Summary So much to like. Held back by so many issues. If you are like me and like PB's games you may like it. But for now the AI and various other littles things NEED to be patched. Also sorry for what some are calling very late game spoiler stuff. I tried to steer clear of it and its quick enough I think it passes. apologies Also any stutter in the video is I guess youtube. So odd. Its not been doing well with its transcodes. But aside from the drops as I said in mists and random little bits it actually is very smooth.
Wow you didn't even mention Gothic in the review, yet described everything from a gothic game both good and bad. Which is great and gothic still has a huge fan base. I guess you never played any of them. I'm totally getting this.
- 1 hour in and " how do I fight? Is it broken?" - 5 hours in and " mmm... I can defeat the weirdest enemy, maybe ....I can ..." - 10 hours in and " ... I see where this going " - 15 hours in and " this new sword is a game changer. Has any weapon its animation set ? Cool !! " - 20 hours in and " Everything has a purpose! Loving it!! " Of course I knew (unlike most critics) I had to avoid and run from too powerful monsters early on. This saved me the unnecessary frustration so many people seem to find. The games wants to be accessible but never easy or compromising. Loving it
first 20 hours was tough, i didn't mind the AI, as for most of the time i preferred to travel alone, i love how hard the game is at the start, basically i spent good amount of time in Goliat ,just doing bits and peaces to lv up just to be able to advance my attributes and skills so i could get a crappy armor and a better sword, but then slowly you progress and start exploring - which i think is the strongest part of PB games, with Elex being best example. The whole experience is slow but so rewarding, traveling further and further from the areas you got to know, discovering all kinds of things, meeting new companions , factions , or just crazy monsters and of course finding a great Loot . I am having a blast with it. 80 hours and counting , did all the missions possible before joining faction, saved the game at the point where all factions would accept me, and joined one, that way after completing the game you can just load and join a different faction to see their point of view, and how it affects the ending. I would Recomend this game to anyone who loves open world exploration RPG's . Yes it is rough as shit sometimes, and has issues, but i think it's a rough diamond that has so much to offer.
M V I tried to go with a pipe and only the first leggings armor and skip following the guy to travel on my own. Impossible. So I reloaded back to the guy, gave in and followed him.
@Victor Alkaiser Yeah, also that stiff running animation is still basically the same as it was in Gothic 1 and Combat looks the same as in Gothic 2. They really need to update their shit. An interesting world alone just doesn't cut it if everything else is so outdated.
Yeah. Their Gothic series is more focused on RPG side. So much so that while might not be a great "game", it's one of the best "RPG"s. The exploration and the sense of progression was unparalleled until Witcher 3 came.
Playing the game now, months later, the AI issues are basically gone, people are fighting and reacting properly. Combat is still janky. The game runs well. It's still the same game he described but the devs have fixed a lot of it.
TankorSmash yeah I'm playing on xbone. What faction should I join? I wanna upgrade but I'm scared and so far I'm only put four in dex and four in strength. I'm not understanding this so much.
Jimmy Rose 11 bucks on eBay or wait till GameStop has a buy two get one free under 14.99 bc elex, shadows of war, prey, Victor Vran, darkest dungeons, sine mora, assault suit leynos, mad max, little nightmares, summon night 6, Nino kuni, tempest, shadow tactics, outcast, guilty gear, grand Kingdom and other games of these hidden gems are all buy two get one free. I walked out with like eight games for like 50 bucks.
Is it just me or did they do a bad job at marketing this game? I never heard of it till now and it looks like something that should be a lot more popular. Hopefully they fix the ai, its wishful thinking to even hope for them to fix the other issues though.
Marketing budget is an issue by a game made by 30 people. THQNordic, the publisher, isn't that big either. Regarding the issues that Elex has: Piranha Bytes games have one of the most dedicated modding communities out there.
Shihab Malek with piranha bytes being a pretty small developer (around 30 People) and THQ Nordic not being one of the really big publishers I guess it was just a problem with the budget.
Most lesser known developers do not have the finances like a big house publishers like EA, Activision or UBIsoft. I knew about this game because of th-cam.com/channels/TlVz6WP_SsLRt663JqP6lw.htmlvideos GamingBolt has several 10 top upcoming games for every genre and gaming platform among other great content.
Björn Pankratz from Piranha Bytes appeared on some important German gaming channels to present their new game "Elex". In the German PC-magazines the game was also a bigger topic. Piranha Bytes is one of the most popular game developers in Germany and has a very loyal and active community. Also in eastern europe . In the USA their games were never really successful.
I was recommended this Review in the commentsection of Gamingbolts half-assed video. Since I'm a massive Gothic fan, a game series also made by Piranha-Bytes, I was really interested in this game. Looks nice and 45€ doesn't sound too much. I'm glad it's not a total disaster. Great Review
Elex may be not for everyone, but the Piranha Bytes Games always deliever in areas where other RPG's are lackluster. It's no polished mainstream product and thats totally okay.
Sh0cklyz They should team up with Capcom and make a game taking the best parts of Elex and Dragon's Dogma. Shame that Elex's combat is apparently bad, otherwise I'd pick it up.
Yeah, like any of the Bethesda games were polished on launch, and not later abandoned by the devs so the fan modding community would do more bug fixing. But I see your point.
I love Piranha Bytes games. Gothic 3 (with the community patch, of course) is my favorite game of all time. This is the game look forward the most this year. I am sure it will be buggy, glitchy and with technical issues, but I love the atmosphere and handcrafted feeling in their games.
I loved gothic 3 even without community patch. I think it dropped the ball in some areas (like talking orcs??) but did really well with the world gen and pretty good with the story most of the way. Graphics were super pretty too.
