Elex Gameplay E3 2017: A Look At The Open World Sci-Fi Fantasy Game That Promises Freedom
Jun. 15, 2017We made our way to THQ Nordic for some up close and personal time withElex, the upcoming open world RPG from Piranha Bytes that blends sci-fi and fantasy. We saw Elex in person last year at E3 and Gamescom and can safely say that the game has come a long way over the months.
The game is a fully open world without load screens and without pausing, with menus that appear fluidly in game creating a very locked in feeling. The graphics look great and are the area where the game has made the most improvements in. The world is beautifully designed with several differentbiomesall tinged by the unique nature of the factions. The map is massive and populated with towns and cities, all of which are full ofNPCsand you get around on foot and via jetpack, exploring the verticality of the world. You can tell there is going to be a lot to get into and you’ll be free to tackle it as you desire.
You will choose from 1 of 3factions, all of which are battling over a scarce and powerful resource called Elex, which arrived on Magalan with a meteorite that ironically destroyed most of the world. You can set out with companions from within these factions. These companions have their own relationships that you can develop for better or worse. If you do enough that turns them off, they may abandon you. Turn them on? Romance is certainly in the cards.
Choices are definite and permanent, and this adds replayability based on the faction you choose and the decisions you make duringquests. You can kill almost anyone and the game reacts, adjusting quest objectives but not canceling. That kind of freedom doesn’t exist in many games and the fact that the game adapts is impressive. It will be interesting to see how it all holds together with your rogue players who are want to kill quickly or lure a monster into a village and let it wreak havoc while you watch the world burn. The main story will always be able to be progressed, however.
Weaponsand gear have stat requirements which adds an importance to your build and makes you pay attention to your stats and plan a build. Min maxers and fans of games like Dark Souls will appreciate this touch as they design their characters around their favorite items. Weapons can be upgraded viacrafting, and the faction you choose will determine your available paths and status effect options.
Theenemyvariety is another welcome feature, as the enemies don’t come off as reskinned baddies. The trolls look like trolls of lore, and there is a hefty assortment of all of your archetypes from sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Taking them on in combat, lets the game’s focus on rewarding smart play instead of button mashing come through.
Ultimately the game’s freedom is where it shines. You can go anywhere and do anything and aren’t gated to the main quest. This is going to be a huge selling point for this game. According to Piranha Bytes, you may opt to undertake the main questline right away or spend dozens of hours just exploring all of the side activities and landscape the game has to over. Coupled with the flexibility of the questlines where you can kill NPCs without necessarily breaking the progression, results in an ambitious project that should entice players with control issues.
There are a few UI idiosyncracies that could be addressed, such as moving the stamina bar up to the top and possibly reworking the jetpack gauge which break the immersion. A few small changes to these mechanics can add even more to the always-in-the-game development principle.
Elex was impressive to see in person and wowed us with the level of thought being applied to your freedom of choice, but also the depth of consideration given to stats, weapons and gear and how they all interact. It’s been awhile since we’ve been treated to an open world RPG that truely let you go anywhere and do anything at your own pace, and Elex may fill that void quite nicely when it releases October 17th for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Visit theElex Wiki
More onElex
Emergence
Editor at Fextralife. I look for the substantial in gaming and I try to connect video games to the emotions and stories they elicit. I love all things culture and history and have an odd fondness for the planet Jupiter. I think my dogs are pretty awesome too.
[>
You play as a blacksmith’s son, the sole survivor of a mercenary attack on your village, where you lost your family and go on a quest of revenge and get involved in some historical hijinks.
It’s as much of an RPG as you can get without having to create your character. Everything is apparently up to you, from settling disputes through violence or diplomacy, or being a sneaky thief or a heavy armor, claymore wielding maniac.
It’s seems like old school Fallout (the isometric ones) choices and consequences joined with the massive open world game of Elder Scrolls, and had a good story, and splash in a little realism.
Kinda off-topic for Elex, I guess. It does look promising, though.
It’s sounding a bit like Fallout or TES in terms of quests, but instead of making some people invincible, they make work arounds should something happen to them. Sounds like there maybe some problems when important NPCs get attacked and killed by random monsters.
Anyways, this sounds interesting enough to keep an eye on.
Me neither, and I don’t know what kind of Role-playing it offers. I recall you can’t make your own character though; you play as a specific man who I believe was either a convicted thief released from prison, or some sort of Medieval laborer. Going by this however, some people wouldn’t even consider it an RPG.
I think the only one that really comes close to actual role-playing and choice is Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and I’ve barely seen any of it.
A lot of RPGs are selling themselves on the total choice and free character building philosophy. Big question is, can they actually pull it off in a way player can enjoy. Second question is, can it stand above other such RPGs with the same design philosophy.
Log in to leave a Comment
