ELEX

Когда я попал на земли Магалана, я подумал: – «Это мир свободы. Я могу быть кем угодно». И я был. Бомжом. Грушей для избиения местными ящерами. Перекусом для крыс. Так началось моё великое путешествие. Пафосная героическая сказка: герой без памяти; фракции, которые смотрят на тебя так будто ты пришёл к ним домой жрать из холодильника; монстры, которые сразу же объясняют, что баланс – это когда тебя убивают за два удара. Но чаще за один. Я шёл вперёд. Я падал с обрывов. Я снова шёл вперёд. Иногда – падал с тех же самых чёртовых обрывов. Но Магалан – место поучительное. Здесь страдания закаляют дух. А ещё учат сохраняться каждые двадцать метров, потому что разработчики явно тебя ненавидят. Я знакомился с людьми. Одни хотели меня убить. Не все. Были те, кто хотел сначала поговорить. А потом всё равно убить. И те, кто давал квест. А затем пытались убить. Да, в этом мире нет лёгких путей. Есть только длинные. Очень длинные, особенно пешком. И «ты точно уверен, что хочешь сюда лезть на пятом уровне, идиот?» Я видел берсерков, которые выращивают магию на деревьях, как картошку. Я видел клириков, для которых магия – это лазеры и тяжёлый металл. Я видел изгоев, которые доказали, что постапокалипсис – это просто повод торговать мед.веществами и гранатами в одном киоске. Я видел себя. Я сомневался. Испытывал эмоции. Пытался быть… человеком. Слушал истории. Помогал людям. Выбирал «добрые» реплики в диалогах. Как последний наивный дурак. Но мир терпеливо, методично и с особым садизмом объяснял одну простую вещь: каждый квест – моральная дилемма, каждая дилемма – минус к холодности, а минус к холодности – это шаг назад. Эмоции – это баг. Сомнения – лишняя механика. Человечность – плохо прокачанная ветка. Постепенно, шаг за шагом, диалог за диалогом, я выкидывал из себя всё лишнее: сострадание, сомнения, дружбу, раздражение, что персонаж цепляется за каждую грёбаную ступеньку. Я стал тем, кем должен был стать. Холодным. Рациональным. Оптимизированным. Теперь, спустя сотню часов блуждания по этому прекрасному и откровенно кривому миру, я стою на краю судьбы Магалана. Передо мной – война. Передо мной – враг. Передо мной – финал. И в этот момент я понимаю: я больше не человек, я – ксакорская тварь. Нет эмоций. Нет сомнений. Есть путь – истинная цель. Всех нивелировать. Одни – лишь статистическая погрешность, другие – корм.

This game rather makes you level up trough questing more than from progression. In overworld pretty much 90% of the time you will come across the enemies that are much higher lvl than you and 1-2 tap you without much rhyme or reason even for gothic standards. The map is too big for its own good and there is not much to explore either. This game has surprising ammount of dead ends with some extra powerful enemy but it only rewards you with a 1 healing or mana potion and some scrap, not even any good ammount of money. Game is very stingy with the weapons you can find and if you find something good it will require you to stat dump for up to 30 levels to even use the damn thing. Despite that even if you find some early-mid tier weapon you can just stunlock almost every enemy and even if you deal no damage at first, just keep spamming attack and for some reason you will deal more and more damage with each uninterrupted hit so you can cheese a lot in a mindless way. Armor and Weapon progression feels very bad overall and requirements are too steep. If you are interested in playing this game then do so only for questing experience as it's pretty much the best part of the game.