I've been waiting for this...THANK YOU Karak for this particular review. I've been a Piranha bytes fan since 2001 when I played Gothic 1 for the first time and fell in love with their type of games. Gothic 2 specifically is my 3# game of all time and seeing your review solidifies my purchase even more. I cannot wait to dive into this game the second it becomes available tomorrow.
finally a deep rpg. i honestly dont give a crap about the janky combat or lackluster ai, i just want a big detailed world to immerse myself in while roleplaying and this game does just that. the world is just incredibly well crafted with tons of npcs who all got some unique stories to tell. also lots of different choices during quest, which is a big plus in my book
I'm over 22 hours in, and I love this game. It gets better and better. Despite all the flaws, it has a very beautiful charm. The world is immersive and the enemies do not re spawn unrealistically. The story keeps me going. I felt very weak to begin with but, I'm a lot strong (still not op) and it is so satisfying. I also love the numerous choice you have in dialogue and decision. Accept it for what it is, and you will absolutly love this game! P.S. great review as always Karak.
Subi_fan no it's not a bandwagon because the game truly is shit. Anyone who says they enjoyed the story is in denial or have never played a decent game in their life. Story, gameplay, character development,animations, soundtrack...all garbage. They failed in almost every aspect of making a game.
Thank you for this review. I could not find anything about this game that was not reposted "15 minute walkthroughs and demos". Awesome review as always.
I love all PB Games so far. Also I live in Germany and of course it has some extra delicious "LOKALKOLORIT" on top since the Devs come from here too and they stuff the dialogues with funny accents, voices and cult references.
I just moved to Germany but I'm from the US. Will I be able to purchase Wolfenstein II? It looks like it's region blocked in Germany, although my steam account is still set for US.
Choice to players doing quests? Great. Mix of weapons and abilities? Yes. Large open world. Yeah! I will buy it when i finish divinity 2 and AC Origins. I think this game with patches will be just the fun i needed after finish the games i mentioned.
Fun fact, you can get all of the items related to a quest, or kill enemies related to a quest without ever meting the NPC who give you that quest ,and when you do meet that NPC and get the exact quest you did the things for you can complete that quest right then and there.
Wow! Thanks for the info @Malcom Alexander. i Love this new games were you can just do the missions as you see fit. Thanks god the "witcher 3 formula" of no more fetch quests are a big trend among developers now.
Lol, you pre-ordered AC origins? What a 'hardcore' gamer you must be. Get a life dude, no one gives a fuck when you're going to play this. And don't mention those two titles in the same sentence again, AC doesn't deserve to be spoken in the same breath.
mhill88ify you must be an even hardcore gamer bashing people for playing a game. I dont recall him praising it or anything yet here you come butt hurt some one mentioned it 😂 get off your high horse thats probably why your so butt hurt to begin with.
Lol, you bothered to comment about them mentioning AC origins? What 'good taste' you must have. Get a life dude, no one gives a fuck what you think deserves to be played. And don't try to shut down someone else's opinion on a game that hasn't even come out yet, AC is a successful series that has many fans and good reviews.
It's a long time since they made Gothic 2 (arguably their best title to date) and Risen (was pretty good too). Their other titles didnt hold up to that level, latest titles have been quite poor. I hope they raised the bar again with that one, we'll see.
I've been fallowing this game for a while. I appreciate you doing a video on it. It helps people find out about the game, and gives them the chance to decide whether to buy it or not.
For me this is the best rpg game i played in a looong time. And believe me, I play a lot. Its not for everyone definitely, but this is a true classic RPG experience. If you are always looking for brand new games with dominant combat, too flashy colorful movie-like realistic graphic - This game is not for you. The thing is, the game is supposed to be like it is (in a matter of everything except graphics- it can always be better). Developers made it just the way they wanted, and believe me, if they wanted to make it different, the way some ppl imagine it should be, they would do it. So, I would say that people completely dont get this game. They compare it to Witcher, Shadow of War, etc. But it just isnt supposed to be like that. Im playing about 30 hours, and its so amazing. There isnt a single thing that that affects my gameplay, not least. Some of the voice acting could be better, but f*ck it, there are so many conversations it doesnt matter anymore. Everyone hate on combat, but what they dont get is You are supposed to be slow weaksh*t getting wrecked by everything. The more you play the more powerful you get. If you think later in game it would feel'like sh*t you are very mistaken. The longer you play the more beautiful game gets, and more dominant your character becomes. All talents attributes weapons armors shields magic other items, there is a whole lot of it and its all planned perfectly as your character progress. It gives real feel of satisfaction and joy. Atmosphere is great, story is great, music is very nice and world looks beatiful. Second thing i kept reading a lot, game is buggy as hell, we need patches etc... What-The-F*ck ? Only thing i find bugging is sometimes combat music if companion is still in combat when you are having a conversation. That is it. I realized ppl find out buggy something that is supposed to be like that and they just dont get it ( example - game is not balanced ( its perfectly balanced ), i die from falling (youre supposed to), stamina fades when i get hit ( supposed..), Companion stand still (you need to attack first for him to act, you are the main character not him, he is not a hunter's pet) etc. ). So this is my opinion, everyone has a right to have theirs, if you hate it hate it I dont give a f*ck, for me its one of the best this year for sure. And yeah, if you do play it, do it on ultra or difficult. And for those Gothic fans who feel like robots and shooting killed Gothic vibe, you are mistaken and should try it, I kinda felt the same but I got amazed how great it all turned together. And Hell, its made of such small team that it is a miracle, for that I would give them bonus rating and respect in my book. Cheers !
This wasn't on my radar, but damn.. It seems like they have a lot of really great ideas, however they're definitely being held back by execution. I agree with your, "Wait for sale," rating. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I always feel that PiranhaBytes are the little engine that almost could. I wish they just had more backing as it just feels like so many of their games have good to great ideas but are missing a million or three here or there to not have such gaps in what they offer. Here is hoping this game finds it's audience so a publishing team that at least tries something fun often stays afloat. Karak thank you so much for the in depth quality reviews you always do and taking time to spot light this game as you do. An thank you to all your patrons who allow you to stay sponsor free an allow you to be independent and unbiased. Happy Gaming all!!!
after watching two reviews from you I had to subscribe, they have enough fun comments and are filled with informative info about the game. You seem completely unbiased when reviewing and simply you do a very good job in every aspect of the reviews.
