Currently playing this. First Piranha Bytes game. Can’t believe I missed out for so long. Thoroughly enjoying the game - it’s truly impressive how much intention there is in every corner of the world design. No procedurally generated bs. The handcrafted feel is something you don’t see much in today’s RPGs. I will absolutely be purchasing Elex II.
@@blanchiplanchi Couldn`t agree more. That`s what I also wanted to suggest :D Though when you play Gothic 3 and Risen, you kinda feel like playing the same game and a overhauling world mod. I think it`s the same engine and definitely same game mechanics and graphically similar (from what I remember playing them). Did not try Fall of Setariff and other spinoff craps after G3 and also didn`t try Risen3 because it really looke like a Risen 2 remake with added DLC (but maybe I`m wrong). Did you try them out?
@@claudiustanescu6651 Fall of Setariff wasn't made by Piranha Bytes and is generally not recommended. Risen is much better than Gothic 3 mechanically and Gothic 3 is just an unfinished mess in general. Risen 3 is very similar to 2 for the most part but has a worse story but slightly improved combat and magic.
@@dennisdavidov782 I know that after G3 they lost the license for the franchise or somesuch. I was talking about the Gothic "universe". But heard only negative about the add-ons to the franchise as only using the name but having nothing în common. G3 and Risen still felt pretty similar. Although Risen actually had sine polish to it. Felt a bit better optimised and less janky. Yeah, I agree on the Risen sequels. 2 was bold in its direction and change of style, embracing the inquisition as similar to the spanish and with the whole pirate theme. 3 just seemed to rehash ideas and not offering anything more enticing. I thank You for your answer. Happy Holidays!
@@blanchiplanchi I am glad I played gothic around the release in 2001 so I had the full experience but I remeber the loading times were horrible back then with a 2001 computer but its still one of my favorite games. gothic, gothic 2 + add on are just great.
The YT algorithm recommended this video to me and this is an introduction to your channel for me. I gotta say, really unique and smart take on doing reviews after 100% of the game! I like that a lot and it is as you put it, a good way to stand out from everyone else. Subbed!
Haven't played this one yet but loved the old Gothic games. Piranha Bytes' games represent a separate branch of open world RPG design philosophy. It's not about sheer size, it's not about being as accessible as possible, but about finely crafted environments that are rewarding to explore, and that need to be conquered with a real difficulty curve. This means the power curve is extremely satisfying to crest. Without fat markers telling you where to go it actually makes you pay attention to surroundings (which the difficult mobs reinforce), and that is immediately immersive. Before long you're playing for hours, always thinking of the next thing to do. It's cool how these games are so fun just due to this design, they don't really require a gripping story or characters.
What you said are largely correct, but we can't just ignore the continual shortcomings of Piranha Bytes, namely the atrocious combat system. I'm fine with the RPG element. The difficultly curve is hard at the beginning but easy at the end. Yet the combat is so janky, boring and repetitive coupled with high enemy damage output mean at the beginning you feel like your deaths are to no fault of your own, which sometimes it is. PB is infamous for bad combat and yet they never really improve on it, so I expect the Gothic remake to be the same.
@@ChristmasLore honestly, the games that come close to giving a similar feeling of rewarding exploration are souls games (elden ring probably the closest, though I've not dived into it yet)
@@ChristmasLore i understand. The thing i love about gothic games is the rewarding difficulty curve and souls games have a similar feeling. If you can deal with the oldness of it, just play Gothic 1 and 2
Important note: when you say "your equipment is your everything" it should be stressed that it's meant literally. Unlike in previous Piranha Bytes games like Gothic, in ELEX raising your stats only allow you to use different equipment but it DOES NOT change your effectiveness in combat to ANY degree.
Yep, but they are changing this for Elex 2. Every 5 points you invest in an attribute will give you +1 to a corresponding stat. So every 5 points you put into Strength will give you +1 melee damage, 5 Dexterity will give you +1 range damage etc.
The game is exactly like all the other Gothic games, incredibly clunky gameplaywise but you feel the love the devs put in every corner of the world. If you Explore you find stuff in every cave, house or corner you come across, its so nice.
Really good review! Being a Piranha Bytes fan since Gothic, I thoroughly enjoyed Elex and I personally think it's their best game since Gothic 2. It really is impressive that PB manage to create such huge and detailed worlds with interconnected and branching questlines with their team of ~30 developers.
I think your review is 100% point on! I am very hyped for Elex 2 and once again i want to recommend anybody to get the hunting skills (Don't know what it's actually called in the game) early to be able to farm pelts and trophies ;-)
This is one of the few games where I actually care about the world, I joined the berserkers because I believe in planting world hearts to make the world more natural and revive it but then at the end where the hybrid told you there's was a new treat coming it really threw me for a loop, now the world hearts aren't as much as a priority as I had intended during the game, maybe after the treat I hope the world hearts are planting everywhere and revive the world, great game I got obsessed with it
I finished this as an Outlaw in about 50 hours. The combat and leveling up can be frustrating sometimes, but the thing I enjoyed the most is exploring the world. I wish it had a "new game plus" though, so we could use our hard earned experience and equipment in a new playthrough.
Hey man, this is literally my first time in this channel. The first 20 seconds of this video earned my instant subscription and like. I just can't respect someone making a review, and in the first minute they say: "I've played the game for 10 hours, and it's enought to make a first impressions". Dude, unless you're reviewing a super simple game like "gas station simulator", there is NO WAY to know anything about anything in 10 hours.
The Elex system reminds me a lot of the Geneforge games, where you could gain power by consuming cannisters which gave you spells and stat buffs. Using too many of them would cause you to be unable to avoid combat in some situations, lock you out of some of the best dialogue choices, and often lead to worse endings. Similarly to Elex, this was a mix of developing anger issues and becoming disconnected from normal humans. It’s a neat idea to actually make pursuing power at the expense of everything else actually have consequences and I wish more games explored that.
Awesome review and very thorough as usual, I'm glad you gave the game a fair chance. I played it once it came out and it was kind of annoying to see that a bunch of people ignored the entire game just because of the way it starts. But I do understand that it can be very unforgiving if you're not used to piranha bytes' games...
Exploring in this game was so pleasing and rewarding. Its difficulty curve is a bit weird, the combat system is rather clunky, but I've enjoyed the story and the characters therein. Really liked this game. Looking forward to playing Elex II at some point.
Having played Gothic I and II, I am very happy to have come across this game. I always longed for an experience such as the one I've had with Gothic back in my childhood.
Tried to get into it in 2017. In 2019. And now finally pushed past the barrier to entry very recently. And this is coming from someone who has played every single PB game since the first Gothic. The combat really is incredibly frustrating at the beginning. The overall floaty feeling of the combat controls doesn't help. The somewhat exorbitant stat requirements in the beginning are also frustrating. But I am just glad that I finally got into the game and can now enjoy the exellent world building that PB is known for.
@@timmyp6297 Never played through that one. I remember the combat being the worst they ever did. It runs like shit these days, so that ship has sailed. But I have to say that I didn't really like the whole pirate theme anyway. Risen 1 was great, but 2 and 3 didn't really do it for me.
@@mdruffy235 3 was the best in the series. 2 was the worst. 1 would be the best if you didn't always wind up with the same character. Coming from maybe the first us Gothic fan no joke.
