Elex II is another eurojank RPG. If you’ve never heard of the term “eurojank” before, then allow me to explain. Eurojank refers to a specific type of video games made across Europe that is more focused on the gameplay experience, rather than focusing on the presentation of the game. Think S.T.A.L.K.E.R , Mount & Blade, Gothic, Risen, Metro 2033, and ARMA, and predominantly those that are role-playing games.
So when I was offered an opportunity to review Piranha Bytes latest role-playing game Elex II, I had a very difficult decision to make. Do I acknowledge the eurojank, and review it as a eurojank game or do I compare it to every other RPG released around the same time? I decided to try and balance the two.
Title: Elex II
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Developer: Piranha Bytes
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S & Xbox One
Release Date: 02/03/2022
Players: 1
MSRP: $59.99 (Review Copy Provided)
Elex II is an open-world science fiction RPG set in the world of Magalan. You play as Jax, the default male skin on any character creation tool, who is minding his own business in his shack when all of a sudden aliens attack.
The attack destroys his house, causing Jax to go on an adventure to unite the tribes and fight back against the invaders. While this is a sequel, I can safely confirm that you do not have to play the original in order to understand the sequel.
The game does a decent job of filling you in and letting you know what happened very quickly so you can focus on the adventure ahead of you.
Elex II will not be for everyone, those who do give it a fair shot will find themselves having a fun time once they adjust to the game’s eurojank origins.
This is where the eurojank begins to kick in, graphically Elex II at best could be described as “serviceable”. Everything looks and feels like an RPG from 2005. Character models are waxy, with soulless eyes, odd animations, and very poor lip syncing.
At first, you may be put off by this but after the first few hours of gameplay everything just fits and I found myself forgetting how outdated the graphics were while I was playing. Environments are unique and varied enough that you can easily tell which region of the map you’re on.
I played Elex II on PC and I can happily say that the game runs very well, probably because it looks like a game from two generations prior. I had every setting maximized on a GTX 1070 with 16gb of RAM without any slowdown or performance issues.
In true eurojank fashion, Elex II shines in the gameplay department. Traversing the world map is made incredibly easy thanks to a nifty Jetpack that Jax wears which eventually evolves into the ability to literally fly across the map, and this is great because Elex II is one of those games where exploration is key.
There are plenty of hidden treasures littered across the map, but unlike most modern role-playing games, the world of Elex II is very deadly and does not hold your hand. Most video games would separate the zones in the world with difficulty, directing players through harder zones as the story progresses — Elex II does not do that.
One wrong turn at the start of the game will have you fighting enemies that will kill you in one swipe until you’re better prepared, and that is part of the fun: learning your way around the world, and the safer pathways to travel early on.
The combat is real-time with active blocking and dodging, there are various weapons from swords and axes to bows, guns, rocket launchers, and magic spells, each with their own feel and combinations. Enemies are somewhat predictable with A.I that, like the graphics, are “serviceable.”
Everything has a purpose and everything feels right, without the extra layers of gloss that most modern games have. You won’t always be alone though with various companions that you can invite to travel and fight alongside you on your journey.
Each of the encampments that you come across will come with its fair share of fetch quests as well, often leaving you running around the map.
You’ll learn the dangerous zones and the safe pathways to travel as you assist the various townspeople to earn their trust, and I often found myself being interested in some of the side-quests more than the primary quest as well.
There really isn’t much to say in regard to music. There are radios in the encampments that play radio tunes, however, everything else felt very generic and forgettable. The voice acting is, like everything else serviceable. Most voices are distinct, and varied, with interesting lines of dialogue which is a plus.
Overall, Elex II is just like its eurojank origins – a serviceable game in visuals and enemy difficulty but it really shines with the massive open world for you to explore and die trying within. It may not be for everyone but Elex II is a decently enjoyable action RPG for those that are willing to cut it some slack for its jankiness.
Elex II was reviewed on Windows PC using a copy provided by THQ Nordic. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. ELEX II is now available on Windows PC (via GOG and Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