Was hoping you would be one of those people(including me) who can look past its problems and appreciate the special game hidden within Wasnt disappointed.
thanks ACG this really helps, ELEX is on sale on steam and i was trying to figure out if its something i would play. thanks to you i think i will get it.
it is fun and great. I've played all Risen and Gothic games, but this one gives me Gothic/Risen feeling. This game rules! Love the level up system and it's still a bit hard to get money. Love love love
ACG does the main character in techno still slide two steps before he stops walking? That made me not able to play more than twenty minutes on my ps4 pro. Always respect your reviews too...
Hi your reviews are the best. I allways check the game I want to buy with you first. I really don't understand people who gives your videos dislike. Gj
Lol you are completely stupid, UbiSoft are one of the last devellopers to actually propose totally hand crafted open world with lots of unique locations. Play Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Watch Dogs 2 and Far Cry 5, they are their best open world yet, and you'll see, exploring is always rewarded with great and inspired sights and locations. Sure the gameplay is often pretty repetitive, it's true, but you definitely can't complain about the quality of Ubi's open worlds.
I hadn't even heard of this game and your one-liners have never been better. Been watching you for a while but now I'm convinced to donate to your Patreon.
Have to say, I love your reviews. They're detailed, honest, and surprisingly humorous. But..the most important thing is you seem to have, if not the same, then similar taste in games. Almost every game I've played, that you have reviewed, I've tended to agree with your reviews. And that is the most important thing when looking for a reviewer. So, thanks for your work, and keep it up
I really don't understand why PB can't make a good combat system after around six games. It was decent in the first Risen. Just take that system and improve it.
Love your reviews, you save me a lot of money. Lol. I have to say my wife bought this for me as an early birthday gift. So while it was hard to get going, I stuck with it (she paid full price after all) and I’m really loving it. Only level 9 right now but I’m also taking my time, doing everything I can. LOTS of depth to this game. Tons to do. Very challenging. The issues you raise are totally legit, but I’m really hooked now. The world is amazing. While I haven’t yet joined a faction, I think the developers were clever here. Each faction has a ton of things about them that make you want to join, and each faction has a ton of reasons why you don’t. They’re all kind of dicks in their own way. But I think this game is extra rewarding because the choices you make effect which quests are available, and also you can replay as a different faction. Lots of replayability.
Anyone who wants to see more of this game and has an Xbox one or the Xbox app, should check out The Elex Community, search in the clubs for (Elex Community) or contact me via my gamertag (Rapid1) for an invite, 346 Members growing by the day.
Just wanted to say I usually avoid reviews as these videos tend to be either more about pushing a product or the reviewer thinking the video should be all about showcasing their 'TH-cam personality'. I really appreciate that you stick to the details without the need for theatrics. Fact-based mature reviews are a breath of fresh air.
O A yeah but the exploration is great, theirs always a trade of with PB games, in a perfect world they'd work for Xenimax and have the budget and time to make a Witcher 3 of they're own
I just signed up, like your reviews, the attention to detail and the sound. And ofcourse humor! My only complaint is that you seem to like almost every game :-) ! Greetings from Holland
Nobody wondered if it was that on top of everything else that persuaded him to buy it. When it comes to games, nobody would buy it just for that, people wouldn't buy it for that though.
Phirana Bytes is a very odd developer for me. There was a time when they where my all time favorite developer and Gothic 1 and 2 was my favorite all time games for a long time. Gothic 3 came out a buggy mess unfortunately, but with the help of an excellent community it became a really great game. Then they released Risen 1 and while it had its issues it brought me back to the golden days of Gothic as a true spiritual successor to that franchise. But then things started to go wrong. Risen 2 was abysmally bad in both setting, story and the combat somehow got worse. I barely even scratched Risen 3 before dropping it as Phirana Bytes seem to not really improve a lot on their game design with each new game. And I still hated the stupid pirate setting. Combat and animations has not really evolved much since the old days and I don't really understand why they are so stuck on these kinds of archaic combat systems. What Phirana Bytes excel at compared to any other RPG developer though is making interesting worlds to explore. There is always something cool to find in their games, and a lot has to do with the fact that the world is more static and there is no stupid level scaling or any such system that makes exploration kinda pointless. It is just sad that they don't try to improve the aspects of their games that constantly gets criticized. I will probably pick this game up later on when it is on a deep sale as there is something magical about the exploration in their games, but they really need to start to get with the times as I am not sure i can go through such a long game with such a lame combat system.
I don't know if it's financially possible for PB to improve the AI and combat, while still craft an intersting and big open world. They're just 30 developers, that sit on a couple of desks in a normal house and craft games. Maybe they could recieve enough money over kickstarter, to make a better engine, but without more money, it's nearly impossible.
Oh wow, they've only got 30 people on their team? I've had a pretty strong hate-hate relationship with their games in the past, simply because I hated the feel of the combat and movement. Elex interested the hell out of me when I saw the trailer, but then the developers... I'll pick it up at some point. The setting looks really amazing. Combat tho, agh. When there's so many other games with much much smoother controls, it's hard to get into these kinds of games, even if the world is amazing.
Thats literally the best review i have ever seen about anything. The insides of the game to the outsides. You worked all corners of the map on this one. OOOO WEEE
See this is a very good review..I followed a link to this that someone put in the awful gaming bolt review and this one is extremely fair and points out the good and the bad of a very middle ground game..definitely hit the subscribe button because of this
Great review, I like that it was in depth and concise at the same time. It also seems like there is a lack of bias with the review which makes it helpful. Best rating system ever; I shall wait for the sale on Steam
I got this on sale, I've always loved PB games. first 7 hours were really painful, but once I got a few attribute points, gear and a companion everything just clicked and became super fun. Much like the Risen games really. but I know this game is a winner (for me) because when I get home, all I want to do is play it, and when I'm not at home I'm fantasising about where to go next and what quests to do, what companion should I take with me... maybe I should revisit those dudes who kicked my ass a 5 hours of gameplay ago... something the big AAA rpgs never seem to do for me
@ACG thank you for this looks like something to look for ont he steam sales for Thanksgiving and Xmas. Looks like some good here just too much jank. Thanks again for all the depth and effort and time.
"Rice in a Tupperware bowl" lmao. Great review, your opinion on combat is spot on. I feel like using this combat system is how my friends describe their difficulty using TW3 combat system.