Awesome review! Your channel become pretty much my favorite RPG channel! Not sure if it is your thing, but Spellforce 3 (an RTS/RPG hybrid) has a phenomenal story and gameworld. If your fine with RTS you'll a 100% won't regret it. Best game I've played since D:OS 2. In edition: You'll hear Geralt of Rivias voice in the game :)
I'm glad you decided to 100% this which must have taken quite awhile since you have to do low cold which is pretty difficult. Easily in my top 5 or better. I cannot wait for Elex 2 which is going to be so much better in pretty much every way. Definitely a niche style but the questing and world is unrivaled. Surprised you paid so much it's very often on sale for 9.99 or less
Ive been binging your videos for games ive either been skeptical of or tried and gave up prematurely. I find your way of review/explanation more digestible and helps me understand the game better so I can enjoy it more. I dont have much time to play games anymore so I dont have the luxury to explore a game 100%
I remember dropping the game because I'd done what seemed to be all the content I could in the barbarian town and having no direction. Been thinking about going back to it to see if I missed something obvious.
I found this on sale on Xbox and decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did. This game accomplished something only a handful of games have done in my adult gaming life: I actually finished the game! Most games these days, I play for maybe 10 hours, then never touch again. They just can't engage me. Yes, it is janky, but it has soul and is engaging and rewarding, and I loved it! The besr thing I can say is that it gave me the lost feeling of gaming as a kid again, and THAT is absolutely worth it. Accept the fact that it's gonna be a little bit janky and you just might find yourself falling in love with a game again like when you were a kid. A solid 8-10 for me. Not perfect, but perfect for me.
The enemy AI Ogre can throw a bolder the size of a car at you and perfectly predict your move direction. I've never felt more afraid of rock throwing AI in any other game. It just amazes me!
I remember being semi-excited for this game when it came out but the reviews made it sound horrible and I passed initially. I ended up buying it in a steam sale at some point and it sat in my queue for years. I’m am funnily enough in the middle of my playthrough and enjoying it. I had to get through my rage about the combat responsiveness (it seems like it wants you to play souls-like, but actions are slow and queued up causing problems in real-time combat). I’m really looking forward to the sequel now and hope the combat loop gets some love.
Reviewers are generally biased towards easier games because they need to finish them fast and not all are good at playing games, but mainly just reporting on them. All Piranha Bytes games are really good in the story/RPG department. But all of them suffer from some degree of jank and combat is repetitive and clunky. Because they tend to be smart games, not flashy action packed games. They reward your exploration and thinking your way out of trouble. Great games, but they require patience and attention. Not your typical run of the mill power fantasy.
@@claudiustanescu6651 Being unable to fight many things early on was a hard habit to have broken. I don't recall any previous games that basically encouraged running away as a primary tactic, but it has become a go-to option.
@@robertnomok9750 My reference to previous games, meant the games I previously played. I never played Gothic or other PB games, so I am referring to games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout where it is almost impossible to die to entry level enemies (rats, crabs etc). So when I experienced that first area with the Berserker companion I thought that I must have been doing something wrong because I kept dying.
I was excited to try it out, especially now that it's on steam (80%). I like difficult games, the only thing that made me apprehensive was the hitbox issue, I've had bad moments in Dark Souls because of that, there's nothing worse than facing an enemy that hits like a truck with this type of hitbox.
A lot of the start you'll find yourself running away from combat until you level up enough for a decent weapon as unlike dark souls the enemy health bar is quite chunky and they still hit like a truck with some iffy hit boxes.
@@logiclunacy606 Yeah, it's not comparable to Dark Souls because you are at a low level not to expected to beat a high level monster although you can to to their location
I played this for a bit four years ago. The setting was interesting and parts of it stuck with me to this day. I got pretty tired of getting my ass kicked up and down the forest so I moved on to Horizon. Thanks for filling me in on what I missed!
Agreed, on all accounts. Absolutely loved this game, jank and all. Super excited for Elex2 and as i also romanced Nasty, im wondering if there'd be a nod to that, in the sequel. Great vid, as always.
I bought Elex on sale taking a bit of a chance on it. Turned out to be one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made. Elex 2 was even more elexy goodness 😃
I love Piranha Bytes! They know how to create interesting worlds. It would be interesting to see what kind of game they could make given sufficient funds for their vision.
Excellent review. Very honest. I don’t think I’ll get this game because of the issues with the combat. But if I do at least I know what to expect and to be patient with itt. Thanks
I commented on another video where Elex popped up about how this was the first PB game I bounced off of after about 4 hours. I upgraded my rig and decided to try it out again and it this time it clicked. I think it sets you up at the start to get trounced by enemies way more than any other PB game. But once I started leveling up with more non combat quests and joined a faction, it's coming together and got a lot more fun and addicting.
I love all P.B. games. Gothic 3, Risen 2, and Risen 3 weren't as good as the rest, but they are all good. I still remember the first time I fired up Risen after waiting so long for a new P.B. game. It felt like they went back to their Gothic 1& 2 roots (almost a remake in different setting.) I still have to finish Gothic 3 and while it pales in comparison to 1 & 2 (they bit off more than they could chew and Jowood SUCKED,) it was something that they needed to try in order to progress as a company. Branching off with the pirate theme in Risen 2 and then having Gothic and Risen 1 elements mixed with the pirate them in Risen 3 felt like a practice run for Elex with the hybrid setting, and it paid off. I am playing Elex again (as an evil, drug using Outlaw Jax instead of the good and honorable Berserker Jax on my first playthrough) to prep myself to play Elex II on release day.
g3 had a great game in it. the technical issues though - also MOTHERFUKKIN BOARS. they complained about elex combat so much for all the wrong reasons, but early versions g3 combat indeed was almost unplayable.
since i have seen someone with review copy i can say few things without spoiling 1. hybrid end although disappointing is justified beginning cutscene (and introduces new hostile faction) beginning cutscene (and introduces new hostile faction) 3. there will be completely new crafting/customization system for jetpack (i'm hopeful for more) 4. final preparation part of main quest this time will start shortly after prologue (that in my opinion makes things infinitely more interesting)
Elex is the product of a company that got a legendary status in many parts of a europe for their Gothic and Risen games that all follow the formula of being very weak at the start, joining a faction, tons of rewarding exploration and so on. Everything that was described here as different from other games is what everyone expected that played the previous games and know how the company works.
I'm sorry guys, clearly I'm in the minority here but I thought Elex was just awful. Clunky, my character slides around, melee combat was just tragic. Maybe I'll give it another try here as I didn't get more than a few hours in before I uninstalled it, but there's a reason I didn't get very far into it.
You're not the only one. I think it's highly overrated within the PB fan base, but fairly accurately rated outside of it. I see a lot of "Elex is what every other RPG TRIES to be" a little too much. One thing I don't see hardly anyone mentioning was how none of the characters really had personalities or anything that distinguishes them from one another. Clerics all act like Clerics. Berserkers act like berserkers. Outlaws act like outlaws. Each new character is just a re-skin of the last one you met. I guess it wouldn't be that big of an issue if it wasn't a story driven RPG, in which part of playing the game is trying to get to know the characters and anticipate their intentions. And the story itself is such a freaking mess. I don't mean complicated, because it's not. The story you're playing through is just told poorly. The quests don't flow, and not much of substance happens. It's just one random quest line after another and once you finish them, they're just done. They have no impact on the world and you never hear or think about them again. Your choices also don't matter at all. Idk, I couldn't make it through it. Exploring the world was fun, but the story is barely serviceable at best, the characters are bland and felt copy-pasted, and of course the jankiness just made it not fun to play. I really don't get why it's so beloved. I wanted to like it. I love the idea of "hidden gems" as much as the next guy, but this ain't it.
