makes sense. Not the condition of the protagonist, not the way the NPCs behave towards you, not the changes to the world. Nothing. It's a huge mess.

    The second game exposes the developers for a lack of vision. The plot is cut and paste. The characters are a mockery of characters in prior games. Apart from some interesting quests the writing is generally lazy. I found myself not caring for anyone in the game or the story at all. Uncovering backstory through discovery of notes and logs, a key enjoyable aspect of exploration, is now irrelevant because of the way the world is written.

    The destruction system is meaningless, it creates artificial barriers in the game that make no sense. They can't seem to get their abstraction of this system right, and how it works with your companions and dialog choices. It's particularly annoying when companions don't react to dialog choices in a way you would expect from their personality.

    The triggering of cutscenes when approaching certain areas or NPCs is extremely annoying. Throwing you into quest dialogs unrequested is stealing away player agency. Exploring a building at night? BAM suddenly daytime and you're talking with someone trying to pull you into a quest. In the middle of a battle with a group of enemies? Wait! You must stop to have a chat with a guy wandering in to the middle of it. These cutscenes will drive you insane.

    It's not all bad. The start is much easier because of the smarter placement of enemies. The combat system is easier to get to grips with, although the game feels much less challenging now. The crafting system is far better because it gives much more value to loot and a more organic improvement to weapon upgrading. I like the changes to the skill system which make it much easier to understand. The personality skill branch still seems a poor investment though. There's still plenty of interesting places to explore. NPC variety is much better too.

    All the complaints about performance and weird graphics are valid. I had expected much better in that regard as Elex ran very well on old hardware and my current system should be running this game comfortably. At times frame rate drops to low 20s, which is absurd given I am well above minimum requirements.

    Elex 2 has left me feeling underwhelmed, but they have built the foundations for a much better game than this turned out to be. Hopefully their next game fixes the shortcomings and improves on the world building and writing.    … Expand
  16. Gysmo7777
    Mar 31, 2022
    0
    Sorry, but this is a big step back from the first elex. Mission Design after chapter one is like in an old bad mmorpg. Just like: go there and kill 30 of These.
    Story: is a joke. Its all copy paste from elex 1, but now there are new enemys. Improved combat only improves clunkyness.
    The only thing i really see as okay is the graphics, the faces are from 2000, but the Overall lighting    Sorry, but this is a big step back from the first elex. Mission Design after chapter one is like in an old bad mmorpg. Just like: go there and kill 30 of These.
    Story: is a joke. Its all copy paste from elex 1, but now there are new enemys. Improved combat only improves clunkyness.
    The only thing i really see as okay is the graphics, the faces are from 2000, but the Overall lighting looks great.
    I really love Piranha Bytes Games. But this is the worst until now. I don't understand, because they told with the New publisher there is more time and money to polish their games. But it just feels like pushed out without love.
    i finished the first Elex with every possible Faction. But i will never touch Elex 2 again.
    - Dissapointment    … Expand
  17. TheFrog
    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, 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 theThe 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.    … Expand
  18. Ryan76
    Mar 2, 2022
    4
    Optimization doesn't seem to exist in this game, soundtrack almost the same as in the first part (terrible disappointment). May THQ Nordic finally take care of them properly. Terrible technical disappointment, dialogues are also at a very weak level. Only exploration, which is wonderful, defends itself. I was terribly disappointed with the laziness of Piranha Bytes, technically it's theOptimization doesn't seem to exist in this game, soundtrack almost the same as in the first part (terrible disappointment). May THQ Nordic finally take care of them properly. Terrible technical disappointment, dialogues are also at a very weak level. Only exploration, which is wonderful, defends itself. I was terribly disappointed with the laziness of Piranha Bytes, technically it's the second Gothic 3.… Expand
  19. Erebus1986
    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 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    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 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.    … Expand
  20. Whitelandia
    Mar 10, 2022
    0
    The writing in this game is so bad it should be considered malpractice. In my forty years of gaming I don't recall anything as atrocious. The companions are shallow and cliche, female storyline NPC are all Nurse Ratched, male NPC are all Gny. Sgt. Hartman. Add to this basically non-stop hardcore profanity ... even from the protagonist ... and you have to just shake your head and wonderThe writing in this game is so bad it should be considered malpractice. In my forty years of gaming I don't recall anything as atrocious. The companions are shallow and cliche, female storyline NPC are all Nurse Ratched, male NPC are all Gny. Sgt. Hartman. Add to this basically non-stop hardcore profanity ... even from the protagonist ... and you have to just shake your head and wonder how it was ever approved for release. Every conversation is like two foul-mouthed fifteen year-olds smack-talking on the playground. The combat is lame, enemies are bullet sponges, the skill trees are uninspired. This game is a fail in every way.… Expand
  21. Draudang
    Mar 3, 2022
    10
    Great game. Improved in almost every single way over the first Elex. Everything feels smoother and more polished.
  22. IlyaHero
    Mar 23, 2022
    0
    Optimization is terrible. Piranha bytes are stuck in 1998. What a shame. Simply trash
  23. kozzy420
    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 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.
  24. koala_kid
    Mar 3, 2022
    9
    A real Piranha Bytes game with all its strengths and weaknesses!
    I absolutely love it! I'm really enjoying the rough dialogues and the improvements to Elex 1. It's really rare these days that you want to explore each spot of the map, but I'm already addicted and want to find everything the world has to offer - maybe I'll even find some 'Sumpfkraut' one day :)
    The only two things I have    A real Piranha Bytes game with all its strengths and weaknesses!
    I absolutely love it! I'm really enjoying the rough dialogues and the improvements to Elex 1. It's really rare these days that you want to explore each spot of the map, but I'm already addicted and want to find everything the world has to offer - maybe I'll even find some 'Sumpfkraut' one day :)
    The only two things I have to criticize is
    1. the camera, I hope they give us an option to change the field of view in the next patch.
    2. I liked the character faces more in Elex 1 than in Elex 2
    And now back to Magalan :)    … Expand
  25. Saggyfedd
    Mar 15, 2022
    10
    Finally, my new Gothic fix! :)