Elex is an admittedly janky game that does more than enough world building to provide a solid roleplaying experience in a fairly large and engaging open world. To be totally clear, it's not anything like a polished product. Among the not insubstantial number of elements that deserve criticism, the voice acting in particular comes off amateurish, and the combat is not at all fluid until you acquire basic skills and items at least 5-10 hours after the start (even then, let's be honest, it's still rough around the edges). Another aspect to highlight that is somewhat jarring early on is that the game world is not neatly arranged zone wise from easy to hard or early to late game - in other words, just beyond the present immediate area you may find yourself, you might discover several mobs that are impossible for your character to currently handle. This is not at all totally random, however, and the post-apocaplytic setting has main towns and roads that you should stick to at the start to avoid overwhelming enemies. There are also, even now in 2025, more than a few (minor) bugs, although I haven't come across anything gamebreaking. Regardless, I found that for all its faults, there are corresponding strengths and creature comforts that keep the title enjoyable - there's no player inventory weight limit, no enemy scaling, plenty of teleport stations that are always accessible from the map after being discovered, lots of detailed locations to discover rewarding exploration with bits or sometimes heaps of loot (yes, much of it is generic "junk" with no purpose other than vending), a faction system that impacts both your character build and questing that's not too restrictive while still allowing important allegiances, and player progression feels rewarding, especially in the face of the initial weakness of your character at the beginning of the story. You have to work to find ways to improve and progress in the world of Magalan, but on balance, the effort is enjoyable and feels worthwhile. The cherry on top for me is the central plot, which feels like more than the sum of its parts, and has become engrossing as I've gotten familiar with the game of Elex as a whole. The game successfully expands upon its world and your place in it, as well as mostly providing impressions of agency and consequence for the player in a meaningful and intelligible way as you make decisions working your way through the story, as one would usually hope from a true CRPG. I recommend it for anyone looking for an action oriented fantasy and sci-fi roleplaying title who is willing to overlook more than a handful of flaws for the bigger picture. I've also played this title a bit on the Steam Deck and it plays well on the device out of the box.

It is a crime against humanity to keep this wonderful gem at mixed reviews. Despite the fact that Elex excedes many of the aspects Piranha Bytes is known to excel at, it was unjustly bashed by casual gamers who are incapable of understanding core gameplay mechanics. I have finished the game in its entirety on Ultra difficulty using nothing but melee weapons without the help of companions at any point. Therefore, I will absolutely derail each and every single one of these unjustified arguments against its melee combat. But first, I will elaborate on the core gameplay loop and the general world design. [h1]Story and Exploration[/h1] The story revolves around a post apocalyptic dystopia with a unique twist where a powerful resource named Elex has divided the humanity into multiple factions, each with their own rules, philosophies and agendas. The politics are never simply black and white as they have a number of nuances and it is genuinely intriguing trying to fit in as an outsider. Despite its gloominess, the world is extremely colorful, lively and eventful. Biomes all make perfect sense and blend into each other effortlessly. Every single tree, structure and even item was meticulously hand placed by the developers in a way that it's sensible and believable. Exploring, looting and surviving this harsh and hostile world never ceases to be fun and is hardly matched by any other game. [h1]Gameplay Design[/h1] In its own staple Piranha Bytes fashion, the beginning of the game is extremely ruthless and is not meant to be brute forced through. You will start off extremely weak and you will lack capabilities to kill anything but the few of the weakest types of enemies in your surroundings. For the first dozen hours, you are expected to get intimate with the world, get to know each of the factions, understand their ideas and provide assistance. You will spend this time talking to NPCs, doing them favors and deciding which faction appeals to you the most. This will carry you through the "early game" until you decide to join one of them, and this will give you your first power spike where you will for the first time feel competent to engage in more meaningful combat and exploration. Understand that you are expected to run away from danger and survive. If you are really struggling, use a companion. They can outright trivialize early to mid game. [h1]The Combat[/h1] [u]Things not to do[/u] - do not spam clicks (The game features a timed combo system where you are expected to learn the flaw of your attacks and click exactly as the hit lands. This allows you to keep enemies staggered with constant offense and finish your combos.) - do not use lock-on (The lock-on system in this game disallows running and fast movement, which is a crucial part of combat encounters. Get used to manually manoeuvring around the enemies and attacking them when they are vulnerable) - do not stay on the ground without stamina (the moment you run out of stamina, the only safe place for you to be is the air. Use your jetpack and hover until your stamina bar refills) - Do not fight multiple enemies at once unless you are more powerful than them. (It is usually a bad idea to do so, but later on in the game you are forced to fight in this manner almost constantly. Here, you want to swing hard with heavy hits from a longer distance. Do this once or twice, dodge away, fly up and re-engage.) [u]Things to do[/u] - Observe the enemy behavior and patterns (Each enemy type has its own unique set of tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. You need to be aware of them and exploit them accordingly.) - Keep jogging in circles and keep your distance (Most enemies like to charge at you from a long distance. Each and every single one of these charge attacks can be avoided by simply moving sideways. This is why you don't want to use the lock-on system because it will disable this mechanic. As the enemy misses the charge, it will try to run away. Chase them and start your combo from behind their backs.) - Block up close (when enemies are at point blank range, they will attack extremely quickly. As long as you have stamina it will always be safe to block these fast attacks, even without a shield. If you are good enough, you can dodge them instead.) - Mind the hyper-armour (Now, this is probably the most intricate one. Certain enemies can occasionally disregard your attacks and trade you hit for hit, which messes up your combo and your flow. When this happens you MUST disengage. It is not random, however. Most massive enemies like Ogres have these types of attacks, but are extremely slow and it allows you to cancel your attacks and dodge away immediately. Arachnids are another one, but it is safe to keep attacking them with heavy attacks which keeps them perma-staggered. Ironically, the only unfair enemy in the game is the ostrich type which is normally very weak but has random hyper armour and can rarely be combo-ed fully because of it. I am almost 100% sure this is a bug rather than a feature.) The only absolute BS gameplay mechanic in the entire game is the Flamethrower and Granade launcher which certain elite humanoid enemies wield. These can knock you down from infinite range and disrupt you constantly, making it impossible to play. You have to run into these enemies instantly and make them switch their weapon to melee. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] I know this seems like a long one but I couldn't just sit there and ignore the fact that this last ditch mastery effort by this passionate company get trashed by incompetent "modern" gamers who are used to having success and gratification be fed to them with a silver spoon. If you are having serious problems with the combat, understand that it is you, and not the game. A skill issue, if you will...