The characters and quest design are really good in this game. There's also no hand holding and you are encouraged to interact with all characters as thankfully there are no indicators to whether they have a side quest or not. Combat is also discouraged at the start of the game but is kinda fun later, the clunk to me adds this unique charm kinda similar to fallout and skyrim clunk.
@@ceetee110 I am surprised to hear your characterization of the faction characters being all the same. One of the big things that jumped out to me was the exact opposite. For example some clerics were skeptical of calaan, others devout followers, others just pragmatic followers. Some beserkers were strident naturalists, others advocating for their law to be followed to a tee, while others questioned law or bent its interpretations for their means. Some outlaws were brutal individualists, others opportunists, or noble smugglers. The faction characters, to me, were noticeably diverse which added so much to the intrigue and nuance of each group. Very surprised to hear someone interpreted the opposite.
@@dcblunt666 I guess I just meant personality wise, not based on one line they said during one part of their dialogue. I can't recall which characters were so distinct from one another, to be honest, but when I played it seemed like every person I ran into had the exact same personality- Gruff, zealous, skeptical of you, and totally forgettable. No one character stood out except for maybe Rat... But even then it's just because of how he deals with you, not really for his personality. Each character I met just blended right in with everyone before them, to the point that if there wasn't a quest marker, I'd have been totally screwed. But hey, we all see things differently. I'm not really trying to take anything away from anyone else's enjoyment of the game, just trying to say I don't personally get what makes it as great as many people claim it is. I went into it knowing nothing about PB, only paying full price for it because I read so many reviews saying "it's what every RPG wishes it could be, and with a team if only 30!" And I was just really, really disappointed. If I may, one small example of how the characters' motivations didn't make any sense to me- [SPOILERSSSSS] When you first meet Duras, he sends you on a goose chase to find out who killed a member of the Berserkers, but then it turns out to be him. But if you are honest about someone YOU had to kill shortly after, if Duras is in your party he STRONGLY dislikes what you say. And then the game goes on and on about what an honorable person he is. It just doesn't make any sense. [END SPOILERSSSSSSS] A lot of the companion interactions were like that- Just totally arbitrary reactions that you couldn't tie back to any part of the story or anything you've "learned" about the characters. It started annoying me so much that I just rolled with Crony for the better part of my playtime because I couldn't figure out how to make them happy. That kinda stuff. Everybody preaches about how much your choices matter and how much depth the characters had in Elex and I just could not disagree more. It was a jumbled mess, much like the story itself. The choices don't matter at all, save for maybe one or two at the very end, and it's pretty obvious what the outcomes will be when the choices are presented. I will play Elex 2, but I won't pay full price for it. 60 dollars for Elex 1 is a total ripoff.
early game combat is frustrating for the reasons given in this review. it gets much better a little later.i actually found combat to be pretty well executed in this game. it will remain challanging, but its only unfair in the very early game where it makes sense because its an rpg about a superhuman who just almost died and lost all his superhumanness.
A great game, I love it. Two points I would have liked your opinion too: 1. In my playthroughs, even a low cold character could basically eat every crump of Elex he found and it would not change much in terms of cold level. The concept is great, but it lacked the impact. 2. The story seems to be written for a middle to low cold level. The dialog and character motivation for the high cold path felt rather disjointed I'd say. P.S.: Great Video :)
Being a weak Maggot when it comes to combat in the beginning is essential for the game, because it makes leveling up and becoming a fighting machine SO rewarding! All the games where PB did not do that (Risen 2, Risen 3, Elex 2, Gothic 3) are generally seen as failures or at least weaker games by most of their fans. Making your way from being a weakling to a combat monster is Piranha Bytes DNA as much as those beautiful worlds with so much visual storytelling and stuff. Loving your view on the combat system, I think it is underrated because it is by far not as bad as many people say, it is fun an much better than combat systems in many AAA titles. And by the way: Nasty!
I played the snot out of this game and pretty much explored every nook and cranny. I hated the clerics but eventually joined them for their weapons and armor. One of my favorite things to do early when I was weak was to aggro an enemy camp and lure them to be slaughtered by an ogre or such. Then finish off the stragglers and grab all the loot from the battle. Good times.
been a fan of piranha bytes since the first gothic, completely forgot about this game when it released and came across news of elex 2 being "around the corner", seems like they are sticking with "their roots",quirky as they might be ive always loved their rpg`s. Thanks for this review, you got me stoked for some more gothic/risen action :D
I got it for $8 dollars on psn store. Never heard of it. Was probably invested in ARK at the time but so glad I played it. I loved it. It's hard to push through beginning but we'll worth it after. Cant wait for 2
This game reminds me a bit of the game Outward. If you haven't checked it out, it's well worth getting into if it at all looks like your style. I feel like I should mention that it is a lot less story focused and a fair amount more mechanics focused than your usual choices.
I don't know how often it has been asked before but i would really love a review of the gothic series. In my case especially Gothic 3. It has a VERY bad reputation but i think it is quite awesome and i spent 100 hours in the game a few years back. The game is mostly fixed with patches and once you get over the clunkyness it's pretty insane how ambitious and complex this game really is. The only thing nobody was apparently able to fix is melee combat vs wolves, lolol.
The modders could not fix the awful combat and the barely-existent story (as the game was simply unfinished on release). I didn't like the retcons to previous games lore and the changes to the voice acting either. The repetitive structure of the game/quests didn't help either.
@@dennisdavidov782 I can see why you would not like the story but to me it was very well done. It felt like Skyrim-style game that actually HAS a story as compared to skyrim. But maybe that's just my personal bias, i don't know. The combat actually is not so bad in my oppinion, unless you are fighting wolves ...
I am glad to see someone competent reviewing a Piranha Bytes game. Here is a tip: Don't watch Angry Joe's review of Piranha games, he has no clue what he's talking about.
I tried this game and wanted to really like it but I did exactly like you said and tried exploring immediately and just could not kill most anything and that was a major turn off as well as all the jank. I eventually put it down but I always wanted to try it again. I feel like this may be worth another shot.
Oh I haven’t played a Piranha Bytes game since Riven. I didn’t even know this existed. I really like their games, despite their very obvious flaws. One small thing that I wish they changed (maybe they have?)… I hate that I can’t read the books. I was spoiled by one of my first loves in the rpg genre being Morrowind, which has tons of books with excellent and actually useful writing. I hate just going up to a book and having the character say, “hmm, I’ve learned something” and then you get like a skill point.
I will have to give this another shot. I bought it at some point and just like you said I took one step off the path during the intro quests and got absolutely decimated by the first thing that looked my way. I took this to mean that I must be terrible at the game and it wasn't going to get better so I moved on to something else. I think if I went back to it and approached it with "Im a weak baby" in mind I would have had a better time.
I'm surprised no one has ripped the berserker faction armors for skyrim mods, they look like diversified skyrim nordic armor. On topic, though, I just started this game and it is pretty awesome do far.
When I am asked about this game, I usually say something like "skyrim but terrible lol" Thank you for this review - I've had this game for a while and I'll give it another shot.