    Seriously tho, exploration with the new jetpack updates is addicting af, you can pretty much find useful stuff under every rock and in every corner. Strongly recommended to play without Guides for your first playthrough, so you get familiar with the combat (and of course the abuse of the stupid AI), and have a unique playthrough for yourself. I'm on my    Finally, my new Gothic fix! :)

    Seriously tho, exploration with the new jetpack updates is addicting af, you can pretty much find useful stuff under every rock and in every corner. Strongly recommended to play without Guides for your first playthrough, so you get familiar with the combat (and of course the abuse of the stupid AI), and have a unique playthrough for yourself. I'm on my second now and I already have lots of stuff I missed on my first playthrough, which makes me really excited to explore this world even more.
    As always, PB's games are behind in the technical aspect, mainly graphics and animations, by 5-7 years. So if you play games just to enjoy 16K GIGAHD graphics, that melt your PC, this game is probably not for you. But if you're all about that Immersive and rewarding gameplay experience, you should definitely give it a try, especially if you're a long term Gothic fan. :)    … Expand
  26. Sweigi
    Mar 14, 2022
    10
    I think you need to understand this game to enjoy it. If you do, you‘re gonna have a phenomenal time.

    You need time and you need to have the right kind of humor too. Remember always that this is a game that was made by a small developer in a family house somewhere in germany. You get exactly what blooms within this environment: a beautiful world of stories, great vistas, incredible design    I think you need to understand this game to enjoy it. If you do, you‘re gonna have a phenomenal time.

    You need time and you need to have the right kind of humor too. Remember always that this is a game that was made by a small developer in a family house somewhere in germany. You get exactly what blooms within this environment: a beautiful world of stories, great vistas, incredible design aswell as mysterious factions where you never know who‘s good and who‘s bad.

    If you give this game time and ignore what you have been teached by a million bland triple A games and just want to have a good time in a fantasy world: This game is better than its predecessor in every aspect. The jetpack is incredible, the sense of progression awesome and the world full of little stories waiting to be discovered.