[h3] Обзор игры: стоит ли тратить на неё время? [/h3] Привет! Давайте по‑честному: игра оставила после себя довольно противоречивые впечатления. С одной стороны — есть за что похвалить, с другой — столько «но», что невольно задумываешься: а стоило ли вообще в неё играть? [b] Что понравилось [/b] Начнём с позитива. У игры отличный сюжет — за развитием истории действительно интересно следить. Персонажи живые, с характером, а их диалоги прописаны здорово. Благодаря этому мир игры хочется изучать: узнавать его историю, вникать в детали, выполнять не только основные, но и побочные квесты. Именно сюжет и персонажи держат в игре и заставляют двигаться дальше. Отдельно стоит отметить озвучку — она на уровне и добавляет атмосферности. [b] Что разочаровало [/b] Все остальное! Ахахах Если бы игра состояла только из сюжета и диалогов — она была бы шедевром. Но геймплей… Ох, геймплей. Боевая система. Честно говоря, она просто ужасна. Управление неуклюжее, анимации — на уровне игр начала 2000‑х. Бои не приносят удовольствия, а скорее вызывают раздражение. Не вздумайте ставить сложность выше «Нормальной»! Игра явно не рассчитана на это: враги невероятно живучие; герой, наоборот, хрупкий; прокачка становится неоправданно дорогой уже в середине игры, а к концу — просто заоблачной. [b] Технические проблемы: [/b] [list] [*] частые баги (персонажи застревают, проваливаются в текстуры); [*] проблемы со звуком (накладывается не там, где нужно, иногда усиливается до некомфортного уровня); [*] отсутствие нормальной фоновой музыки — только какие‑то невнятные фоновые звуки. [/list] [b] Интерфейс. [/b] Он неудобный и выглядит так, будто его перенесли из игр 20‑летней давности. Пользоваться им — сплошное мучение. [b] Система экипировки. [/b] Вроде бы шмот есть, но по факту вы почти всю игру будете бегать в одном и том же. Смена снаряжения происходит лишь при выборе лагеря (одного из трёх), и это никак не разнообразит геймплей. [b] Вывод: игра — типичный пример «одноразового» продукта. Если очень хочется узнать историю — можно попробовать пройти на «Нормальной» сложности, закрывая глаза на многочисленные недостатки. Но если у вас есть возможность выбрать другую AAA‑игру, лучше потратить время и деньги на неё. Но типа это же "пиранья", это же детство, готика, да у них вообще бюджет маленький, а игра вон какая! Да вы просто не шарите за Готику! Да Готика ваще! Да тут мир вон какой большой! Да еще вон все как друг на друга и от друг друга зависит, проработка ваще! Готика! Кароч пусть будет палец вверх. Но кто дочитал, понял из за чего. [/b]

