$49.99ELEX II Fly anywhere, answer for everything
Roam a grim science fantasy planet with a jetpack, forge uneasy alliances and shape a story that keeps score of every choice you make.
Is ELEX II worth it?
ELEX II is worth it if…
- you want an open world RPG that trusts you to find your own way, with no hand-holding
- you like factions, ranks and choices that actually change what content you see
- you enjoy earning your power, even if the early hours knock you down a lot
- you can forgive stiff animations and rough edges in exchange for a world with real character
- you played Gothic, Risen or the first ELEX and want more of that breed of RPG
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A world that remembers what you do
Magalan is a lived-in place, and it keeps receipts. The people you meet remember your deeds and react to them: some will join your group, some will walk away if you treat them badly, and some can be killed, which changes how the story unfolds. Five factions compete for your allegiance, each with its own skills and its own way of seeing the world, and you can also refuse them all and stay neutral. Side quests often let you play them kind, neutral or cruel, so the same errand can end three different ways. It is an old-school RPG in that sense: choices can lock content away, and progress feels earned rather than handed out.
A jetpack changes everything
The jetpack is the reason exploring Magalan feels different from other open worlds. It carries you over ravines, up cliffs and onto rooftops, and it can take you into full flight across the map. A dead city becomes interesting the moment you realize the good stuff is on the roof of the tallest building. The world itself is hand-crafted and varied: forests and meadows, deserts, volcanic landscapes, snowy mountains and plains. It rewards the curious with dozens of unique weapons hidden in corners you would only find by going where the road does not. The landscapes are a highlight, especially the greener regions.
What should you know before playing?
Do you need to play the first ELEX first?
It helps, but it is not required. ELEX II continues Jax's story several years after he defeated the Hybrid, so returning characters and the world's history land better if you know the first game. That said, the game also opens up the lore of Magalan and explains how the world works, so newcomers can follow the plot. If you plan to play both, start with ELEX: this sequel assumes you care about these people already.
Is the world really open, or gated by the story?
Open, and unusually honest about it. You can move through the epic story in any order you want, and the jetpack means few places are physically out of reach. The world does not scale to you, so wandering into the wrong region early can be fatal, which is part of what makes exploration feel meaningful. Quests, factions and loot are scattered everywhere, and the game rewards players who poke into every corner rather than beeline the main plot.
How rough is the game technically?
It has real rough edges: dated character animations, occasionally clumsy AI and a start that feels strange even to series fans. The world, the quests and the atmosphere are what carry it, and the game runs well on modest hardware today. If stiff animations in exchange for a genuinely strange, hand-crafted world sounds like a bad trade, this is not your game. If it sounds like every RPG you grew up with, you will feel at home.
