Magalan is an unforgiving world. But I have my fair share of help in Elex II. Only time will tell if it will be enough.
Elex II, like many PiranhaBytes games, exists on a massive scale. The game has a scale (maps, characters, missions, etc.) that few RPGs dare to attempt. I feel that it does extremely well when it comes to story depth and the sheer size of the game world. And for every RPG that provides linear interactions, there’s an Elex II that drives one to bite their nails while weighing important decisions.
In the previous title, Jax was a powerful member of the Alb faction. As the story begins for Elex II, however, the man experiences both a literal and existential fall from grace. He is stripped of what made him one of the most feared people on the planet.
The game makes this apparent the moment the player begins the game. Players are not given a choice of whether or not to play Jax. The whole story is told from his perspective. But that’s not such a bad thing. It allows players to build up their version of the character from the previous installment.
When I started the game, I was a little worried the story might be lost on me. Thankfully, as I played through the first part of the game, I was given numerous flashbacks as I encountered characters or entered new areas. Previously, Jax, the main character, had defeated an enemy known as The Hybrid.
A new threat from off-world now threatens every faction on the planet of Magalan. And Jax may be the only one powerful enough to stop it. To do so, he must gather forces that would draw their weapons at the sight of each other. But he’ll be lucky if a single faction pledges their forces to his cause. Will fragile alliances be enough to stop the monsters fueled by Dark Elex?
My last foray into a PiranhaBytes game was the first Risen game. Having played through the Gothic Trilogy, I felt at home with the battle controls. While it was easy to get the hang of combat, it still felt a bit clunky.
Despite the ability to lock onto a target, I had to constantly spin the camera so that I could see what Jax did. It was a bit of a nuisance, but there are certain situations where not facing the enemy was a blessing; getting chased by raptors in Elex II is a good example.
To build up Jax’s abilities, I had to follow a great deal of quests. Because he feels so weak at the beginning, I feel it’s best to take every quest that any character offers. This slowly increased my chances of survival. Denying someone’s request to do a task, I’d recommend only when finally deciding which faction you want to join.
The biggest features were the skill trees and jet-packs. Firstly, the skills are something a player should spend a fair amount of time on. When I first played, I didn’t think about what skills would work best for my playthrough.
But when I focused a little more, I realized how many different combinations of skills there were. I decided to build Jax up as an agile Ranged warrior. Certain skills were locked away unless I upgraded specific attributes. Some of which would cost 2 AP instead of just one. This is likely because certain attributes were not the main focus of my build.
For skills, I focused most of Jax’s skill points on Ranged (bows, shotguns) skills. Every skill that aids in Jax’s adventure is fueled by Elexit, something that isn’t always abundant in a given region. So, I had to be sure to keep at least 300 on me at all times.
Secondly, there was the jetpack. Having a jetpack was a great way to fight against the enemy. Because from the beginning, certain things will remind the player how weak Jax has become. And this jetpack will be your best friend from the beginning. Despite being basic when first acquired, it did a lot to help me dodge enemy attacks.
But if I made the mistake of jet-sprinting in the wrong direction, I’d drop to my death like a stone. I couldn’t stop laughing every time it happened. Yeah, flying was cool. But it sure was a trainwreck when I ‘landed’ wrong. It doesn’t take a whole lot of resources to upgrade each part of the jetpack. It will, however, take a long time to find those resources. If you’re not one to wait, though, you can go around mugging people for their things.
As I upgraded the jetpack, I was able to execute slashes with my sword that were impossible otherwise. I could throw myself at an enemy, and Jax would execute a corkscrew slash when I closed the distance to attack. And if I needed to escape an enemy, I could fly hundreds of meters from their location. It was a wonderful way to use it, especially when I ended up surrounded by enemies.
Another interesting aspect was the ability to upgrade weapons. This, of course, was a skill that needed to be acquired. But it allowed me to upgrade weapons I found on my travels or took from enemies. It also allowed me.
Combat against enemies in Elex II was easy enough. Pressing down on the R3, I was able to lock onto the enemy. This helped a lot in battle because wielding a sword at the beginning felt very clunky. But this was likely something to signify the character’s huge dip in powers and martial skills. It’s also important to note how few skill points and attributes you’ll have to distribute.
Decide early on what kind of fighter you want to be. Are you more of a ranged fighter? Or do you prefer someone with more of a melee style? Being able to increase the worth of weapons you loot or find is also something to keep in mind.
To say that the world of Magalan was massive would be an understatement. I’ve played games from PiranhaBytes before, but their previous worlds didn’t feel this expansive. Fast traveling is part of the game, but Elex II makes players work for that luxury. Until one has discovered the pedestals that dot the terrain of Magalan, you’ll be hoofing it to most quest destinations.
Another interesting aspect was the lack of loading screens in Elex II. No matter where I went, I was never met with a loading screen. This feature was nice, as it allowed me to appreciate the environments I was traveling through.
Some locations left me scratching my head, though. On some cliffs, I was able to grab the ledge and climb up afterward. In other locations, I could get near the edge to grab anything. There was nothing to indicate a ‘ceiling’ for how high I was allowed to go. So, I’m not exactly sure what happened there.
Joining a faction in Elex II wasn’t as difficult a decision as I thought it might be. Each had its respective advantages. However, choosing which faction to choose may sway the opinions of others. As you acquire party members during your journey, familiarize yourself with their personalities. Their presence, or lack thereof, might provide its advantages.
Some factions won’t even let you trade unless you are a part of them. This guarantees that certain skills, weapons, and armor are unattainable up to a certain point. Some might find it a bit annoying, but I like that Elex II forced me to adapt to what I could access.
As much fun as I had, I experienced some extremely frustrating glitches. The first thing I must note is what I experienced in the video above. While exploring certain regions in Elex II, I experienced some extremely odd visual glitches.
One of the biggest ones I feel the need to address is what’s seen above. Choosing to dash with my jetpack seemed to open a hole I didn’t see, sending Jax on his way to oblivion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time it happened. And it was hard getting back into the groove after it ended.
In one instance, two characters involved in a quest ended up in a permanent staring contest. After a certain stage in a quest line I was following, the characters conducted a conversation, and I teleported away. When I came back and tried to speak to either individual, I was told they were busy speaking to someone. It didn’t make sense, as it appeared I had completed all the quests they were involved in.
The last and probably biggest problem I had involved the fast travel system. It was amazing when it worked. Thanks to fast travel, I did short work on an entire questline. But at least three times in the same hour, the game simply stopped, and I was returned to my console’s dashboard. As I did not receive an error code, I have no way to note what process caused the issue.
Graphically, the game wasn’t at the same level as other recent releases. But it still possessed a sort of beauty. The expansive world was certainly something to behold. It’s always cool to see what worlds lie in the recesses of one’s imagination. And the dynamic lighting was great. It allowed my mind to perceive the passage of time in the game world.
Soundwise, the music was interesting. Ambient music, while adventuring without incident, was pleasant. It was very reminiscent of music from adventure shows in the 90s. Each monster type also had its unique sound. Once I was familiar with most of their calls or shrieks, it allowed me to anticipate what I was about to fight.
Major glitches aside (visual clipping, fast travel ending the game, quests glitches). I still enjoyed the good aspects of the game (deep story, relatable characters, huge skill trees, no loading screens). It had the type of story that PiranhaBytes is known for—one with lengthy main quests and dozens upon dozens of side quests. And I’ve been a fan since I first played Gothic. It’s worth a try for hardcore fans of the genre.