Great review once again. I am very curious to check this one out, since I pretty much skipped the Risen games. I think you hit the nail on the head mentioning the time it takes to get into a PB gameworld. Let's hope they patch up some of the jank.
It looks good enough for me to pick up. As long as the rpg elements and story are good i tend to forgive any graphical or gameplay issues but I probably won't get it right away til the price drops.
Started fast-forwarding this review immediately as I haven't heard anything about this game before and became suspicious when saw the running animation. 'Looks very similar to Gothic' - I thought. The more I watched, the bigger this suspicion grew. Googled and - oh look! - indeed I was right, lol. So watched the whole thing, looks pretty dope for a Gothic-fan, but PB does not fail to make lots of stuff clunky and broken. Might as well get that on a sale. Great review as usual!
This is one of the most awesome games ever made.60 hours into this game and still going.This deserves to be bought as the collecters edition with all the good stuff included in the pacage.
Thanks for an awesome review as always , one question though, is performance better on ps4 pro/xbox one x vs the original consoles? Specifically in the fps department? Thanks
All of their games start slow and are very hard. Once you level up and get some gear it only get easier. But I love that since that's how you get stronger and you feel it while playing it. You not God at level 1.
Thank you for giving an honest opinion about this game. Some people just trash a game for no reason and put in the kill zone. That is what happened to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Elex looks to me like a lot of hours of fun with exploring; that's my kind of game.
Just found your channel. I like the way you review games. Especially the suggested price thing! Really good idea that I don't understand why most reviewers don't touch on.
Good thing about these issues is that they can definitely be fixed over the next couple of months. Looking forward to giving this game another look at a future date.
Summary
So much to like. Held back by so many issues. If you are like me and like PB's games you may like it. But for now the AI and various other littles things NEED to be patched.
Also sorry for what some are calling very late game spoiler stuff. I tried to steer clear of it and its quick enough I think it passes. apologies
Also any stutter in the video is I guess youtube. So odd. Its not been doing well with its transcodes. But aside from the drops as I said in mists and random little bits it actually is very smooth.
Nice rewiev :)
Ill still buy it
OMG! Never heard of this, is it maybe like a futuristic Gothic game? Couldn't even wait for the review to get finished to ask this.
So it's a modern flawed gem?
Wow you didn't even mention Gothic in the review, yet described everything from a gothic game both good and bad. Which is great and gothic still has a huge fan base. I guess you never played any of them. I'm totally getting this.
- 1 hour in and " how do I fight? Is it broken?"
- 5 hours in and " mmm... I can defeat the weirdest enemy, maybe ....I can ..."
- 10 hours in and " ... I see where this going "
- 15 hours in and " this new sword is a game changer. Has any weapon its animation set ? Cool !! "
- 20 hours in and " Everything has a purpose! Loving it!! "
Of course I knew (unlike most critics) I had to avoid and run from too powerful monsters early on. This saved me the unnecessary frustration so many people seem to find.
The games wants to be accessible but never easy or compromising. Loving it
PiranhaBytes are like that girlfriend you have too many fond memories of.
You re the only channel whose reviews I watch all the way through and dont just skip to the end for the verdict. Good shit.
I usually skip the Sound/Music parts, but I do enjoy ACG's reviews.
11swallowedinthesea Yeah bc sound music is all the matters in games, movies, sex, and food.
first 20 hours was tough, i didn't mind the AI, as for most of the time i preferred to travel alone, i love how hard the game is at the start, basically i spent good amount of time in Goliat ,just doing bits and peaces to lv up just to be able to advance my attributes and skills so i could get a crappy armor and a better sword, but then slowly you progress and start exploring - which i think is the strongest part of PB games, with Elex being best example. The whole experience is slow but so rewarding, traveling further and further from the areas you got to know, discovering all kinds of things, meeting new companions , factions , or just crazy monsters and of course finding a great Loot . I am having a blast with it. 80 hours and counting , did all the missions possible before joining faction, saved the game at the point where all factions would accept me, and joined one, that way after completing the game you can just load and join a different faction to see their point of view, and how it affects the ending. I would Recomend this game to anyone who loves open world exploration RPG's . Yes it is rough as shit sometimes, and has issues, but i think it's a rough diamond that has so much to offer.
M V I tried to go with a pipe and only the first leggings armor and skip following the guy to travel on my own. Impossible. So I reloaded back to the guy, gave in and followed him.
PiranhaBytes? Arent they the dudes who made Gothic?
they are! and this is like gothik but in another world :-)
they also made the Risen games
Oh wow the weird combat totally makes sense now.
@Victor Alkaiser Yeah, also that stiff running animation is still basically the same as it was in Gothic 1 and Combat looks the same as in Gothic 2. They really need to update their shit. An interesting world alone just doesn't cut it if everything else is so outdated.
Yeah.
Their Gothic series is more focused on RPG side. So much so that while might not be a great "game", it's one of the best "RPG"s. The exploration and the sense of progression was unparalleled until Witcher 3 came.
Playing the game now, months later, the AI issues are basically gone, people are fighting and reacting properly. Combat is still janky. The game runs well. It's still the same game he described but the devs have fixed a lot of it.
Good to hear, might pick it up then
TankorSmash yeah I'm playing on xbone. What faction should I join? I wanna upgrade but I'm scared and so far I'm only put four in dex and four in strength. I'm not understanding this so much.
Jimmy Rose 11 bucks on eBay or wait till GameStop has a buy two get one free under 14.99 bc elex, shadows of war, prey, Victor Vran, darkest dungeons, sine mora, assault suit leynos, mad max, little nightmares, summon night 6, Nino kuni, tempest, shadow tactics, outcast, guilty gear, grand Kingdom and other games of these hidden gems are all buy two get one free. I walked out with like eight games for like 50 bucks.
Is it just me or did they do a bad job at marketing this game? I never heard of it till now and it looks like something that should be a lot more popular. Hopefully they fix the ai, its wishful thinking to even hope for them to fix the other issues though.
