The ultimate truism of almost every single Piranha Bytes game since Gothic 3 is that they're not for everyone. Setting the wide gaming audience's ELEX 2 expectations in order, then, should be the number one goal of every sensible comparison between it and, say, an Elden Ring, or an Elder Scrolls (funny, how those titles lined up).

A German video game development house, Piranha Bytes may well be responsible for Gothic and Risen - two pillars of AA RPG gaming - but they're hardly competing in the same niche as aforementioned releases. It's pretty unfortunate, then, that ELEX 2, of all things, was to launch just a few days after FromSoftware's massive flagship RPG. Comparisons were inevitable and arguably unfair.

With this article, we'd like to dispel some confusion surrounding Piranha Bytes' output. If you're hoping to learn what makes ELEX 2 interesting in this day and age, you've come to just the right place. If you're a casual RPG fan trying to decide between ELEX 2 and Elden Ring, however, chances are that it's not much of a competition in any way, shape, or form.

Get ELEX 2 via 2Game today!

Setting the Right ELEX 2 Expectations

There's no going around the fact that ELEX 2 is, in fact, exceedingly similar to the original ELEX. This makes sense, right? A sequel to an old RPG classic ought to look, feel, and generally play like its predecessor, right? If you're a Piranha Bytes fan, however, you'll know that these developers have pinpointed their niche to a T.

Now, don't get us wrong: there are differences between the two games and we'll get to those a bit later. The important thing, however, is this: if you played Gothic 3 or, say, Risen, you know precisely what to expect out of ELEX, too.

Piranha Bytes developers have pretty much managed to come up with a formula that practically all of their games follow. What you're getting is a truly massive, sprawling open-world with strangely hard-hitting side-quests and narrative development. A deliberately bland main character that can spec out into an extremely wide variety of combat roles. A brutal progression system that harshly punishes early-game mistakes. On top of all of that, a perfectly average, if somewhat annoying combat system.

Oh, yes, ELEX 2 is a Eurojank title, make no mistake about that.

What sort of RPG is ELEX 2, anyway?

Piranha Bytes' own promo materials describe ELEX 2 as a 'vintage' RPG, and we couldn't agree more with this assessment. Though there are non-insignificant improvements and modernization in place, ELEX 2 takes a good long look at what RPGs came before and takes after them as its primary source of inspiration.

Remember those hardcore RPGs where even a simple rat could eviscerate you at level 1? Where exploration was fully free-form, but high-level encounters blocked you out of accessing certain locations and loot? Or, where you could jankily finesse your way around said enemies due to shoddy AI?

Yeah, that is the stuff, far as ELEX 2 is concerned.

Note that we don't necessarily think any of this is a bad thing. Piranha Bytes knows its audience. These guys make games for old-school gamers that aren't interested in flashy, dumbed-down gameplay mechanics. For better or for worse, of course.

What makes it special, then?

Though the word 'Eurojank' does carry a bit of a negative connotation, it's worth pointing out that it's a term of endearment more than anything else. Just last year, for example, we had a whole slew of amazing Eurojank titles that we had a blast playing, and ELEX 2 fits into that niche perfectly well.

Everything about ELEX 2 is just the right amount of weird. Its mishmash of high-fantasy with post-apocalyptic drama and high-brow sci-fi is unique. Hell, even calling the game's setting unique seems like an understatement. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: no other game lets you spec out a power-armored barbarian that casts magic spells on alien dinosaurs. Not one.

The game is, then, a bit of a window into another era. There's a bunch of QoL in place, even compared to its direct predecessor, note, but that's really not what we're saying here. In most ways that matter, Piranha Bytes is still making the same sort of RPG that older gamers would've been playing back in the late '90s and the early aughts.

For many people, that alone is enough to warrant a playthrough of ELEX 2. If you've got the patience for a slow, somewhat plodding start and janky combat, off to the races you go!

ELEX vs ELEX 2: What's New?

Now that we've established what your ELEX 2 expectations ought to be compared to the rest of the RPG genre, the only thing left to talk about is how the game compares to its predecessor! As we said before, there are some major additions and changes, and fans of the original will undoubtedly find much to love here.

In combat, for example, players can now freely make use of their jetpack not only to do high leaps, but also to hover, and to straight-up fly away, should they choose to do so. As there are now ample flying enemies present, this fits with the goal of giving a new dimension to what is effectively the same kind of gameplay we had back in Gothic 3.

The overworld map features many of the regions that were present in ELEX, but in revamped form. Biomes have changed, locales have been revamped. With there being almost a decade's worth of civilization progressing onwards, the changes make sense. Further, returning players may be thrilled to discover their old favorite locales are back with massive changes in place.

There's also a number of all-new factions for the thoroughly generic protagonist, Jax, to join forces with. Overall, the game builds on top of everything its predecessor did. Its predecessor, in turn, has built on top of Risen and Gothic. All in all, Piranha Bytes veterans know what they're about.

Closing Thoughts

True to its pedigree, THQ Nordic continues to prop up games that wouldn't get the time of day if not for them. With a focus on smaller-scale AA productions, Piranha Bytes' small team of dedicated RPG experts fits right into THQ's contemporary lineup, and ELEX 2 is no different.

As the game's Metacritic score plainly shows, it's not for everyone. Hell, it's not for most gamers. If you've got the right sort of ELEX 2 expectations, however, and if you want something to take you back to a different time, Piranha Bytes has got you covered.

ELEX 2 will make its way to our top Eurojank list of 2022, without a doubt. It's also going to find its audience, albeit slowly. There's much to love here, it's just that it's a bit of give-and-take with ELEX 2.

Get ELEX 2 via 2Game today!