ELEX II Reviews
An ambitious sequel with a beautiful content-packed open-world, complex factions, and interesting choices to role-play your way.
ELEX II is a fringe RPG that marches to its own beat but definitely caters to fans of the series and its style of gameplay. It's the type of game that if you get it, you get it, and if you don't, it'll take a lot of effort and energy to force yourself to. It's very difficult to recommend this game to anyone new to the series who's used to the mainstream style of open-world games, which will certainly require a huge paradigm shift.
There are lots of problems, and yet Elex II will hold your attention with a tight grip, even after 60 hours of playtime. All thanks to the crazy setting, worldbuilding, and exploration gameplay.
Review in Russian | Read full review
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.
Even that's ultimately part of the charm of Elex II though, because it was a game made by RPG enthusiasts for RPG enthusiasts, and min-maxing is, ultimately, a big part of this community. Though the game comes across as an impenetrable club members-only experience at times, the creativity and energy behind it is impossible to deny. Frankly, I would rather play something like this, bugs and all, than something overproduced and so safe that it puts me to sleep.
While there's plenty to applaud in ELEX II's freeform open-world approach, it comes at something of a cost. Technical issues, inconsistent dialogue quality, and some wonky combat do much to muddy the good that can be found in Piranha Bytes expansive RPG.
ELEX II is as vast, free and engaging as it is crude and flawed. Over-the-top elements clash with a lame technical side and a flawed enemy AI, in a continuous roller coaster of conflicting emotions. It may involve you deeply as well as you may come to hate it for its many imperfections and the punishing difficulty, but however it goes you won't fail to realize this is a game made with heart.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall ELEX II is a decent experience and it fixes some of the issues that I had with the original. While not perfect, the sequel does have an easier level of entry and the return to Magalan was an enjoyable one.
Elex 2 has provided a good experience with different categories of peoples and their diverse and overlapping disciplines and tasks, but the surface fighting system and technical problems have made it difficult to move to the category of games that are recommended not to be missed.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Come for the jetpack, and stay for flawed but truly free form classic style of RPG Elex 2 represents.
Elex 2 does not give a good initial experience due to technical issues. But if you stick with it and grind out its systems, you’ll be rewarded with a great time. The game may have received a 6/10, but if I were to review it based on just how many times I’ve laughed at something, it’s a solid 9/10.
A great improvement over the previous game with a vast open-world and better gameplay, but it still comes with a steep learning curve.
ELEX II is a massive improvement over its predecessor, though its dated graphics and awkward combat can drive players away before they get a chance to truly explore the vast world of Magalan.
Elex 2 is another example of Piranha Bytes sticking to their guns and making an open-world RPG designed specifically for their core audience. Fans of the studio's previous work will have a field day with this one but everyone else might find it hard to get past the jankiness and technical issues.
Elex II can be entertaining in all the wrong ways, but as a sequel, it's just more of the same.
Most evident in its clunky, annoying combat system, Elex 2 is living in a janky Euro RPG past that its closest peers have nearly all transcended by now.
I have had a harder time deciding on a review rating for Elex 2 than I have had for any game I have reviewed so far. It had probably the poorest start to a game I’ve seen in a while, but if you can get past it, I think RPG fans will really enjoy what’s there. But truth be told, I don’t know how much it will convince anyone who isn’t a fan of the genre. I am disappointed that this game is coming out in such a crowded time because I think it deserves some of the attention that is going elsewhere right now. Hopefully people to whom the game will appeal don’t miss out, and I really hope that THQ Nordic authorizes another sequel because I can tell you that I would love to dive back in Jax’s shoes.
The usual strengths of Piranha Bytes games are downed by archaic mechanics.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Elex 2 looks exactly like the first, with a campaign almost identical to its predecessor, with very few innovations introduced, but still presenting some improvements in the graphic, technical and stylistic side. It is certainly a game suitable for an audience accustomed to open world with sci-fantasy settings, but which, like its predecessor, will probably not be able to reach a large portion of the public.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Elex 2 is basically a typical Piranha Bytes game with everything that comes with it. The good and the bad. And while it's probably technically inferior to the first one, it's much better in storytelling, content, mechanics, and world-building. It has all the things that were missing from the first game. It's fun, it draws you into its magical world, and it won't let you go until dozens of hours later if you give it a chance. But that can be problematic, as the game's technical state, weird 3D models, animations, and crappy optimization can effectively put you off in the first hour of play. Ultimately, it's just fun. But at what cost?
Review in Czech | Read full review