''ELEX 2'' is a 2022

action role-playing An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat wh ...

video game developed by

Piranha Bytes Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German video game developer based in Essen. It was best known for their ''Gothic (series), Gothic'' and ''Risen (series), Risen'' series of role-playing video games. Piranha Bytes was founded in Bochum in 1997 and bou ...

and published by

THQ Nordic THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were r ...

. It is the sequel to '' ELEX'', and players control the same protagonist, Jax. They must unite the world against a new threat: invading aliens. It was Piranha Byte's last game prior to their closure.

Gameplay

Players control Jax, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic,

science fantasy file:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg, Cosplay of a character from the ''Warhammer 40,000'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy." Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction ...

setting. ''Elex 2'' is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. There are six factions that players can align with, each representing a different philosophy. The substance elex, which comes from outer space, gives people powers equivalent to magic, and various factions prefer either magic or technology. Combat uses a system in which actions, such as attacking or defending, drain Jax's stamina. Without enough stamina, Jax can not attack or defend. Jax is equipped with a jetpack, which players can use to explore the

open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...

. Gaining levels allows Jax to increase his attributes, which allow him to use better equipment. The antagonists are techno-organic aliens, which Jax must unite the various factions against.

Development

used their proprietary Genome Engine.

released ''ELEX 2'' for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Windows on March 1, 2022.

Reception

''ELEX 2'' received mixed reviews on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' said it is "clunky and janky, but compelling". Comparing it to the '' Gothic'' and '' Risen'' series, they said that Piranha Bytes was still making games with the same issues. They found this forgivable but disliked how unappealing and mean-spirited they found all the characters, including the protagonist. ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' said ''Elex 2'' seems stuck in the mid-2000s and ignores all innovations made since ''

Gothic 3 ''Gothic 3'' is a fantasy-themed open world action role-playing game for Microsoft Windows developed by Piranha Bytes. It is the sequel to '' Gothic II''. A ''Collector's Edition'' was released containing bonus collectible material. JoWooD rele ...

''. They also criticized some of the dialogue as sounding like "a schlocky B-movie" and said the combat is "clunky, imprecise, and annoying". ''RPGSite'' called it "a poorly implemented retread" and said they could not recommend ''ELEX 2'' to anyone but "the most ardent die-hard fans of ''ELEX''". ''RPGFan'' wrote, "''Elex II'' can be entertaining in all the wrong ways, but as a sequel, it's just more of the same." ''ELEX 2'' was among the top three best-selling games that were released in 2022 at GOG.com.

References

External links

* {{Piranha Bytes 2022 video games Video games developed in Germany Windows games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games THQ Nordic games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games Single-player video games Action role-playing video games Open-world video games Science fantasy role-playing video games Post-apocalyptic video games Video game sequels Piranha Bytes games MacOS games