Not everyone has played a Piranha Bytes' game, but those who have experienced slave labour in the penal colonies of Gothic, explored the farmlands of Khorinis in its revered sequel, or adventured through the island paradises of the Risen series will know that there's something special about the German developer's old-school flavour of RPG.
The Essen-based studio has not only been making games for 25 years – they've exclusively been making RPGs all that time. These guys are veterans, sages, whose first game Gothic plunged us into a rugged 3D world full of dangers and tough choices before Morrowind came out and well before Geralt was even a glimmer in CD Projekt RED's eye.
Piranha Bytes games have always been ambitious, always evoking a powerful sense of place even if they weren't strictly huge in scale. Their Gothic and Risen series had deep reputation systems, complex societies, and relationships between NPCs that meant you had to be careful who you robbed lest their friends came a-knockin'. These games weren't easy either, forcing you to get to grips with your build before progressing and relying on NPCs for directions.
Coming out five years after its predecessor, ELEX 2 takes most of the hallmarks of a Piranha Bytes RPG and merges them into a vast modern open-world RPG. So yes, there are modern conveniences like an automap and fast travel, but you'll still need to explore towns to find those teleporters and chat to people if you want to know where to find the shops, inns and (crucially) skill trainers.
ELEX 2 polishes up its predecessors' rough edges while still feeling like a world that invites you to prod at it and experiment with everything from your build to being a complete asshat to everyone around you (and the inevitable knock-on effects that ensue from that). You'll soon learn that while being a loudmouth in some places is a way to get things done, in others - like the underground city of the tyrannical Morkons - it'll quickly see you face-down in the dirt.
As per Piranha Bytes tradition, ELEX 2 eschews level scaling, which means that all your excursions are intensified with the fear and thrill of not knowing what lies ahead. You may be stomping frail old Blood Claws one moment, but venture further afield and those Raptors and Wetlurkers won't go down so easily, so consider sneaking past or bringing a companion along for your journey.
And with several factions vying for power and your loyalty, you'll need to be careful when choosing your allies. Where older Piranha Bytes RPGs would give you up to three factions to join, this time there are five, which not only opens up new opportunities but means there's a much wider web of relations to consider when you're out schmoozing and politicking.
So ELEX 2 may look every part the current-gen RPG, but there's an old soul in there that will speak to those yearning for a cRPG of yore. And there are few studios who understand the old-school RPG as well as Piranha Bytes – a studio that helped lay the foundations of the genre.