    The game does have its kinks and you‘re gonna need good hardware to have a stutter-free experience. The animations suck and some cutscenes are downright cringey and the sounddesign is sometimes wierd. But the game is dope all in all. It just doesnt deserve the low ratings.    … Expand
  27. RakkarrTM
    Mar 19, 2022
    10
    If you‘re an old Gothic or Risen Fan it‘s surely a blast! The speakers, the background sounds are giving me nostalgic feels. It takes 2-3 hours to get in. But if you get the fighting and skilling system it gets better quickly. Sure their engine is outclassed in 2022, but the game looks way better than I expected. The characters are looking a bit 2010s or older, but Piranha bytes master anIf you‘re an old Gothic or Risen Fan it‘s surely a blast! The speakers, the background sounds are giving me nostalgic feels. It takes 2-3 hours to get in. But if you get the fighting and skilling system it gets better quickly. Sure their engine is outclassed in 2022, but the game looks way better than I expected. The characters are looking a bit 2010s or older, but Piranha bytes master an immerse feel of music, details, sounddesign and subtile humor. I‘ll rather support a smaller studio who loves their games than another EA Title.

    The fighting system makes it possible to win against way stronger monsters or humanoids. Just fight them one by one or bring company. You can roam around freely, but stronger monsters are just around the corner :)    … Expand
  28. Brannag
    Mar 4, 2022
    9
    ELEX II is surely not for everyone. But if you don't top-notch graphics and can enjoy a game, where you have to dig in a bit before it get's great, have a look at it. Some say combat is "clunky" or whatever, but you'll get used to it quickly. If you like games like Gothic, Risen or even the Fallout-Series, ELEX II might be a game for you.
  29. HeyJoe-PCRPGHUN
    Apr 4, 2022
    10
    Nice improvements, ELEX 2 feels really great & we have got Billy Idol on Magalan, ♥♥♥ yeah! :D

    ..After 18 hrs of playing ELEX 2, I definitely recommend to anyone, who enjoyed the 1st part of ELEX! I also further enhanced the graphics for my taste with some config. file tweak, easily done, just like in the previous titles by PB. NOTE: ...After 92 hours playing time: Yep, this 2nd    Nice improvements, ELEX 2 feels really great & we have got Billy Idol on Magalan, ♥♥♥ yeah! :D

    ..After 18 hrs of playing ELEX 2, I definitely recommend to anyone, who enjoyed the 1st part of ELEX!

    I also further enhanced the graphics for my taste with some config. file tweak, easily done, just like in the previous titles by PB.

    NOTE: ...After 92 hours playing time: Yep, this 2nd part is definitely a great instalment of this title, the world & the story is even more engaging than in the 1st part of ELEX, well done Piranha Bytes!!! :-)))
    I'm in Chapter 3 now anyway, so I just still doing my 1st playthrough, yep! :D    … Expand
  30. derek_
    Jul 9, 2022
    8
    I think this game does not deserve such hate it gets. Yes it has flaws, but in the end, can be quite fun. What I see as problem is that first quarter of the game is by far worst part. Beginning, running with your child, Berserker quests in Fort.. that all felt like a chore. But as game go on, dialogues and quests gets much better, some are even really funny. Story is really good, enjoyedI think this game does not deserve such hate it gets. Yes it has flaws, but in the end, can be quite fun. What I see as problem is that first quarter of the game is by far worst part. Beginning, running with your child, Berserker quests in Fort.. that all felt like a chore. But as game go on, dialogues and quests gets much better, some are even really funny. Story is really good, enjoyed that part as well. Combat is not perfect, but with ranged weapons its ok. Just shotgun your way uphill :D What I really hated most is part near end, where developers force you to kill about 400-500!!! enemies (no exaggeration, really, raw numbers). For example In one main story quest you have to take down about 200 - 250 robots. That's such cheap way how to make game look longer. I was so bored and annoyed. All in all, go for it if you like Gothic type games.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. 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]
  2. RPG Site
    May 31, 2022
    60
    Elex II is a disappointing game that fails to build on the potential of the original. While at some moments it manages to capture some of the same strengths, it feels like a poorly implemented retread in several ways. Slight improvements to combat don't make up for a less interesting story, worse characters, weak quest design, and a stark lack of polish.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    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.
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