As a Piranha Bytes fan of the first hour (Gothic was my 3rd rpg love after baldur's gate 1 and 2) I can only agree with both the positives and the negatives you bring up. PB definitely have a unique take on the open world genre, that I absolutely prefer over the Ubisoft formula we are so inundated with, these days. Also as a fan of the first hour, though, I am sooo frustrated that Pyranha Bytes have, over the course of seven games, not improved on any of their games' strengths nor adressed any of the glaring issues. Even the animations look like straight out of 2001. Imagine Gordan Ramsey just putting butter on a toast and going "ta-daaah" - that's PB for you^^ I certainly hope they break the spell with Elex 2, but be forewarned - in all likelyhood it will be the same jank-fest with all the same gripes and shortcomings, set in a new worldspace to explore. Great review, though! I'm really glad to have found your channel! :D
You really are a baby when you come out of the ship. I love this game combat is technical, there's a certain flow you have to follow... In order to complete some of the early quest like the 'raptors' you have to use the npc's to hopefully help you complete it. At least we got a jetpack :D ya every creature out there has a range attack. But when you fly your stamina recharges just a hair bit faster. It is a very a janky rewarding exploration rpg so of the clipping sometimes makes you laugh or just sigh. The voice acting is superb, i really enjoy that but hope you enjoy there's allot of it.
I’m a late bloomer too in this game however if you stick with grenade early and actually level up your grenade, I was able too be adventurous all over the map very expensive to buy grenades and get a lot you can go any where early.
few mentions the most powerful way of fighting that can make things easier is investment in combat with jetpack albs are consuming elex to try and reach next stage of evolution
If you like Elex this much, maybe you should give Gothic 1&2 also a try. Yes they are even more clunky (because of their age), but the things you liked so much about Elex are very present there as well (great worldbuilding etc.). Ofc im a bit biased in that regard because i basically grew up with these 2 games, but i absolutly think you would like them based on what you've said here.
my biggest gripe with the cold system is, its logical and calculated to LIE!!! When a character tells me he wants to hear X from me or he doesn't trust me, its logical to LIE and get our way. But no, this option does not exist or cold too low...
Would you recommend just not spending any of your attribute points or learning points until you've reached lvl 15-20, met all the factions and decided who you want to join?
Well there are people that like to learn how to play games that have no hand holding or are challenging. And there are people who get played by the games that tell them when to push a button. There's a customer for each type of game. Funny how human diversity works. It creates an economical market for different tastes. What's weird is how it's a cult for some.
@@zensoredparagonbytes3985 It was the bugs that made me rage quit uninstall as at that time the bugs I encountered were game breaking maybe now it's fixed but at launch it was not worth my time to deal with all the bugs.
The storylines and trying to interweave it with an open world is also very difficult. Because even if you go on each mission individually you will realize that you cannot succeed because you do not have enough strength or ability yet. If you free roam you start finding all sorts of items and new quests but you may take an action that completely destroys an entire art of the storyline. And the only way you know that you just did that is a short message that says such and such story failed or no longer accessible pops up on the screen. Also some of the decisions you make give you a no wind scenario. Or they leave a dialogue available that can completely wreck you if you accidentally select it despite that flow of conversation being completed and decision made.
I went out explorer anyway. I luckily got away with some stuff. But then I found out the difficulty level does nothing to level up faster. Times that down after that
I turned off the stamina system, and from that moment on the fights became fun und much more fluid. The rest is your typical Piranha Bytes game. I love their style, Gothic blew me away when it came out. I didn't even care for the bugs or controls, the world was amazing!
A Gothic 1 and 2 retro review would be nice ! Or a review of the awesome total conversion for Gothic 2 that came out recently, The Chronicles of Myrtana : Archolos :)
I also find Elex to be rather clunky, especially early combat. Despite this, game had some pretty enjoyable locations and story. Power spike in late game is too big. You start as weak, but in the end you can become overpowered. But overall, it's a good game. They did all they were able to, it's not a big studio after all.
My first RPG was Gothic. Played all their games so far. Elex is just as beautiful as I expected. But hell it is clunky. Even for PB standards. People thought Gothic 3 was the worst of their games when it comes to combat but next to Elex it seems perfect. Often found myself in the Situation that I basically grinded until something was way too easy or just used bugs for my advantage because - especially the mostly ranged combat at the end - the fighting was so unsatisfying. Really Sad. But other then that it's a great game. Piranha Bytes manages to deliver their worlds in a really unique way that really let you sink in. On Sale it was even down to about 3,50€ and rarely is over 15€. Defenitely worth the money.
@@MortismalGaming Ah kk, was worth a shot. I have consoles only but my wife and I really want to play WotR and waiting for the PS5 version is testing our patience lol so maybe it’s time to finally build another gaming rig 🤔
I started playing recently and I love this game. I love the beautiful, diverse and seamless world. I even love the combat, when you progress and you can feel your increase in power. I love how the inventory system works, so you don't have to spend stupid amounts of time managing your stuff. I love everything about it and I hope that elex 2 improves all of it and be a at least as good as the first one
It would be better without all the immediately apparent problems. Great game sure. Masterpiece? C'mon guys. Far from masterpiece based just on its immediate flaws. Ffs learn what words actually mean.
I am struggling with this game. Played all the spiders game studios games, got a taste for double A games, and this one is tough lol. Loving it though.
You should talk about the different factions a little bit more. Like which one do you personally think that you like more? Which one is easier? Which one is harder to get into how it affects the overall game? If you decide that you don't want to join the clerks or whatever, you know who you better get to choose first as your as your faction
I was looking at reviews for the game and the ign one really sticks out as 4.9/10. The review said he made his first character to be "strong in speech based personality" then complained the combat was too hard. 😅😅 IGN, ladies and gentlemen
Currently playing this. First Piranha Bytes game. Can’t believe I missed out for so long. Thoroughly enjoying the game - it’s truly impressive how much intention there is in every corner of the world design. No procedurally generated bs. The handcrafted feel is something you don’t see much in today’s RPGs. I will absolutely be purchasing Elex II.
Man! Then you absolutely need to try gothic and risen games!!!! A bit out of date graphically speaking but worth it!
@@blanchiplanchi Couldn`t agree more. That`s what I also wanted to suggest :D Though when you play Gothic 3 and Risen, you kinda feel like playing the same game and a overhauling world mod. I think it`s the same engine and definitely same game mechanics and graphically similar (from what I remember playing them). Did not try Fall of Setariff and other spinoff craps after G3 and also didn`t try Risen3 because it really looke like a Risen 2 remake with added DLC (but maybe I`m wrong). Did you try them out?
@@claudiustanescu6651 Fall of Setariff wasn't made by Piranha Bytes and is generally not recommended.
Risen is much better than Gothic 3 mechanically and Gothic 3 is just an unfinished mess in general.
Risen 3 is very similar to 2 for the most part but has a worse story but slightly improved combat and magic.
@@dennisdavidov782 I know that after G3 they lost the license for the franchise or somesuch. I was talking about the Gothic "universe". But heard only negative about the add-ons to the franchise as only using the name but having nothing în common. G3 and Risen still felt pretty similar. Although Risen actually had sine polish to it. Felt a bit better optimised and less janky. Yeah, I agree on the Risen sequels. 2 was bold in its direction and change of style, embracing the inquisition as similar to the spanish and with the whole pirate theme. 3 just seemed to rehash ideas and not offering anything more enticing. I thank You for your answer. Happy Holidays!
@@blanchiplanchi I am glad I played gothic around the release in 2001 so I had the full experience but I remeber the loading times were horrible back then with a 2001 computer but its still one of my favorite games. gothic, gothic 2 + add on are just great.
The YT algorithm recommended this video to me and this is an introduction to your channel for me. I gotta say, really unique and smart take on doing reviews after 100% of the game! I like that a lot and it is as you put it, a good way to stand out from everyone else. Subbed!
