Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2022
ELEX II
Developer Piranha Bytes
ELEX II is a 2022 action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes and published by THQ Nordic. The sequel to the 2017 game ELEX, players control the same protagonist, Jax, to unite the world against invading aliens. It was Piranha Byte's last game prior to their closure. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
193 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Oct 1, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
58
Mixed
107 positive · 79 negative
95% range 50–64%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 107 | 79 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
7 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
5,080 of 6,956 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 193 · most liked firstPiranha Bytes’ Last Dance What I always liked about Piranha Bytes games, like the ELEX games in particular, is how unique they are. The kind of RPGs that almost nobody else even tries to make anymore. Minimum hand-holding, no cinematic rails, just a hostile world that doesn't give a damn about you until you earn your place in it. Factions really matter, choices can block content, and progression feels earned, not given. While the jank is real, so is the sense of ownership over your journey.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Release - macOS] ELEX II by Piranha Bytes. cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/3377327 > **Other stores** > ELEX II on GOG.com: https://www.gog.com/game/elex_ii > ELEX II on the Epic Games Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/p/elex-ii
unlabelledView post →Elex 2 is a bad game. Sadly it is worse than the mediocre first part. Again the most similar game from PB that I have played is Gothic 3, with its similar problems and more. The positives: -Elex 2 is easier than the first part. -The skill system is better than in the first part with almost no useless skills. -The magic system is better than in the first part (fire rain all day :P) -Chapter 1 The neutral: -Crafting is better than in the first part, but still lacking (inventory clutter).…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here’s how ELEX sets up the scene for Gothic and explains the origin of several things: • The Berserkers won the war between factions, restored the natural balance of the world using world seeds, and abolished the use of technology. That’s why we don’t see any technological leftovers in Gothic (except one). • Remember that rusty car frame in Yarkendar? Now you know why it’s there. • Magic ore is actually elex deposits. Even the color is the same. • The Berserkers knew how to process elex…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worse than elex 1. no real improvements.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elex 2... Man this is one of those games that will stick with you likely forever. Its just...THAT good. After finishing the game and about a weeks time passing, it felt like I was missing something, missing family. Seeing pictures of Bully, Nyra, Nasty, Caja, Fox, and Dex, it just feels like look at pictures of close family members. Its one of those games that people will say its bad but they really dont understand the significance of it. When you finally get into the story and bond with the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate amost every aspect of this game. Story sucks major ass; Bugs in almost every aspect of the game; Animations are awful; Characters - soulless; Dialogues - written by monkeys; Voice acting - I'm pretty sure they hired some folks that were drinking in the nearby park. I'm really mad at myself that I spent money on this game. Sorry, it was not all bad - Jet Pack is awesome, I like it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have mixed feelings about this game. It has some nice ideas. But also has a bunch of questionable or annoying things that weight it down. Graphically it looks OK at times, especially the environments. But the character models have this uncanny doll-like look to them. It’s rather distracting. The animations are stiff. Cutscenes are awkwardly directed most of the time. There aren’t many of them which is probably for the better. The writing and voice-acting don’t help much either. Some of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →worst than the first
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ELEX. What can i say. It's a very specific and unique type of game that is going to only appeal to certain people. First you have to be a fan of the Euro Jank. It's something i absolutely adore in games. I have no idea why. Maybe because it reminds me of games i played when i was younger and before game budgets were spent on visuals and animation instead of actual gameplay and story. Or maybe its because its not trying to be cinematic or realistic. It's just trying to tell an interesting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can feel that they rushed this game, it is more boring than Elex I, also I felt like it was some kind of downgrade in case of plot, characters etc...Many quest with killing 99999 monsters. I won't play this game never again, I was strugling so much :')... Let's hope that Gothic Remake will be really good, thats my dream.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was intereresting to start playing after I finished with elex 1. But main problem of this game is cringe story, fractions are less charismatic than in elex 1. I was dissapointet with face palm storyline....Elex 2 is verdic for elex serises like cringe arcania (ex gothic 4) was verdict for gothic series. But at least this game is playable and not really deserve dislike 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My last ♥♥♥♥ was more dramatic than the story of ELEX 2. Still it was fun and I wished there was no cliffhanger in the end. Oh well, f u THQ for closing Piranha Bytes - RIP
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is my favorite game I can't recommend. 132 hours in and I can't complete it. Nearing the end of the game, I found some quests that no matter how many times I reload, they would be in a hillside, or underground, unkillable. I gave up. Years later, new computer, new playthrough, new faction. Nearing the end of the game... it happens again in a different area. Massive spawns, unkillable enemies. This isn't the "OH, they're in a cave, go find them!" But enemies you can see…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elex II was a great game. I played the 78 hours straight, meaning no other distractions apart from work and family life. I really love these kinds of games. In other reviews I read the fighting was lousy implemented, but even at Strength level 107, I could still be killed if I didn't pay attention. I never really felt overpowered. The first chapter took me 40 hours with real interesting quests and the story line was very immersive that I didn't want to skip it. Not many games are like that.