There are so many open-world games out there that sometimes it feels more like a methodical, dime-a-dozen approach to game development. Not every game or franchise needs to be open world, but there are some trulygood open-world games out there that may have been forgotten. Among those, THQ Nordic and Piranha Bytes’Elexstands out as one of the best, if underrated, open-world games of the past five years.
Upon release,THQ Nordicand Piranha Bytes’Elexreceived average to mixed scores. It has a 67 metascore/7.0 user score on PC, a 62 metascore/6.4 user score on Xbox, and a 58 metascore/6.5 user score on PlayStation. All of this is understandable because the game had a rather buggy launch (though, there have been some that were far worse), and the game is notoriously difficult. Among those user scores, though, fans will find far more positive reviews than negative ones; it’s very much the type of game that some will love and some will hate. But there’s no denying thatElex’s Magalan was one of the best, most unique open-world offerings of the past five years.
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Elex: The Open World of Magalan
Magalan, the planet ofElex, was once a civilized world filled with billions of people and insane technological advancements. However, an event known as The Great Fall took place, with a giant meteor hitting the planet and bringing a precious resource, Elex, to the planet. The game takes place 160 years later, with handcrafted ruins scattering the open-world environment. Multiple factions exist and are vying for dominance of the planet by the time ofElex: the Berserkers, who reject technology and convert Elex to Mana for magical powers; the Outlaws, who are opportunists in taking scrap and making something unique out of it;the Clerics, who believe their religion and reliance on technology can save the planet; and the Albs, ex-Clerics who consume Elex directly (thus changing themselves in terms of appearance and emotion) and serve as primary antagonists to the other factions.
The protagonist, Jax, must explore the open world of Magalan and these factions, knowing he was their primary enemy at once. A former Alb reintroduced to his emotions, how Jax approaches these factions and his own emotions help fill out the emotional depth of the story. Woven into that is a more classic style of open-world game; in the sense of any open-world game, Jax can go anywhere and do anything…if he’s prepared. It’s not uncommon to stumble into an area too powerful, resulting in player have to run back and try again later.Elexis heavily reliant on difficulty in its open world, with players needing to rely onDark Souls-style buildsto really get through the game.
Its overall design is tried-and-true, but unique thanks to being mostly handcrafted instead ofprocedurally generated (like Bethesda’s upcomingStarfield). Working with the factions, exploring the world, understanding Jax’s own Alb ideas, and learning the truth about all of these things leads to a living world unlike any other. Magalan, from concept down to delivery and gameplay, is a post-apocalyptic, unforgettable hardcore game.
Elex 2: Above the Open World of Magalan
Elex 2is set to deliver on all of that and more, despite how little has been revealed so far. Premise-wise, Jax is back years after the events of the first game and must unite the factions against a new enemy from above the world of Magalan, who have unleashed the power of Dark Elex upon it. At the same time, Jax’s son, Dex, has been separated to him, and Jax must find him in the growing chaos of Magalan. The ending ofElexset this up perfectly, with the exception of Dex, but it seems that everything set up in the first game is going to be delivered on in the second, with new additions.
InElex 2, players will be able to take to the skies of Magalan to properlyfly with their jetpack(which was limited in the first game). Doing so already adds new layers to the open-world game, with the second game also delivering on all the same marks for its NPCs and hand-crafted environments. As a Eurojank game (as with Piranha Bytes' other franchises,GothicandRisen), it’s even more inviting than fan feedback on the first game is being taken into account.
Alongside its release onPS5 and Xbox Series X(which has yet to be fully detailed) and already well-articulated open-world setting,Elex 2is something that fan of the original, and even those who disliked the game but enjoyed its open world, should keep an eye on. If its setting even just matches the first game’s (despite seemingly ready to surpass it), thenElex 2may be another unforgettable open world from Piranha Bytes.
Elex 2is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