Haven't played this one yet but loved the old Gothic games. Piranha Bytes' games represent a separate branch of open world RPG design philosophy. It's not about sheer size, it's not about being as accessible as possible, but about finely crafted environments that are rewarding to explore, and that need to be conquered with a real difficulty curve. This means the power curve is extremely satisfying to crest. Without fat markers telling you where to go it actually makes you pay attention to surroundings (which the difficult mobs reinforce), and that is immediately immersive. Before long you're playing for hours, always thinking of the next thing to do. It's cool how these games are so fun just due to this design, they don't really require a gripping story or characters.
@@Nikioko absolutely
What you said are largely correct, but we can't just ignore the continual shortcomings of Piranha Bytes, namely the atrocious combat system. I'm fine with the RPG element. The difficultly curve is hard at the beginning but easy at the end. Yet the combat is so janky, boring and repetitive coupled with high enemy damage output mean at the beginning you feel like your deaths are to no fault of your own, which sometimes it is. PB is infamous for bad combat and yet they never really improve on it, so I expect the Gothic remake to be the same.
@@ChristmasLore honestly, the games that come close to giving a similar feeling of rewarding exploration are souls games (elden ring probably the closest, though I've not dived into it yet)
@@ChristmasLore i understand. The thing i love about gothic games is the rewarding difficulty curve and souls games have a similar feeling. If you can deal with the oldness of it, just play Gothic 1 and 2
Important note: when you say "your equipment is your everything" it should be stressed that it's meant literally.
Unlike in previous Piranha Bytes games like Gothic, in ELEX raising your stats only allow you to use different equipment but it DOES NOT change your effectiveness in combat to ANY degree.
Yep, but they are changing this for Elex 2. Every 5 points you invest in an attribute will give you +1 to a corresponding stat.
So every 5 points you put into Strength will give you +1 melee damage, 5 Dexterity will give you +1 range damage etc.
And then if you’re like me and don’t realize this until you’ve wasted tons of Stat points… lol
But you get a little bit of extra health in each level.
Funny thing there.. they are changing it again to old systems for Elex 2, so stats like strength instantly increase damage you do with melee weapons.
so basically spending the stats you have to look to what skills you want to progress towards.
The game is exactly like all the other Gothic games, incredibly clunky gameplaywise but you feel the love the devs put in every corner of the world. If you Explore you find stuff in every cave, house or corner you come across, its so nice.
Really good review!
Being a Piranha Bytes fan since Gothic, I thoroughly enjoyed Elex and I personally think it's their best game since Gothic 2. It really is impressive that PB manage to create such huge and detailed worlds with interconnected and branching questlines with their team of ~30 developers.
I think your review is 100% point on!
I am very hyped for Elex 2 and once again i want to recommend anybody to get the hunting skills (Don't know what it's actually called in the game) early to be able to farm pelts and trophies ;-)
18:52 It's 80% off (9.99e) currently on the Steam sale, till January 5.
Picked it up. Thanks :)
Just got it myself
This on consoles?
This is one of the few games where I actually care about the world, I joined the berserkers because I believe in planting world hearts to make the world more natural and revive it but then at the end where the hybrid told you there's was a new treat coming it really threw me for a loop, now the world hearts aren't as much as a priority as I had intended during the game, maybe after the treat I hope the world hearts are planting everywhere and revive the world, great game I got obsessed with it
I finished this as an Outlaw in about 50 hours. The combat and leveling up can be frustrating sometimes, but the thing I enjoyed the most is exploring the world. I wish it had a "new game plus" though, so we could use our hard earned experience and equipment in a new playthrough.
Hey man, this is literally my first time in this channel. The first 20 seconds of this video earned my instant subscription and like. I just can't respect someone making a review, and in the first minute they say: "I've played the game for 10 hours, and it's enought to make a first impressions". Dude, unless you're reviewing a super simple game like "gas station simulator", there is NO WAY to know anything about anything in 10 hours.
The Elex system reminds me a lot of the Geneforge games, where you could gain power by consuming cannisters which gave you spells and stat buffs. Using too many of them would cause you to be unable to avoid combat in some situations, lock you out of some of the best dialogue choices, and often lead to worse endings. Similarly to Elex, this was a mix of developing anger issues and becoming disconnected from normal humans.
It’s a neat idea to actually make pursuing power at the expense of everything else actually have consequences and I wish more games explored that.
Awesome review and very thorough as usual, I'm glad you gave the game a fair chance.
I played it once it came out and it was kind of annoying to see that a bunch of people ignored the entire game just because of the way it starts.
But I do understand that it can be very unforgiving if you're not used to piranha bytes' games...
Appreciate all the work you put into the channel!
Exploring in this game was so pleasing and rewarding. Its difficulty curve is a bit weird, the combat system is rather clunky, but I've enjoyed the story and the characters therein. Really liked this game. Looking forward to playing Elex II at some point.
thx for the review as im currently playing the game and your words helped me. thx again.
Having played Gothic I and II, I am very happy to have come across this game. I always longed for an experience such as the one I've had with Gothic back in my childhood.
Your an Oracle of information Ser! 👍
Been looking at this. Thanks for the review great work Sir
Tried to get into it in 2017. In 2019. And now finally pushed past the barrier to entry very recently. And this is coming from someone who has played every single PB game since the first Gothic.
The combat really is incredibly frustrating at the beginning. The overall floaty feeling of the combat controls doesn't help. The somewhat exorbitant stat requirements in the beginning are also frustrating.
But I am just glad that I finally got into the game and can now enjoy the exellent world building that PB is known for.
Hope you played Risen 3 and didnt follow the sheep!
@@timmyp6297 Never played through that one. I remember the combat being the worst they ever did. It runs like shit these days, so that ship has sailed.
But I have to say that I didn't really like the whole pirate theme anyway. Risen 1 was great, but 2 and 3 didn't really do it for me.
@@mdruffy235 3 was the best in the series. 2 was the worst. 1 would be the best if you didn't always wind up with the same character. Coming from maybe the first us Gothic fan no joke.
Awesome review! Your channel become pretty much my favorite RPG channel! Not sure if it is your thing, but Spellforce 3 (an RTS/RPG hybrid) has a phenomenal story and gameworld. If your fine with RTS you'll a 100% won't regret it. Best game I've played since D:OS 2. In edition: You'll hear Geralt of Rivias voice in the game :)
I'm glad you decided to 100% this which must have taken quite awhile since you have to do low cold which is pretty difficult. Easily in my top 5 or better. I cannot wait for Elex 2 which is going to be so much better in pretty much every way. Definitely a niche style but the questing and world is unrivaled. Surprised you paid so much it's very often on sale for 9.99 or less
Ive been binging your videos for games ive either been skeptical of or tried and gave up prematurely. I find your way of review/explanation more digestible and helps me understand the game better so I can enjoy it more. I dont have much time to play games anymore so I dont have the luxury to explore a game 100%
I remember dropping the game because I'd done what seemed to be all the content I could in the barbarian town and having no direction. Been thinking about going back to it to see if I missed something obvious.
There are 5 towns and lots of smaller locations.
Head to the desert town in the east.
I keep coming back. The world of the game, the soundtrack, it’s one of the more fun open worlds to just explore
I found this on sale on Xbox and decided to give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did. This game accomplished something only a handful of games have done in my adult gaming life: I actually finished the game!
Most games these days, I play for maybe 10 hours, then never touch again. They just can't engage me.
Yes, it is janky, but it has soul and is engaging and rewarding, and I loved it!
The besr thing I can say is that it gave me the lost feeling of gaming as a kid again, and THAT is absolutely worth it.
Accept the fact that it's gonna be a little bit janky and you just might find yourself falling in love with a game again like when you were a kid.