Marketing budget is an issue by a game made by 30 people. THQNordic, the publisher, isn't that big either.
Regarding the issues that Elex has: Piranha Bytes games have one of the most dedicated modding communities out there.
Shihab Malek with piranha bytes being a pretty small developer (around 30 People) and THQ Nordic not being one of the really big publishers I guess it was just a problem with the budget.
Most lesser known developers do not have the finances like a big house publishers like EA, Activision or UBIsoft. I knew about this game because of th-cam.com/channels/TlVz6WP_SsLRt663JqP6lw.htmlvideos GamingBolt has several 10 top upcoming games for every genre and gaming platform among other great content.
Shihab Malek the marketing was more in Germany and not international. Not the best strategy I think
Björn Pankratz from Piranha Bytes appeared on some important German gaming channels to present their new game "Elex". In the German PC-magazines the game was also a bigger topic.
Piranha Bytes is one of the most popular game developers in Germany and has a very loyal and active community. Also in eastern europe .
In the USA their games were never really successful.
7:16 I love how that bird flies XD
I was recommended this Review in the commentsection of Gamingbolts half-assed video. Since I'm a massive Gothic fan, a game series also made by Piranha-Bytes, I was really interested in this game. Looks nice and 45€ doesn't sound too much. I'm glad it's not a total disaster. Great Review
AkantoreX gaming bolts review was so terrible. I will never watch that channel again.
Before you buy's review was worse.
Elex may be not for everyone, but the Piranha Bytes Games always deliever in areas where other RPG's are lackluster.
It's no polished mainstream product and thats totally okay.
Sh0cklyz They should team up with Capcom and make a game taking the best parts of Elex and Dragon's Dogma.
Shame that Elex's combat is apparently bad, otherwise I'd pick it up.
Yeah, like any of the Bethesda games were polished on launch, and not later abandoned by the devs so the fan modding community would do more bug fixing. But I see your point.
True.
PB games focus heavily on the RPG side of things. Some times they bite off more than they can chew.
Not for full price it isnt..this should be a 40 dollar game
It is... listen to the video.
Had never heard of this game before this. Looks pretty interesting though, great review!
Check out the channel "Warmly Calculated" if you want to know more about ELEX.
+trent penter probably, because it came out the same day you wrote your comment lol
I love Piranha Bytes games. Gothic 3 (with the community patch, of course) is my favorite game of all time. This is the game look forward the most this year. I am sure it will be buggy, glitchy and with technical issues, but I love the atmosphere and handcrafted feeling in their games.
nah it's very fine
I loved gothic 3 even without community patch. I think it dropped the ball in some areas (like talking orcs??) but did really well with the world gen and pretty good with the story most of the way. Graphics were super pretty too.
Really, the community patch is that good? I kinda hated G3 when it came out....
legion999 It incredibly improves the game
I too love games that were fixed by modders.
I've been waiting for this...THANK YOU Karak for this particular review. I've been a Piranha bytes fan since 2001 when I played Gothic 1 for the first time and fell in love with their type of games.
Gothic 2 specifically is my 3# game of all time and seeing your review solidifies my purchase even more.
I cannot wait to dive into this game the second it becomes available tomorrow.
sure
just for curiosity's sake, what is no.1 and no. 2? (I also have Gothic 2 in my list of top 5 favourite game)
Maybe I pick it up. Clunky rpg's are kinda a guilty pleasure of mine, and it's been a while since I last saw one.
kaas did you play alpha protocol?
thats the spirit!
Lol alpha protocol
Probably one of the best reviews I've seen for this title
finally a deep rpg. i honestly dont give a crap about the janky combat or lackluster ai, i just want a big detailed world to immerse myself in while roleplaying and this game does just that. the world is just incredibly well crafted with tons of npcs who all got some unique stories to tell. also lots of different choices during quest, which is a big plus in my book
The Witcher, Zelda BotW, Skyrim, Divinity series, Fallout...?!!???!!
Then you must love final fantasy 15. They got a wonderful and detailed world with absolutely no reason to explore.
@@Blittsplitt5 Don't have what Elex has. It's called hardcore.
buy it if you havent, i tis well wort your money, you will spend hours, before even starting the main quest, this game will consume your time
@Cinetrap films the game so bad that community mods had to fix it? lol yea okay
All I hear: PLAY IT!
I'm over 22 hours in, and I love this game. It gets better and better. Despite all the flaws, it has a very beautiful charm. The world is immersive and the enemies do not re spawn unrealistically. The story keeps me going. I felt very weak to begin with but, I'm a lot strong (still not op) and it is so satisfying. I also love the numerous choice you have in dialogue and decision. Accept it for what it is, and you will absolutly love this game! P.S. great review as always Karak.
You’re awesome for being the first to review this before it even comes out. My man.
Face animations are better than Mass Effect Andromeda
Did Mass Effect have facial animations ? I didn't notice any.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
not in the sex scene tho
Subi_fan no it's not a bandwagon because the game truly is shit. Anyone who says they enjoyed the story is in denial or have never played a decent game in their life. Story, gameplay, character development,animations, soundtrack...all garbage. They failed in almost every aspect of making a game.
seriously? stop being so entitled beacuse andromeda for me personally stomps on Horizon, Nier etc. People have different tastes so you know
Thank you for this review. I could not find anything about this game that was not reposted "15 minute walkthroughs and demos". Awesome review as always.
I love all PB Games so far. Also I live in Germany and of course it has some extra delicious "LOKALKOLORIT" on top since the Devs come from here too and they stuff the dialogues with funny accents, voices and cult references.
Yes, here in Germany its iconic!
I just moved to Germany but I'm from the US. Will I be able to purchase Wolfenstein II? It looks like it's region blocked in Germany, although my steam account is still set for US.
Kyle Follendorf you can only buy the german version or activate a global key via VPN
lol You Germs love your Piranha Bytes games don't you?
United Potatoes hahahahaha you can't play the true new colossus because your country is filled witj PC sjw white guilt
Choice to players doing quests? Great. Mix of weapons and abilities? Yes. Large open world. Yeah! I will buy it when i finish divinity 2 and AC Origins. I think this game with patches will be just the fun i needed after finish the games i mentioned.
