A discreet Action RPG from the creators of Gothic and Risen.
ELEX is related to the name Piranha Bytes. Maybe someone already knows the guys on the team, German personalities who in the past have come up with that half masterpiece of Gothic and a title that is, after all, playable as Risen. ELEX probably represents their most ambitious work, a real open world, a genre of which the videogame market never seems to be satisfied, yet the signs of fatigue are felt inexorably in the latest productions and standing out within this context becomes increasingly difficult. . Especially since the release of that mastodon of The Witcher 3, currently unattainable from several points of view.
It must also be said that in recent years that of Piranha Bytes wasn't exactly a way to the stars, as to the stables rather, and ELEX carries this difficult task on its shoulders: redeem the development team, show that good ideas and equally successful achievements still go hand in hand, even in Germany. We spent several hours in the company of the title and now we can tell you ours, confirming that we are dealing with a title that is certainly not exceptional in view of its ambitions, but definitely discreet and fun.
A world in ruins
ELEX sets its story on the planet Magalan, and the narrative premises are not the rosiest from the point of view of the contents: the planet has seen its civilization and its resources wiped out from the fall of a huge meteorite. All destroyed in short, from the outside unlike what happens in the Fallout series, but the two titles are closer than you think. The point is that, apart from the destruction, the meteorite also gave the survivors of Magalan an enormous mysterious power, that of ELEX. The four remaining factions, the berserkers, the outlaws, the dawns and the clerics, of course they want to put a hand on it, each for their own shady purposes.
The berserkers, for example, are anchored in the past, and believe that ELEX can serve a bring peace to the world, paradoxically using force to get hold of it. Several of the Outlaws, who have taken control of an amusement park on Magalan and are equipped with rudimentary but effective weapons: they want the ELEX for their own shady purposes, for riches, and little else.
We keep the Albe and the Clerics aside: their intentions are more philosophical, some intent on making very powerful weapons, the others to put aside emotions. In short, the narrative ideas are very interesting, and open to purely theoretical questions: “if I had enormous power available in a territory abandoned by everything and everyone, how could I use it”? Each answer opens up a different scenario on the multiple aspects of the personality of the individual and of humanity, Freud himself 
he would have had a lot of fun playing the Piranha Bytes title.
The adventure proceeds while maintaining a high level of interest from the player, who will take control of Jax of the Albe faction, then later moving away from them. Directing very often remains anchored on a basic decision-making system, either we play good or bad, giving the protagonist a poorly detailed and characterized psychological profile. The general production from the point of view of the story remains at good levels, discrete, at times acceptable, but it never shines. And here comes a useful comparison with the direction of Fallout 4, which behaved in the same way and accused the same defects. Devastated world that you go, narration that you find?
Pros and a few too many defects
ELEX has numerous factors on its side that from the point of view of gameplay make it an interesting product. It starts from being a mammoth Action RPG, therefore with extremely high possibilities in terms of customization of battle weapons, equipment, clothing and much more. The combat system is, as usual, extremely immediate and in real time (not turn-based, fortunately) making it lively to engage in clashes against the numerous game opponents, whether they are other sentient races or wild animals. To be mastered, then, it is extremely sophisticated and able to provide more than a nod of approval from the player.
The game world is inspired, vast and artistically and stylistically very inspired. To animate the scenarios, make the worlds credible, the developers are good and theirs
work is not touched. It is from the technical point of view and in the graphic design that the problems arise. Pass the 30 FPS not always very fluid, pass the glance satisfied but from time to time let us glimpse something that does not square, ELEX is anchored to a technical realization that does not keep pace with the current generation.
In this sense, a comparison with The Witcher 3 but also with the very recent Assassin's Creed Origins, does not hold up in the least. It is as if it were the revised and enhanced version of a PlayStation 3 title, made in the last generation with the potential of the last generation. And it's a shame, because we would have been willing to donate more points to a title that is all in all enjoyable, long-lived and fun. Set, among other things, in an inspired and fascinating game world.
Final Comment
ELEX is a great Action RPG, from interesting plot and charismatic characters. Unfortunately, the technical and graphic sector is too dated for the landing consoles for the title to be noticed or appreciated under the aspects that the mass today takes more into consideration. It remains a very welcome return for lovers of the genre, as well as a long-lived title sold at a very attractive price. If the game world inspires you, give it a chance: it deserves it.