A solid 8-10 for me. Not perfect, but perfect for me.
tyvm , i bough it and imma give it a go when i got time it look pretyy and the way the character walk slow its nice for me feel more relax
The enemy AI Ogre can throw a bolder the size of a car at you and perfectly predict your move direction. I've never felt more afraid of rock throwing AI in any other game. It just amazes me!
I remember being semi-excited for this game when it came out but the reviews made it sound horrible and I passed initially. I ended up buying it in a steam sale at some point and it sat in my queue for years. I’m am funnily enough in the middle of my playthrough and enjoying it. I had to get through my rage about the combat responsiveness (it seems like it wants you to play souls-like, but actions are slow and queued up causing problems in real-time combat). I’m really looking forward to the sequel now and hope the combat loop gets some love.
Reviewers are generally biased towards easier games because they need to finish them fast and not all are good at playing games, but mainly just reporting on them. All Piranha Bytes games are really good in the story/RPG department. But all of them suffer from some degree of jank and combat is repetitive and clunky. Because they tend to be smart games, not flashy action packed games. They reward your exploration and thinking your way out of trouble. Great games, but they require patience and attention. Not your typical run of the mill power fantasy.
@@claudiustanescu6651 Being unable to fight many things early on was a hard habit to have broken. I don't recall any previous games that basically encouraged running away as a primary tactic, but it has become a go-to option.
@@Xgamerdad Yes, that's the way to go.
@@robertnomok9750 My reference to previous games, meant the games I previously played. I never played Gothic or other PB games, so I am referring to games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout where it is almost impossible to die to entry level enemies (rats, crabs etc). So when I experienced that first area with the Berserker companion I thought that I must have been doing something wrong because I kept dying.
I was excited to try it out, especially now that it's on steam (80%). I like difficult games, the only thing that made me apprehensive was the hitbox issue, I've had bad moments in Dark Souls because of that, there's nothing worse than facing an enemy that hits like a truck with this type of hitbox.
A lot of the start you'll find yourself running away from combat until you level up enough for a decent weapon as unlike dark souls the enemy health bar is quite chunky and they still hit like a truck with some iffy hit boxes.
@@logiclunacy606 Yeah, it's not comparable to Dark Souls because you are at a low level not to expected to beat a high level monster although you can to to their location
Thank you for your vid. Ive been craving something new and its on sale for$10. Definitely going to try this out.
I played this for a bit four years ago. The setting was interesting and parts of it stuck with me to this day. I got pretty tired of getting my ass kicked up and down the forest so I moved on to Horizon. Thanks for filling me in on what I missed!
Agreed, on all accounts. Absolutely loved this game, jank and all. Super excited for Elex2 and as i also romanced Nasty, im wondering if there'd be a nod to that, in the sequel. Great vid, as always.
I bought Elex on sale taking a bit of a chance on it. Turned out to be one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made. Elex 2 was even more elexy goodness 😃
I love Piranha Bytes! They know how to create interesting worlds. It would be interesting to see what kind of game they could make given sufficient funds for their vision.
First got introduced to them with Risen 3. Which was ithink the funnest rpg wth tons of loot & a similarly beautiful world.
Excellent review. Very honest. I don’t think I’ll get this game because of the issues with the combat. But if I do at least I know what to expect and to be patient with itt. Thanks
I commented on another video where Elex popped up about how this was the first PB game I bounced off of after about 4 hours. I upgraded my rig and decided to try it out again and it this time it clicked. I think it sets you up at the start to get trounced by enemies way more than any other PB game. But once I started leveling up with more non combat quests and joined a faction, it's coming together and got a lot more fun and addicting.
So you're saying I can have I smol flying robot pet companion? I'm sold.
I found your channel today and I have never heard of this developer or any of these games but I watched all your reviews on them so thanks I guess
I love all P.B. games. Gothic 3, Risen 2, and Risen 3 weren't as good as the rest, but they are all good. I still remember the first time I fired up Risen after waiting so long for a new P.B. game. It felt like they went back to their Gothic 1& 2 roots (almost a remake in different setting.) I still have to finish Gothic 3 and while it pales in comparison to 1 & 2 (they bit off more than they could chew and Jowood SUCKED,) it was something that they needed to try in order to progress as a company. Branching off with the pirate theme in Risen 2 and then having Gothic and Risen 1 elements mixed with the pirate them in Risen 3 felt like a practice run for Elex with the hybrid setting, and it paid off. I am playing Elex again (as an evil, drug using Outlaw Jax instead of the good and honorable Berserker Jax on my first playthrough) to prep myself to play Elex II on release day.
g3 had a great game in it. the technical issues though - also MOTHERFUKKIN BOARS.
they complained about elex combat so much for all the wrong reasons, but early versions g3 combat indeed was almost unplayable.
since i have seen someone with review copy i can say few things without spoiling
1. hybrid end although disappointing is justified
beginning cutscene (and introduces new hostile faction) beginning cutscene (and introduces new hostile faction)
3. there will be completely new crafting/customization system for jetpack (i'm hopeful for more)
4. final preparation part of main quest this time will start shortly after prologue (that in my opinion makes things infinitely more interesting)
Great game. Grenades were a real crutch of mine though, so good. As with a lot of PB games, the exploration and sense of danger are excellent.
Elex is the product of a company that got a legendary status in many parts of a europe for their Gothic and Risen games that all follow the formula of being very weak at the start, joining a faction, tons of rewarding exploration and so on. Everything that was described here as different from other games is what everyone expected that played the previous games and know how the company works.
@@DJDocsVideos Only if you want to be a troll for making bad arguments ;-)
I will say that beginners should level up by quests and save constantly but if you know what you are doing you can explore pretty decently early on
I'm sorry guys, clearly I'm in the minority here but I thought Elex was just awful. Clunky, my character slides around, melee combat was just tragic.
Maybe I'll give it another try here as I didn't get more than a few hours in before I uninstalled it, but there's a reason I didn't get very far into it.
You're not the only one. I think it's highly overrated within the PB fan base, but fairly accurately rated outside of it. I see a lot of "Elex is what every other RPG TRIES to be" a little too much.
One thing I don't see hardly anyone mentioning was how none of the characters really had personalities or anything that distinguishes them from one another. Clerics all act like Clerics. Berserkers act like berserkers. Outlaws act like outlaws. Each new character is just a re-skin of the last one you met. I guess it wouldn't be that big of an issue if it wasn't a story driven RPG, in which part of playing the game is trying to get to know the characters and anticipate their intentions. And the story itself is such a freaking mess. I don't mean complicated, because it's not. The story you're playing through is just told poorly. The quests don't flow, and not much of substance happens. It's just one random quest line after another and once you finish them, they're just done. They have no impact on the world and you never hear or think about them again. Your choices also don't matter at all.
Idk, I couldn't make it through it. Exploring the world was fun, but the story is barely serviceable at best, the characters are bland and felt copy-pasted, and of course the jankiness just made it not fun to play. I really don't get why it's so beloved. I wanted to like it. I love the idea of "hidden gems" as much as the next guy, but this ain't it.
The characters and quest design are really good in this game. There's also no hand holding and you are encouraged to interact with all characters as thankfully there are no indicators to whether they have a side quest or not. Combat is also discouraged at the start of the game but is kinda fun later, the clunk to me adds this unique charm kinda similar to fallout and skyrim clunk.
@@ceetee110 I am surprised to hear your characterization of the faction characters being all the same. One of the big things that jumped out to me was the exact opposite. For example some clerics were skeptical of calaan, others devout followers, others just pragmatic followers. Some beserkers were strident naturalists, others advocating for their law to be followed to a tee, while others questioned law or bent its interpretations for their means. Some outlaws were brutal individualists, others opportunists, or noble smugglers. The faction characters, to me, were noticeably diverse which added so much to the intrigue and nuance of each group. Very surprised to hear someone interpreted the opposite.