Fun fact, you can get all of the items related to a quest, or kill enemies related to a quest without ever meting the NPC who give you that quest ,and when you do meet that NPC and get the exact quest you did the things for you can complete that quest right then and there.
Wow! Thanks for the info @Malcom Alexander. i Love this new games were you can just do the missions as you see fit. Thanks god the "witcher 3 formula" of no more fetch quests are a big trend among developers now.
Lol, you pre-ordered AC origins? What a 'hardcore' gamer you must be. Get a life dude, no one gives a fuck when you're going to play this. And don't mention those two titles in the same sentence again, AC doesn't deserve to be spoken in the same breath.
mhill88ify you must be an even hardcore gamer bashing people for playing a game. I dont recall him praising it or anything yet here you come butt hurt some one mentioned it 😂 get off your high horse thats probably why your so butt hurt to begin with.
Lol, you bothered to comment about them mentioning AC origins? What 'good taste' you must have. Get a life dude, no one gives a fuck what you think deserves to be played. And don't try to shut down someone else's opinion on a game that hasn't even come out yet, AC is a successful series that has many fans and good reviews.
I'm excited because Gothic was awesome
Unknown User So was risen. especially 2 and 3.
It's a long time since they made Gothic 2 (arguably their best title to date) and Risen (was pretty good too). Their other titles didnt hold up to that level, latest titles have been quite poor. I hope they raised the bar again with that one, we'll see.
Said no-one, ever.
Chano Roriguez look at me Im edgy twat.
What do you mean,risen 2 and 3 are horrible:D
I've been fallowing this game for a while. I appreciate you doing a video on it. It helps people find out about the game, and gives them the chance to decide whether to buy it or not.
For me this is the best rpg game i played in a looong time. And believe me, I play a lot. Its not for everyone definitely, but this is a true classic RPG experience. If you are always looking for brand new games with dominant combat, too flashy colorful movie-like realistic graphic - This game is not for you. The thing is, the game is supposed to be like it is (in a matter of everything except graphics- it can always be better). Developers made it just the way they wanted, and believe me, if they wanted to make it different, the way some ppl imagine it should be, they would do it. So, I would say that people completely dont get this game. They compare it to Witcher, Shadow of War, etc. But it just isnt supposed to be like that.
Im playing about 30 hours, and its so amazing. There isnt a single thing that that affects my gameplay, not least. Some of the voice acting could be better, but f*ck it, there are so many conversations it doesnt matter anymore.
Everyone hate on combat, but what they dont get is You are supposed to be slow weaksh*t getting wrecked by everything. The more you play the more powerful you get. If you think later in game it would feel'like sh*t you are very mistaken. The longer you play the more beautiful game gets, and more dominant your character becomes. All talents attributes weapons armors shields magic other items, there is a whole lot of it and its all planned perfectly as your character progress. It gives real feel of satisfaction and joy. Atmosphere is great, story is great, music is very nice and world looks beatiful.
Second thing i kept reading a lot, game is buggy as hell, we need patches etc... What-The-F*ck ? Only thing i find bugging is sometimes combat music if companion is still in combat when you are having a conversation. That is it. I realized ppl find out buggy something that is supposed to be like that and they just dont get it ( example - game is not balanced ( its perfectly balanced ), i die from falling (youre supposed to), stamina fades when i get hit ( supposed..), Companion stand still (you need to attack first for him to act, you are the main character not him, he is not a hunter's pet) etc. ).
So this is my opinion, everyone has a right to have theirs, if you hate it hate it I dont give a f*ck, for me its one of the best this year for sure. And yeah, if you do play it, do it on ultra or difficult.
And for those Gothic fans who feel like robots and shooting killed Gothic vibe, you are mistaken and should try it, I kinda felt the same but I got amazed how great it all turned together. And Hell, its made of such small team that it is a miracle, for that I would give them bonus rating and respect in my book. Cheers !
well said!
I have completed this game, it's really good, unfortunately very few people know it!
This wasn't on my radar, but damn.. It seems like they have a lot of really great ideas, however they're definitely being held back by execution. I agree with your, "Wait for sale," rating. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I always feel that PiranhaBytes are the little engine that almost could. I wish they just had more backing as it just feels like so many of their games have good to great ideas but are missing a million or three here or there to not have such gaps in what they offer. Here is hoping this game finds it's audience so a publishing team that at least tries something fun often stays afloat. Karak thank you so much for the in depth quality reviews you always do and taking time to spot light this game as you do. An thank you to all your patrons who allow you to stay sponsor free an allow you to be independent and unbiased. Happy Gaming all!!!
after watching two reviews from you I had to subscribe, they have enough fun comments and are filled with informative info about the game. You seem completely unbiased when reviewing and simply you do a very good job in every aspect of the reviews.
Now THATS a Review. Thank you. I might think of buying this game now when it gets on sale or if i have few spare bucks.
sure
This is actually a really fun game.
Was hoping you would be one of those people(including me) who can look past its problems and appreciate the special game hidden within
Wasnt disappointed.
he is a reviewer, he would be bad at his job if he looked past its problems
That's a lot of problems to look past.
Fanboy
think ya missed the point of the comment lol
thanks ACG this really helps, ELEX is on sale on steam and i was trying to figure out if its something i would play. thanks to you i think i will get it.
Im one of the guys who liked risen trilogy alot,, even with all its problems, i really had funnwith those games
So im definately buying this
it is fun and great. I've played all Risen and Gothic games, but this one gives me Gothic/Risen feeling. This game rules! Love the level up system and it's still a bit hard to get money. Love love love
Wait I never heard of this. First glance reminded me of Technomancer which I just played through in the summer and really liked!
I really liked Techno
ACG does the main character in techno still slide two steps before he stops walking? That made me not able to play more than twenty minutes on my ps4 pro. Always respect your reviews too...
I really liked Technomancer too very underrated
Technomancee waa pretty cool, I never finished it but it was fun . I got pretty far too
I lived bound by flame, but could not stand technomancers fighting mechanics.
Looks pretty cool tbh. I'll look at picking it up in a steam sale.
