ELEX
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Critic Reviews for ELEX
Inventive in some ways and stagnant in others, Elex will appeal to die-hard RPG fans and few others.
The best-case scenario for ELEX is that it'll be worth picking up on sale a year or two from now after it's been heavily patched to fix its rampant bugs and infuriating balance problems. It has enough good ideas that one day it might be talked about as one of those hidden RPG gems that people play and wonder why it wasn't successful at launch. But the frothy mix of joy and frustration that ELEX presents today skews too heavily toward the latter. I wish it well, but I don't think I'll be calling it up for a second date.
Hokey, uneven and janky, Elex is nonetheless a compelling throwback to a time before open worlds became choose your own to-do lists.
Elex is an open-world RPG that aims big, but only manages to shoot itself in the foot.
The world of Magalan is intriguing with its blend of technology and magic, but it's unfortunate that the game tucked inside of it is only fun to play half of the time.
All in all, though, the game remains an impressive, if flawed, effort. Toting an interesting setting and some standout design choices, ELEX goes farther than any previous Piranha Bytes game in making the case for sticking with it in pursuit of a certain old-school ideal of RPG gaming, even if it can come at a cost in polish and presentation.
ELEX is the very opposite of the accessible games that have revolutionised the open world RPG in recent years. I enjoyed it as a modern looking take on the Gothic series, but newcomers will have to be prepared to fight against the systems through the beginning of the game. This has resulted in the game quickly gaining a cult following who celebrate its obscurity and lack of accessibility. I don't agree with this take and would argue that the best aspects of the game would only be improved by a more polished and refined presentation.
ELEX is a game with great ideas and a huge open world. However, thanks to its terrible combat system and the graphics of a game from 2007, this game is just for the most hardcore fans of the open worlds and the exploration.
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