@@dcblunt666 I guess I just meant personality wise, not based on one line they said during one part of their dialogue. I can't recall which characters were so distinct from one another, to be honest, but when I played it seemed like every person I ran into had the exact same personality- Gruff, zealous, skeptical of you, and totally forgettable. No one character stood out except for maybe Rat... But even then it's just because of how he deals with you, not really for his personality. Each character I met just blended right in with everyone before them, to the point that if there wasn't a quest marker, I'd have been totally screwed. But hey, we all see things differently. I'm not really trying to take anything away from anyone else's enjoyment of the game, just trying to say I don't personally get what makes it as great as many people claim it is. I went into it knowing nothing about PB, only paying full price for it because I read so many reviews saying "it's what every RPG wishes it could be, and with a team if only 30!" And I was just really, really disappointed.
If I may, one small example of how the characters' motivations didn't make any sense to me-
[SPOILERSSSSS]
When you first meet Duras, he sends you on a goose chase to find out who killed a member of the Berserkers, but then it turns out to be him. But if you are honest about someone YOU had to kill shortly after, if Duras is in your party he STRONGLY dislikes what you say. And then the game goes on and on about what an honorable person he is. It just doesn't make any sense.
[END SPOILERSSSSSSS]
A lot of the companion interactions were like that- Just totally arbitrary reactions that you couldn't tie back to any part of the story or anything you've "learned" about the characters. It started annoying me so much that I just rolled with Crony for the better part of my playtime because I couldn't figure out how to make them happy. That kinda stuff. Everybody preaches about how much your choices matter and how much depth the characters had in Elex and I just could not disagree more. It was a jumbled mess, much like the story itself. The choices don't matter at all, save for maybe one or two at the very end, and it's pretty obvious what the outcomes will be when the choices are presented.
I will play Elex 2, but I won't pay full price for it. 60 dollars for Elex 1 is a total ripoff.
early game combat is frustrating for the reasons given in this review. it gets much better a little later.i actually found combat to be pretty well executed in this game. it will remain challanging, but its only unfair in the very early game where it makes sense because its an rpg about a superhuman who just almost died and lost all his superhumanness.
A great game, I love it. Two points I would have liked your opinion too:
1. In my playthroughs, even a low cold character could basically eat every crump of Elex he found and it would not change much in terms of cold level. The concept is great, but it lacked the impact.
2. The story seems to be written for a middle to low cold level. The dialog and character motivation for the high cold path felt rather disjointed I'd say.
P.S.: Great Video :)
Being a weak Maggot when it comes to combat in the beginning is essential for the game, because it makes leveling up and becoming a fighting machine SO rewarding! All the games where PB did not do that (Risen 2, Risen 3, Elex 2, Gothic 3) are generally seen as failures or at least weaker games by most of their fans. Making your way from being a weakling to a combat monster is Piranha Bytes DNA as much as those beautiful worlds with so much visual storytelling and stuff.
Loving your view on the combat system, I think it is underrated because it is by far not as bad as many people say, it is fun an much better than combat systems in many AAA titles.
And by the way: Nasty!
I played the snot out of this game and pretty much explored every nook and cranny. I hated the clerics but eventually joined them for their weapons and armor. One of my favorite things to do early when I was weak was to aggro an enemy camp and lure them to be slaughtered by an ogre or such. Then finish off the stragglers and grab all the loot from the battle. Good times.
thank you so much for review :) What do you think of the Forgotten City?
been a fan of piranha bytes since the first gothic, completely forgot about this game when it released and came across news of elex 2 being "around the corner", seems like they are sticking with "their roots",quirky as they might be ive always loved their rpg`s.
Thanks for this review, you got me stoked for some more gothic/risen action :D
omg haha. I want to buy it. I never played this game. Thanks for the video :)
I got it for $8 dollars on psn store. Never heard of it. Was probably invested in ARK at the time but so glad I played it. I loved it. It's hard to push through beginning but we'll worth it after. Cant wait for 2
This game reminds me a bit of the game Outward. If you haven't checked it out, it's well worth getting into if it at all looks like your style. I feel like I should mention that it is a lot less story focused and a fair amount more mechanics focused than your usual choices.
I fkn loved this game the first time playing it, it was so hard core learning curve in the begining
I don't know how often it has been asked before but i would really love a review of the gothic series.
In my case especially Gothic 3.
It has a VERY bad reputation but i think it is quite awesome and i spent 100 hours in the game a few years back.
The game is mostly fixed with patches and once you get over the clunkyness it's pretty insane how ambitious and complex this game really is.
The only thing nobody was apparently able to fix is melee combat vs wolves, lolol.
Honestly, Gothic 3 is way better than Elex
The modders could not fix the awful combat and the barely-existent story (as the game was simply unfinished on release).
I didn't like the retcons to previous games lore and the changes to the voice acting either.
The repetitive structure of the game/quests didn't help either.
@@dennisdavidov782 I can see why you would not like the story but to me it was very well done. It felt like Skyrim-style game that actually HAS a story as compared to skyrim. But maybe that's just my personal bias, i don't know.
The combat actually is not so bad in my oppinion, unless you are fighting wolves ...
Downloading now. It's on playstation premium thingy. Great review btw
I am glad to see someone competent reviewing a Piranha Bytes game. Here is a tip: Don't watch Angry Joe's review of Piranha games, he has no clue what he's talking about.
I tried this game and wanted to really like it but I did exactly like you said and tried exploring immediately and just could not kill most anything and that was a major turn off as well as all the jank. I eventually put it down but I always wanted to try it again. I feel like this may be worth another shot.
Oh I haven’t played a Piranha Bytes game since Riven.
I didn’t even know this existed.
I really like their games, despite their very obvious flaws.
One small thing that I wish they changed (maybe they have?)…
I hate that I can’t read the books.
I was spoiled by one of my first loves in the rpg genre being Morrowind, which has tons of books with excellent and actually useful writing.
I hate just going up to a book and having the character say, “hmm, I’ve learned something” and then you get like a skill point.
Thank you.
I skipped the spoilers as I want to play this at some point.
If you liked this game and want more like it, i recommend checking out Gothic 1-3 and Risen 1(1 specifically. Stay away from 2).
I will have to give this another shot. I bought it at some point and just like you said I took one step off the path during the intro quests and got absolutely decimated by the first thing that looked my way. I took this to mean that I must be terrible at the game and it wasn't going to get better so I moved on to something else. I think if I went back to it and approached it with "Im a weak baby" in mind I would have had a better time.
I can't believe you 100% Ed this game. :-) This game hurt my head.
Just bought this on ps4 for 10 bucks and having an absolute blast.
I'm surprised no one has ripped the berserker faction armors for skyrim mods, they look like diversified skyrim nordic armor. On topic, though, I just started this game and it is pretty awesome do far.
Really looking forward to Elex 2. But I really dont want to play a Piranha Bytes game on launch day... the bugs are out of this world.
This was a great review, I loved this game clunkyness and all, can't wait for the sequel
When I am asked about this game, I usually say something like "skyrim but terrible lol"
Thank you for this review - I've had this game for a while and I'll give it another shot.
Yeah, it´s a nice game. It got a place in my heart just like the Gothic series.
