Game News ELEX II gets a combat trailer, now available for preorder

[HoboForEternity]

I understand on the creative side they want something new and try to play with the same formula (aka PB world design that are still strong even with risen 2 and 3 ((for some parts)) but different setting and combat).

Copying things, even good thing would lead to creative bankruptcy and morale boost for the devs.

What i can't excuse is how their hitboxes became worse each game. Like in elex it's completely ridiculous, while the combat idea itself is actually OK, the execution can be OK depending on which type of enemies (humans and small monsters in 2 or 3 numbers are decent fun to fight, but bigger monster and multiple enemies it's completely ridiculous.

 

[Israfael]

What ELEX really needed was not new animations, more than one model of a female or fix for the 'enter into the building' blindness but more interplay and reactions between factions (a-la the Dome city, but in the other two regions - i.e. not dealing with the smuggling problem could have exarcebated the situation in the Alb region (harder endgame, for example, or clerics refusing to join you in the final assault) and not dealing with the bomb thing and the Duke might have created extra troubles in the Cleric region. And they should have fixed the damage model, anything that was not a DoT type damage was vastly inferior to even the worst DoT-type weaponry (sans the unique plasma gun with the aoe stun shot mode))

 

[Stokowski]

A direct competitor arises: Horizon Elex Dawn

I was thinking "The Elex Scrolls II", but you're right.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Björn said in one of his videos that this is done by design, i.e. they purposely make the early game, and to some extent the mid game, hard as ass on purpose.

If only it could remain hard the whole game.

Agreed, I do also think the end-game difficulty could use some tweaking. But all in all, it does feel very rewarding to become so powerful, that you can one shot enemies that used to rape you. I just really enjoy how Piranha Bytes gives the player the feeling that all of their hard work leveling up and exploring didn't go to waste.

Another similar example, to name a popular game, would be Fallout. In Fallout you will get brutally murdered if you dare take on a Death Claw in the early-game, but in the end-game you can one shot those bastards with a plasma cannon. I just absolutely love that kind of game design, the only difference is that in a PB game, the rats from the starting area would rape you as well.

I'm all for feeling powerful at the end game by destroying enemies that used to be hard at the beginning.

But that doesn't mean challenge has to go. You can have some easy encounters where you destroy enemies and feel the progression, but not only that. Enemies that have become easy could still be challenging in greater numbers. You could also mix those enemies with a couple of challenging foes, that way the old and easy ones are more of an obstacle to deal with while you fight the real challenge. And you can have encounters with new, harder enemies.

I hope they do this for ELEX 2. At the end game I often find myself considering installing a mod that makes things harder.

Actually the final boss battle was too hard but that's mostly due to the combat mechanics. The boss keeps kablamming you with rockets, then you get up at a leisurely pace and by the time you're ready to shoot back, the next one hits. Back in the Nintendo era I used to hate games that take control away from you, that has not changed.

Only way to beat it was to avoid getting hit even once.

 

[Ismaul]

Actually the final boss battle was too hard but that's mostly due to the combat mechanics. The boss keeps kablamming you with rockets...

Maybe he was badly designed. I remember him being a pushover though. There were pillars for you to hide behind and protect yourself.

 

[Roguey]

I shot him a few times with the EMP mode of the plasma rifle and he died in seconds.

 

[ADULF HITLOR FAN KLUB]

The final boss died for me in seconds too. Somebody at PB just messed up, because that couldn't have been intended. Even the end bosses in Risen 2 and Risen 3 were more challenging.

Maybe it has been patched since then.

 

[Lambach]

Actually the final boss battle was too hard but that's mostly due to the combat mechanics.

This only makes sense to me if you were maybe playing a heavily melee-oriented character. I used laser guns and Cleric pew-pew magic, the Hybrid was a total bitch on the highest difficulty. In fact, as Ismaul pointed out, the final 20% of the game or so got pretty boring because all challenge disappeared. The only way to die was to walk into a really, really large group of Albs and be completely careless. Granted, the Clerics are the most OP faction because of their guns and powers that can stunlock groups of enemies, but still.

What I'm hoping for in regards to ELEX 2, but I know it won't happen because I don't know of a single PB game that does this, is more unique human(oid) enemies. There was this whole huge build-up in the first ELEX about you fighting your former Elexitor brother or boyfriend or whatever he was and how fearsome and powerful he is, but when you do get to fight him, he's literally just another Alb soldier with more health and higher damage. He didn't even use any powers, IIRC. That stuff pisses me off to no end and is present in p. much every PB game to date, at least that I know of. How difficult is it to program the guy use his jetpack, powers, anything that would set him apart from just another common mook?

 

[Israfael]

I played both as melee and ranged (cleric electro sword + aoe stun plasmagun), I'd say it was equally easy to kill him in close combat or by spamming stun shots from distance.

 

[Roguey]

The final boss died for me in seconds too. Somebody at PB just messed up, because that couldn't have been intended. Even the end bosses in Risen 2 and Risen 3 were more challenging.

Maybe it has been patched since then.

I completed it earlier this month, that's the way it is. Endgame balance is difficult (unless you do something annoying like Risen's endgame where it railroads you into playing a specific way).

 

[Anonymous Wife Scholar]

There were pillars for you to hide behind and protect yourself.

What! Ismaul anon! Stupid slow intellect cuckold anon! Do you need hide behind pillars protect yourself anon! Do you! If you cannot take heat anon you should get out of kitchen anon! You should!

 

[weashell]

imagine going back to this from Gothic 1-2 and Risen. Art direction in the whole Elex thing is really ugly to my eyes. I don't even know how to describe it. Feeling sorry for the effort.

 

[luj1]

Art direction in the whole Elex thing is really ugly to my eyes.

Art direction, UI, combat, guilds, dialogue are all shit. Once those cutscenes start I feel 3x dumber.

it really looks like Captain America made the game, but a wannabe Captain America

ofc exploration is good, but you are exploring a shit mundane world. I was walking around and noticing seams everywhere and holes in meshes like I am playing release version of Morrowind

Feeling sorry for the effort.

Pretty much

 

[Ismaul]

like I am playing release version of Morrowind

oh no you didn't

 

[luj1]

Its the same level of jank as Morrowind but with a much dumber and more uninteresting world

 

[JDR13]

 

[thelegend]

This is going to be released in a broken stage and will become "cult classic" in five years after infinite updates