Choice, both during dialogue and combat, is an important consideration. There’s still a great selection of weapons - medieval-style blades and bows, modern firearms, and more sci-fi energy blades or rifles - but it takes experience and several trips to skill trainers before you’ll feel capable of tackling anything bigger than an oversized mutated rat. Your attributes still limit what armour and weapons you can wield at any given time (oh, and some dialogue options), making it a slow and steady battle to become a capable fighter. ![]() Magalan is illogically vertical and environmentally diverse, and you'll always find unique weapons and armour, high-tier crafting resources, and documents from the old world tucked away off the beaten path or in high places.Ĭombat remains… acceptable. The region of Magalan you explore in ELEX II - set to the east of the original game, with a little overlap - feels more open with less improbable terrain barriers. Traversal remains a joy thanks to the jetpack you receive almost immediately (and the improved animations and visuals). It’s great for exploration but also useful for getting away from dangerous situations quickly. The jetpack - although limited until you’ve invested in a few upgrades - remains an integral part of the ELEX experience. You traverse dangerous regions, sticking to the main paths at first take on quests at faction settlements in the hope of recruiting them to your cause unlock several companions as you go (both new and old) take the odd risky excursion into ruins for gear and crafting resources and slowly become powerful enough to forge your own path through the world. When it comes to the core gameplay loop, ELEX II tweaks the formula but those who’ve played Pirahna Bytes’ prior games will find it more of the same. Personally, I'd recommend playing the first game - or at least watching a decent summary - but there are frequent flashback scenes that make the sequel approachable for new players. You’re given an overarching quest to gather allies but are free to roam the world unguided. You discover a home base that’ll be used in the offensive against the aliens and let off the leash. There’s a cohesive opening quest-chain that introduces returning characters, Jax’s son, his dysfunctional family life, and it teaches you some gameplay basics (all with less chance of being murdered by a dog-sized mutant chicken). ![]() The premise is conventional sci-fi save-the-world fare (again) but that does make it easier to bring in new players.Īs someone who enjoyed the first game despite its flaws, I was happy to find the opening hours are far more structured and forgiving. Unfortunately for the human survivors, the start of an alien invasion kicks off events in earnest. The ominous celestial body orbiting Magalan is increasingly ignored in light of conflicts closer to home. The factions - including a new one - have fallen back into their old ways, fighting for territory and ideology. Jax has become a recluse after spending years trying and failing to convince factions to prepare for an impending alien threat. There are gameplay and visual refinements, and the narrative is designed to bring new players on board and get them up to speed quickly, but it’s clearly been developed on a budget so as not to require massive sales to be profitable.Īfter a brief recap that reintroduces the hybrid sci-fi/fantasy setting of Malagan and the war against the Albs, ELEX II picks up several years later. ![]() This is, first and foremost, a sequel for fans of the first game or those that have enjoyed other Piranha Bytes’ RPGs. Playing through the opening hours of ELEX II reminded me a lot of Darksiders III.
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