As a Piranha Bytes fan of the first hour (Gothic was my 3rd rpg love after baldur's gate 1 and 2) I can only agree with both the positives and the negatives you bring up. PB definitely have a unique take on the open world genre, that I absolutely prefer over the Ubisoft formula we are so inundated with, these days. Also as a fan of the first hour, though, I am sooo frustrated that Pyranha Bytes have, over the course of seven games, not improved on any of their games' strengths nor adressed any of the glaring issues. Even the animations look like straight out of 2001. Imagine Gordan Ramsey just putting butter on a toast and going "ta-daaah" - that's PB for you^^
I certainly hope they break the spell with Elex 2, but be forewarned - in all likelyhood it will be the same jank-fest with all the same gripes and shortcomings, set in a new worldspace to explore.
Great review, though! I'm really glad to have found your channel! :D
Same experience since Gothic I. Elex 2 will be the same game as expected for everyone who knows a PB game.
You really are a baby when you come out of the ship. I love this game combat is technical, there's a certain flow you have to follow... In order to complete some of the early quest like the 'raptors' you have to use the npc's to hopefully help you complete it. At least we got a jetpack :D ya every creature out there has a range attack. But when you fly your stamina recharges just a hair bit faster. It is a very a janky rewarding exploration rpg so of the clipping sometimes makes you laugh or just sigh. The voice acting is superb, i really enjoy that but hope you enjoy there's allot of it.
To people on xbox/Microsoft store its on offer for like £11 (I saw it at £55 the otherday prior to elex 2 releasing)
I’m a late bloomer too in this game however if you stick with grenade early and actually level up your grenade, I was able too be adventurous all over the map very expensive to buy grenades and get a lot you can go any where early.
few mentions
the most powerful way of fighting that can make things easier is investment in combat with jetpack
albs are consuming elex to try and reach next stage of evolution
If you like Elex this much, maybe you should give Gothic 1&2 also a try. Yes they are even more clunky (because of their age), but the things you liked so much about Elex are very present there as well (great worldbuilding etc.). Ofc im a bit biased in that regard because i basically grew up with these 2 games, but i absolutly think you would like them based on what you've said here.
or Riven
my biggest gripe with the cold system is, its logical and calculated to LIE!!! When a character tells me he wants to hear X from me or he doesn't trust me, its logical to LIE and get our way. But no, this option does not exist or cold too low...
Would you recommend just not spending any of your attribute points or learning points until you've reached lvl 15-20, met all the factions and decided who you want to join?
The only thing I remember about this game was me uninstalling it in sheer anger.
;D
lol
Well there are people that like to learn how to play games that have no hand holding or are challenging. And there are people who get played by the games that tell them when to push a button. There's a customer for each type of game. Funny how human diversity works. It creates an economical market for different tastes. What's weird is how it's a cult for some.
@@zensoredparagonbytes3985 It was the bugs that made me rage quit uninstall as at that time the bugs I encountered were game breaking maybe now it's fixed but at launch it was not worth my time to deal with all the bugs.
@@gameanimeking You had to stick to city quests before you could take on any bug as you are pretty weak at the beginning :D:D:D
The storylines and trying to interweave it with an open world is also very difficult. Because even if you go on each mission individually you will realize that you cannot succeed because you do not have enough strength or ability yet. If you free roam you start finding all sorts of items and new quests but you may take an action that completely destroys an entire art of the storyline. And the only way you know that you just did that is a short message that says such and such story failed or no longer accessible pops up on the screen. Also some of the decisions you make give you a no wind scenario. Or they leave a dialogue available that can completely wreck you if you accidentally select it despite that flow of conversation being completed and decision made.
I went out explorer anyway. I luckily got away with some stuff. But then I found out the difficulty level does nothing to level up faster. Times that down after that
This was great. Please make more you do a detailed job
Man, wish you posted this when it was on sale at like $20 or w/e. I was very back and forth on picking it up or just waiting for 2.
I turned off the stamina system, and from that moment on the fights became fun und much more fluid.
The rest is your typical Piranha Bytes game. I love their style, Gothic blew me away when it came out. I didn't even care for the bugs or controls, the world was amazing!
A Gothic 1 and 2 retro review would be nice ! Or a review of the awesome total conversion for Gothic 2 that came out recently, The Chronicles of Myrtana : Archolos :)
Do you think a Elex II 100% review may be on the cards eventually?
Well seeing how I reviewed it quite some time ago, yes: th-cam.com/video/8DctymMvTrQ/w-d-xo.html
@@MortismalGaming 😂 I’m sorry I’m new to your channel and actually watched it yesterday I should of removed this comment
I also find Elex to be rather clunky, especially early combat. Despite this, game had some pretty enjoyable locations and story. Power spike in late game is too big. You start as weak, but in the end you can become overpowered. But overall, it's a good game. They did all they were able to, it's not a big studio after all.
My first RPG was Gothic. Played all their games so far. Elex is just as beautiful as I expected. But hell it is clunky. Even for PB standards. People thought Gothic 3 was the worst of their games when it comes to combat but next to Elex it seems perfect. Often found myself in the Situation that I basically grinded until something was way too easy or just used bugs for my advantage because - especially the mostly ranged combat at the end - the fighting was so unsatisfying.
Really Sad. But other then that it's a great game. Piranha Bytes manages to deliver their worlds in a really unique way that really let you sink in.
On Sale it was even down to about 3,50€ and rarely is over 15€. Defenitely worth the money.
It gets better when u figure out what ur doing, I hated combat at first but now I love it
your intro is from which game ???? Man standing with torch in front of castle. is it baldurs gate ?? Sorry for bad english
In every PB game I've played so far, I always take an overhead screenshot of the first random bird or rat that kills me in my rags and branch
Hey Mortis, when WotR comes to PS4/PS5 will you make a video on the differences with the console ports?
I only own a switch so probably not tbh
@@MortismalGaming Ah kk, was worth a shot. I have consoles only but my wife and I really want to play WotR and waiting for the PS5 version is testing our patience lol so maybe it’s time to finally build another gaming rig 🤔
I’m already over this game after 5 mins of hearing about it. Thank you for saving me 10.00 on buying it.
Most underrated game of all time people finally understanding its a masterpiece of art
It really is one of the best games ever made. Don't care what anyone says
Its just a trash game wtf
I started playing recently and I love this game. I love the beautiful, diverse and seamless world. I even love the combat, when you progress and you can feel your increase in power. I love how the inventory system works, so you don't have to spend stupid amounts of time managing your stuff. I love everything about it and I hope that elex 2 improves all of it and be a at least as good as the first one
It would be better without all the immediately apparent problems. Great game sure. Masterpiece? C'mon guys. Far from masterpiece based just on its immediate flaws. Ffs learn what words actually mean.
I love PB so much. Gothic 2 is the best rpg video game ever imao. Now on Steam for 10 Euro and works on Windows 10.
Awesome review, mate! I'll probably give this game another shot
I am struggling with this game. Played all the spiders game studios games, got a taste for double A games, and this one is tough lol. Loving it though.
You should talk about the different factions a little bit more. Like which one do you personally think that you like more? Which one is easier? Which one is harder to get into how it affects the overall game? If you decide that you don't want to join the clerks or whatever, you know who you better get to choose first as your as your faction
How similar is the quest structure compared to risen 1?
I just bought the game for from humble bundle today it’s on sale for 9.99.
Comment dir the algorithm. Risen was my First Game to complete. I Love Piranha Bytes ever since
I was looking at reviews for the game and the ign one really sticks out as 4.9/10. The review said he made his first character to be "strong in speech based personality" then complained the combat was too hard. 😅😅
IGN, ladies and gentlemen