ELEX Reviews
There's a great game hidden somewhere in ELEX, but there are just too many technical missteps and niggling bugs to give a wholehearted blanket recommendation to all RPG fans.
There's a lot of fun to be had in ELEX at higher levels, but the game opens far too slowly and spreads itself out too thin to make any sort of impact. It's a game that begs to be smaller in scope, and richer in depth. And while its animations and visuals are mostly uninspiring, there are some real moments of beauty that are found in its caves and crevasses if you choose to explore the land of Edan.
With great quests and an even better game world, Elex is the best Piranha bytes game since Gothic 2, but inherits its deficits.
Review in German | Read full review
It feels like a nice refreshing counterpart to some modern rpgs that treat their quest lists more like chores, but as a complete package, it falls disappointingly short.
ELEX is a game that suffers from its lofty ambition. It aims for admittedly high goals that are worth aspiring to, but it seemed to have forgotten some key things along the way. The sheer expanse of the world, rich backstory, and a mind-boggling amount of things to see/do in the game are fantastic, but the game suffers from technical issues, absurdly challenging gameplay at times, and a buffet scenario where you just have too much to choose from. The technical issues alone can be frustrating, but when you combine those with incessant deaths at the hands of minor enemies the game starts to really drive the point home that you should play on easy. Be warned though: you'll still face a hard time.
You simply have to try Elex for yourself, but be ready for some stiff animations, framerate drops, mediocre graphics and clunky combat. However if you are familiar with Piranha Bytes games, you'll be fine.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Elex is not an accessible game and doesn’t make a great first impression but it deserves more than one chance. Fans of Piranha Games should prepare themselves for more of what they love (but they must accept a strange fantasy & sci-fi mix). The final grade could have been higher if it weren't for too many technical issues.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Elex is an unfortunate case of an intriguing world ruined by most of game which the world is tied to. With average gameplay, horrid combat, bad voice acting, bad sound design and a myriad of technical issues, Elex does little to encourage players to invest time in its vast landscapes, deep RPG mechanics and interesting ideas.
Piranha Bytes has created a legitimately interesting world to explore filled with choices and consequences, though it's technical limitations and budget nature are a hard sell for any gamer who isn't a fan of the Gothic and/or Risen games.
A vast and rich world with a too-thin story and enough bugs to ruin any immersion.
Elex is an unfortunate case where it appears to be too ambitious for its own good.
With Elex Piranha Bytes bited more than he could chew, unfortunately: the games is huge, and we're sure a great effort went into the storytelling and world building, but the combat system is just too clunky and the difficulty curve is off, too much to recommend it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
ELEX has ambition it lacks focus and refinement to become something more than it is. Technical fumbles, bad writing and robotic animations all bring the game down from any possible greatness, and what's left can only be called mediocre.
All in all, if you’re a fan of open world exploration and complex combat, ELEX may be the game for you, though I would add the caveat that you may want to see how things improve over the coming months. There’s already a plan for a Day 1 patch that may take care of some of the game’s most glaring issues.
I still consider Elex one of the best CRPGs of this decade
Overall, Elex had a lot of promise, but it's amalgamation of settings and mechanics do nothing positive for the game. With an utter nonsense mix of weapons, enemies, and settings, Elex might have been a decent game...for 2007. Unfortunately, it seems like Piranha Bytes still hasn't learned from their various mistakes with Risen 3. As it is now, there's simply no reason to try it unless you're a diehard Piranha Bytes fan.
Elex is not a bad game. Even with all of its issues there is still a vast and beautiful world to explore and a handful of interesting quests to do. Also the way that RPG elements have been added to the game is adorable. But to face the truth there are several other RPGs out in the market which are better than Elex in any way possible. though if you are a fan of Piranha Bytes Games you should definitely try this one as well.
Review in Persian | Read full review
ELEX is a broken, messy game that might have some interesting ideas deep down but they won't save it. Honestly you are better of avoiding or waiting for the developers to maybe save this title.
There is a fantastic RPG at the core of Elex with some excellent world and quest design, remarkably diverse factions and environments awaiting those who can get past its slow start, clumsy combat and overall lack of fine polish.