ELEX 2
ELEX 2 is an action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes and published in March 1, 2022 by THQ Nordic.  It is the sequel to ELEX, and players control the same protagonist, Jax.  They must unite the world against a new threat: invading aliens.

Gameplay 
Players control Jax, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic, science fantasy setting.  Elex 2 is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective.  There are six factions that players can align with, each representing a different philosophy.  The substance elex, which comes from outer space, gives people powers equivalent to magic, and various factions prefer either magic or technology.  Combat uses a system in which actions, such as attacking or defending, drain Jax's stamina.  Without enough stamina, Jax can not attack or defend. Jax is equipped with a jetpack, which players can use to explore the open world.  Gaining levels allows Jax to increase his attributes, which allow him to use better equipment.  The antagonists are techno-organic aliens, which Jax must unite the various factions against.

Development 
Piranha Bytes used their proprietary Genome Engine.  THQ Nordic released ELEX 2 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Windows on March 1, 2022.

Reception 
ELEX 2 received mixed reviews on Metacritic.  Rock Paper Shotgun said it is "clunky and janky, but compelling".  Comparing it to the Gothic and Risen series, they said that Piranha Bytes was still making games with the same issues.  They found this forgivable but disliked how unappealing and mean-spirited they found all the characters, including the protagonist.  IGN said Elex 2 seems stuck in the mid-2000s and ignores all innovations made since Gothic 3.  They also criticized some of the dialogue as sounding like "a schlocky B-movie" and said the combat is "clunky, imprecise, and annoying".  RPGSite called it "a poorly implemented retread" and said they could not recommend ELEX 2 to anyone but "the most ardent die-hard fans of ELEX".  RPGFan wrote, "Elex II can be entertaining in all the wrong ways, but as a sequel, it's just more of the same."

ELEX 2 was among the top three best-selling games that were released in 2022 at GOG.com.

References

External links 
 

2022 video games
Video games developed in Germany
Windows games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
THQ Nordic games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
Single-player video games
Action role-playing video games
Open-world video games
Science fantasy video games
Post-apocalyptic video games
Video game sequels
Piranha Bytes games