Grunkle Dan yep looks so cool but i dunno if i should get it or not... :(
Hi your reviews are the best. I allways check the game I want to buy with you first. I really don't understand people who gives your videos dislike. Gj
Elex is one of my favourite games ever. Give me a hand crafted world with character and personality over bland Ubiworld shite any day if the week
Lol you are completely stupid, UbiSoft are one of the last devellopers to actually propose totally hand crafted open world with lots of unique locations. Play Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Watch Dogs 2 and Far Cry 5, they are their best open world yet, and you'll see, exploring is always rewarded with great and inspired sights and locations. Sure the gameplay is often pretty repetitive, it's true, but you definitely can't complain about the quality of Ubi's open worlds.
I hadn't even heard of this game and your one-liners have never been better. Been watching you for a while but now I'm convinced to donate to your Patreon.
thanks!
Thanks for the review. Been waiting for this, surprised it was early. Hopefully Xmas sale then I'm grabbing it 😁
sure
Have to say, I love your reviews. They're detailed, honest, and surprisingly humorous.
But..the most important thing is you seem to have, if not the same, then similar taste in games. Almost every game I've played, that you have reviewed, I've tended to agree with your reviews.
And that is the most important thing when looking for a reviewer.
So, thanks for your work, and keep it up
I really don't understand why PB can't make a good combat system after around six games. It was decent in the first Risen. Just take that system and improve it.
me either
I like the combat of these games, to me it feels great.
That's because they outsourcing animation to other studios.
This is the first ACG review I've ever seen, and am impressed. Very thorough, and entertaining. Well done.
Thanks Karak for the review, had my eye on this for a while!
Think I'll subscribe now. I realized watching this that I've seen a number of your videos and always enjoy them. Great work!
thanks so much man
about that bird falling out the sky at 7:05. lol.
Okay Silence that bird has a tiny jetpack
Classic PB.
Love your reviews, you save me a lot of money. Lol. I have to say my wife bought this for me as an early birthday gift. So while it was hard to get going, I stuck with it (she paid full price after all) and I’m really loving it. Only level 9 right now but I’m also taking my time, doing everything I can. LOTS of depth to this game. Tons to do. Very challenging. The issues you raise are totally legit, but I’m really hooked now. The world is amazing. While I haven’t yet joined a faction, I think the developers were clever here. Each faction has a ton of things about them that make you want to join, and each faction has a ton of reasons why you don’t. They’re all kind of dicks in their own way. But I think this game is extra rewarding because the choices you make effect which quests are available, and also you can replay as a different faction. Lots of replayability.
Glad to be Austrian.... So the German Voices are just genius, just like always from PB :)
Yeah. I live in the same region as the Devs. And here we call it "Ruhrpottcharm" :)
You know, ACG has some of the absolute best reviews I've ever watched. Thanks, this is better than watching G4.
Hey Karak, could you review divinity original sin 2 please
Shaunak Deshpande I feel like he's too busy to review that game just yet, everyone has been asking him to review it since it came out
I started this game yesterday, got jumped the moment i got to first town by a assassin and was murdered. Turned the game off.
I haven't ran into any bugs, guess I'm lucky.
Just buy it bro - it's amazing.
Anyone who wants to see more of this game and has an Xbox one or the Xbox app, should check out The Elex Community, search in the clubs for (Elex Community) or contact me via my gamertag (Rapid1) for an invite, 346 Members growing by the day.
It's weird I haven't heard of this until today, happy to see you did a review
great to see that the lineage of Gothic continues
Just wanted to say I usually avoid reviews as these videos tend to be either more about pushing a product or the reviewer thinking the video should be all about showcasing their 'TH-cam personality'. I really appreciate that you stick to the details without the need for theatrics. Fact-based mature reviews are a breath of fresh air.
thanks
im too much of a piranha bytes fan, love gothic and risen to not pick this up. gives me an edge on looking past its flaws
Same here :D
Im playing risen 3 atm but the combat man, its awful.
O A yeah but the exploration is great, theirs always a trade of with PB games, in a perfect world they'd work for Xenimax and have the budget and time to make a Witcher 3 of they're own
well risen 3 is by far their worst game, i still liked it though
risen 3 as a mage is the best way to go though
I just signed up, like your reviews, the attention to detail and the sound. And ofcourse humor! My only complaint is that you seem to like almost every game :-) ! Greetings from Holland
facial animations look better then mass effect
I think in that regard its harder to make a game that looks WORSE than one that looks better.
Damion Lawson than*
+Damion Lawson You must be playing it on the XBOX ONE because the facial animations look far better than what this game offers on my PS4 PRO.
Lol, no. MEA received a lot of flak for good reason, but it's leagues above this.
First of all its spelled "than". And secondly- no, they dont look better than ME.
Man u are definitly the best game reviewer on this youtube
Keep good work, thumbs up!!!!!!!!!
No micro transactions? Bought
Doctopus I hope you can get some therapy for your anger issues. Please tell your parents they are not giving you enough attention.
@Mistcat88 ... you do not sound that bright. You do know that games with micro-transaction do not require you to buy those micro-transaction items
Redridge07 iFly's comment also can apply to you.
Nobody wondered if it was that on top of everything else that persuaded him to buy it. When it comes to games, nobody would buy it just for that, people wouldn't buy it for that though.
@Nightmare It’s called a joke, you moron.
You are the only game review channel I actually trust. Keep up the good work.
Phirana Bytes is a very odd developer for me. There was a time when they where my all time favorite developer and Gothic 1 and 2 was my favorite all time games for a long time. Gothic 3 came out a buggy mess unfortunately, but with the help of an excellent community it became a really great game. Then they released Risen 1 and while it had its issues it brought me back to the golden days of Gothic as a true spiritual successor to that franchise. But then things started to go wrong. Risen 2 was abysmally bad in both setting, story and the combat somehow got worse. I barely even scratched Risen 3 before dropping it as Phirana Bytes seem to not really improve a lot on their game design with each new game. And I still hated the stupid pirate setting.
