(Total rewrite of the previous review)

Elex is one of those games which I was so happy and so sad that I finished, because it felt, it feels like the last game where Piranha Bytes, individually as coders and designers, and in a team, were able to make a game that was intrinsically them. I am never totally satisfied by their rpgs, by their take on characters (they always seem to be based on a very limited sample of the PB's closest neighbours and family), by the lack of diversity not on gender or sex or whatever but conflicts themselves, but yet they were the only ones that put such a huge effort on an open world game that no corner is left without a reward. Elex is incredible in its lore, a mix of the Fallout post apocalyptic narrative, the Horizon Zero Dawn utopian nature taking over the machines and the Gothic stuff... and here is the first problem, the main problem I see in this game: there is a constant tension that you can feel between different views on how this game should be - sometimes it is hardcore follower of all the gameplay and narrative quirks of every Piranha Bytes game since Gothic (you know which ones, the three factions, the way to level up skills with trainers, the alchemy...) and sometimes it feels like it tries to step away a bit from it, to be more scifi, to be more playful. Those two view clash, and yet those two views manage to get something beautiful done on their own.

I love the open world. I love how the quests are generally designed (even when they softlock choices when you are not ready for them). I like the monsters (though they are ALWAYS a reskin of previous PB monsters). I absolutely love the limitless inventory. I love how BIG the game felt, how epic your quest felt, and I could overlook every 80s/90s action film stereotype because the rest was so powerful. I loved Piranha Bytes and every time I remember I finished this game after being a hardcore completionist, I am sad, because they seem to be gone and there is no one there that is like them, at all, and I looked.

A wonderful game, but not for everyone - you have to allow the jank, the shortfalls, the tropes, and those sudden difficulty spikes. And as an advice, don't be shy stealing and using elex, even when roleplaying as a generally decent guy. And well, check guides if you are a completionist like me to avoid softlocks. Even with the spoilers, the game is a pleasure.