The early game is rough, like really rough. Everything kills you and its a slog to move anywhere, but once you get into it and get your first levels and new wepons, the game is really fun honestly.

Just when I thought the game design couldn't get any worse, they hit me with the most abysmal ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bossfight I've ever seen. Because not only do I need to get through all the dialogue and cutscene when I die due to the sudden disappearance of the save feature, I also don't only fight the boss, but also some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Minions that respawn while being targeted by the boss with ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ missiles. How do you even achieve a Game this ass.

I bought ELEX when it first came out, played it for maybe 20 hours and decided that it sucked, but maybe after some patches and expansions or something it would turn out alright. So when looking for something to play now in 2025 I decided to dust it off and give it another shot. Nope. Still sucks. The movement, combat, dialogue, characters, AI, cutscenes, every bit of it feels just like the original Gothic. A game released in 2001. This is not a compliment. I essentially beat this game out of spite, to get over and through all the horrible jank and truly break this game over my knee. The first 20 hours were pain. Combat is so difficult that even the weakest enemies can easily kill you in 1-3 hits. Your weapons hit like wet pool noodles and you don't have the stats to equip anything better even if you can afford or find it. Most of the early fights involve running away and letting whatever companion you have with you both tank and deal damage until they pass out, then waiting for them to pick themselves back up so they can go at it again. The solution to this problem? Do as much as you can that doesn't require combat, stock up on XP and money, then sprint across the map to the Clerics and buy either a plasma gun or a flamethrower. Both of these guns have modes that will knock over 90% of enemies in the game every single time they get hit. You can now no longer die. Combat has gone from agonizingly brutal to a cheesy cakewalk and will remain this easy for the next 80 hours. The only thing that can threaten you is a group of enemies with guns, which are easily defeated by wiggling in place, they will over-lead their shots and miss a person who is basically standing still right in front of them. This is how every Pirahna Bytes game has gone, in fact. They are incredibly difficult to play normally until you find some cheese that will trivialize the rest of it. It feels like over the last 20+ years, Pirahna Bytes has learned exactly nothing, has improved and expanded in exactly no ways. With the news that they are shutting down coming in the middle of last year I have to say.. I'm not surprised. It sucks to see a beloved niche developer go under but there was really no other way for them to go when releasing so many subpar games.

Exploration was fun, and the story was passable enough for me to power through it by the end. Combat is acceptable if ranged, but melee is a no-go; I would not recommend it. There are some strong companion quests, but there is a lack of customizability in their skills, so don't expect Mass Effect-like depth with your companions—it is non-existent. The mouse and keyboard controls are quirky, and the inability to remap some skills was annoying. The game is missing many quality-of-life features. There is a steep difficulty curve in the beginning, requiring you to explore 90% of the map for 20 hours or so before you can actually play the game as intended. Even then, the combat was underwhelming after all that grind, and the final boss was disappointing, to say the least. Quests still seemed a little buggy, and the animations were janky at times, with some characters getting stuck here and there. The crafting is decent, but nothing crazy. Honestly, I can't say I'd recommend this game unless you're a fan of games like The Technomancer. It has single-A budget-level quality with some bad voice acting, but you may be lightly entertained by a few guilty-pleasure moments. There was little effort by the developers to fix the game after its release, and they chose to make a below-average sequel instead. Poor combat, barely passable story, good exploration. Overall: 5/10.