Combat and animations has not really evolved much since the old days and I don't really understand why they are so stuck on these kinds of archaic combat systems. What Phirana Bytes excel at compared to any other RPG developer though is making interesting worlds to explore. There is always something cool to find in their games, and a lot has to do with the fact that the world is more static and there is no stupid level scaling or any such system that makes exploration kinda pointless. It is just sad that they don't try to improve the aspects of their games that constantly gets criticized.
I will probably pick this game up later on when it is on a deep sale as there is something magical about the exploration in their games, but they really need to start to get with the times as I am not sure i can go through such a long game with such a lame combat system.
I don't know if it's financially possible for PB to improve the AI and combat, while still craft an intersting and big open world. They're just 30 developers, that sit on a couple of desks in a normal house and craft games. Maybe they could recieve enough money over kickstarter, to make a better engine, but without more money, it's nearly impossible.
Oh wow, they've only got 30 people on their team?
I've had a pretty strong hate-hate relationship with their games in the past, simply because I hated the feel of the combat and movement. Elex interested the hell out of me when I saw the trailer, but then the developers... I'll pick it up at some point. The setting looks really amazing. Combat tho, agh. When there's so many other games with much much smoother controls, it's hard to get into these kinds of games, even if the world is amazing.
Thats literally the best review i have ever seen about anything. The insides of the game to the outsides. You worked all corners of the map on this one. OOOO WEEE
thanks
"like, 10,000 square miles of shit is somehow worth more than 1-sq ft of diamonds" lovely analogy.
The reviewer clearly understands a lot about how games are made, it's nice to hear specific technical details in reviews.
ACG - Review level 99 - Master
Peace Maker you mean lvl 999?
*100
Karak has the most in depth and accurate reviews I've found. Thanks for another one.
Thank you for this reivew, if they patch some of these issues I hope you revisit this game cause it looks really awesome.
See this is a very good review..I followed a link to this that someone put in the awful gaming bolt review and this one is extremely fair and points out the good and the bad of a very middle ground game..definitely hit the subscribe button because of this
thanks
"A house and a couple of vegetables to call his own"...lol living the post apocalypse dream
Where a carrot is life
Great review, I like that it was in depth and concise at the same time. It also seems like there is a lack of bias with the review which makes it helpful.
Best rating system ever; I shall wait for the sale on Steam
I see one million subscribers in your future soon, sir
1440p video is always appreciated, Thanks ACG.
Was waiting for this!!!
I got this on sale, I've always loved PB games. first 7 hours were really painful, but once I got a few attribute points, gear and a companion everything just clicked and became super fun. Much like the Risen games really.
but I know this game is a winner (for me) because when I get home, all I want to do is play it, and when I'm not at home I'm fantasising about where to go next and what quests to do, what companion should I take with me... maybe I should revisit those dudes who kicked my ass a 5 hours of gameplay ago... something the big AAA rpgs never seem to do for me
@ACG thank you for this looks like something to look for ont he steam sales for Thanksgiving and Xmas. Looks like some good here just too much jank. Thanks again for all the depth and effort and time.
"Rice in a Tupperware bowl" lmao. Great review, your opinion on combat is spot on. I feel like using this combat system is how my friends describe their difficulty using TW3 combat system.
Hit 40 hours plus wow great game.
Great review once again. I am very curious to check this one out, since I pretty much skipped the Risen games. I think you hit the nail on the head mentioning the time it takes to get into a PB gameworld. Let's hope they patch up some of the jank.
Elex 2 has been announced today because THQ Nordic is celebrating their 10 year anniversary!!!
7:06 the birds look so weird. Btw great work karak on getting review for this game cuz i am not sure if anyone would review the game.
It looks good enough for me to pick up. As long as the rpg elements and story are good i tend to forgive any graphical or gameplay issues but I probably won't get it right away til the price drops.
Piranha Bytes is my favorite dev but I totally agree with you about this game. excellent review, you're my favorite reviewer
The design of the RPG looks amazing. COmbat atleast has a dodge (The Elder Scrolls games don't and it sucks.)
Started fast-forwarding this review immediately as I haven't heard anything about this game before and became suspicious when saw the running animation. 'Looks very similar to Gothic' - I thought. The more I watched, the bigger this suspicion grew. Googled and - oh look! - indeed I was right, lol. So watched the whole thing, looks pretty dope for a Gothic-fan, but PB does not fail to make lots of stuff clunky and broken. Might as well get that on a sale. Great review as usual!
This is one of the most awesome games ever made.60 hours into this game and still going.This deserves to be bought as the collecters edition with all the good stuff included in the pacage.
Excellent review and right on point,ELEX is a very good game with many clueless reviews, but ACG review was the most proper IMO.
Thanks for an awesome review as always , one question though, is performance better on ps4 pro/xbox one x vs the original consoles? Specifically in the fps department? Thanks
Great review I'm definitely going to be picking it up despite the problems the world looks really fun to explore
All of their games start slow and are very hard. Once you level up and get some gear it only get easier. But I love that since that's how you get stronger and you feel it while playing it. You not God at level 1.
"You not God at level 1." Then I better find a full set of power armour just sitting there in the first shithole I roll up in. XD
Thank you for giving an honest opinion about this game. Some people just trash a game for no reason and put in the kill zone. That is what happened to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Elex looks to me like a lot of hours of fun with exploring; that's my kind of game.
Ah man, i swear i thought the jetpack was a big belt that says "MoM" on it.
Love review , I'm buying, missed game when launched , top job ACG one off the only reviewers I trust keep up good work old boy
Eh been craving a decent immersive game and this looks pretty good by my standards. Just preordered
enjoy
Subbed at your Nier Automata review, very informative and well explained reviews.
HOLYSHIT! 2 reviews in 1 day? that's like Christmas already! fuckin amazing reviews as always mate!
Just found your channel. I like the way you review games. Especially the suggested price thing! Really good idea that I don't understand why most reviewers don't touch on.
"A bad guy freaking generator in a mole hill"
XD I'm done.
Good thing about these issues is that they can definitely be fixed over the next couple of months. Looking forward to giving this game another look at a future date.
as a PB fan.. i can't fcking w8 :D this is going to be a blast