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game shows a lot of wasted potential. I don't know why they went with 3rd person camera rather then 1st as many problems would be solved by that. The enemies you encounter are often way too difficult and sometimes quests prevent you from simply avoiding combat, forcing you to watch as your companion repeatedly dies and respawns fighting the creature which isn't a very rewarding experience. A large part of the game involves collecting hidden items and aiming your camera to select things in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you come directly from Elex1 you will be disapointed the first few hours. If you force yourself to keep playing the game will suck you in and despite some question worthy design decisions it can be a very enjoyable experience. I got this on sales and i don't recommend paying the full price for it. Compared to the first title the production quality is significantly lower.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The next chapter of one of my most memorable gaming experiences. I admit I’m a bit biased, so overall I can say I had a good time with this game. That said, it’s far from flawless—on the contrary, as an RPG, it’s hard to point to any aspect that feels truly polished. If there’s one exception, it’s probably the faction system, which remains a Piranha Bytes tradition and one of the most advanced parts of their games. In terms of story, it feels like a second season nobody asked for. The writing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It looks like the most primitive cash grab. All the choices made in elex 1? Forget it, the authors knows the best and will choose for you. Why even bother to add them in the first place? Classic for PB hero reset. While in e.g. Gothic 2 it was stretched, but can be believed it's completely nonsensical here. Also, all fractions ignored yours warnings even tho at the end of elex 2 some of them were supporting you? And the cherry on top: graphics and technicalities. Somehow they achieved worse…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elex 2 is an overambitious shame. I thoroughly enjoyed the AA production quality of the first one, which provided a premium "Euro-Jank" experience. This second entry, however, is an unfocused mess from beginning to end. The first thing I noticed was the awful animations and sound mixing. The gameplay is clunky and never improves. In Elex 1, this was the price you paid to engage in a compelling world with a cool story, but Elex 2 doesn't offer those. The game takes place several years…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll say this... it looks way better than it should and graphically it's well optimized. I'm very surprised by that and I would play it a lot more...however... the fact that you can't loot with your weapon drawn and that you have the same key for interact as your weapon is just an absolute dealbreaker for me. I'm not sheathing an unsheathing my weapon after every fight so that I can pick up some scraps on the ground.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game did not evolve at all since the first instalment. Disappointed. Same unpolished combat and animations, predictable story and boring progression. Dropping it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought and played the game as soon as it came out. With the first part, I hesitated for a long time and couldn't decide whether to buy it. Once I finally made up my mind, I loved it immediately and bought the second part as soon as it was released. Foremost, I want to say that I really enjoyed the game, even if it wasn't quite as good as the first part, although that was sometimes a bit tricky. In the first part, you had to be careful not to get wiped out at the beginning, because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Seriously every mechanic in the game is just badly designed and executed. * Melee combat mirrors much of Witcher 1 - its bad trust me. * Melee targeting often attacks things you don't want. * NPCs are extremely binary in a sense that they can tell when you have your weapons out or sneaking around without having to see you. Mode On is well, mode on - NPCs will react regardless. * Aiming and shooting feels extremely basic - also very bad. * Stealth mechanic is the worst I've seen in a game.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The last nail in the coffin of a once great studio. By far the worst game they have ever released. Story that for some reason tries to slap some family aspects into your face. Engine was already completely outdated at the time of release. Janky combat and the last third of the main questline ist just killing the same enemies that you already killed in hordes. Really nothing to be remembered.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, easily top 100 games I've beaten on Steam. (Hey, I'm at 711 now so that's actually a complement). People complained about bugs, I didn't see too many. Fell through the world once. But a quick reload later and that was fixed. Played the game as melee 1h and shield and if you're reading this with that build YOU CAN ATTACK AERIAL UNITS WITH YOUR JETPACK. I don't think the game explained that and it wasn't until Chapter 4 of 5 that I figured it out. Another note is unlike most…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →These ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ didn't learn from any of their mistakes that were on the first game. Nothing has changed for the better. Fast travel points aren't located at the front (or middle) of towns. Quests go from "Hey, kill these lizards" then jumps to "Become part of a faction, btw, they live in places where everything can one shot you." You can't use any ability points without going to teachers, but it costs money, and the only way to get money is to do these quests that you aren't equipped to handle.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Piranha Bytes is on the verge of closure after 25+ years (the process has probably been running since November 2023). The reason is the drastic cost-cutting course of the Embracer Group. Any game in an early stage of development where it is unclear whether it will be profitable upon release will be canceled. THQ Nordic is not to blame. They have stood up for Piranha Bytes against the Embracer Group" I hate to see this happen since I have enjoyed Piranha Bytes Game for the last 25 years.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ELEX – My Honest Review (7.5 / 10 – for fans, a solid 8) ELEX is one of those games that might not be perfect — but it has soul. For me, it was a really fun and memorable experience. The world feels massive and alive, with that classic Piranha Bytes feeling of freedom and danger. You can go anywhere, do anything, and the game doesn’t hold your hand. I really liked that they re-worked the jetpack - flying feels smoother and adds a lot to exploration. Combat also feels improved: melee can…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought I could love this game. I played Elex long ago and expected a similar feeling when I started this game. Instead, I got lost from the start of the game and struggled to figure out what the point was the entire time I played. The poor story telling and scattered environments make this game feel more like a less impressive tech demo than a game. Combat is horrible. Movement is horrible. Acting is horrible. Writing is okay. World building is mediocre. I gave up way before I would've if…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The graphics make me dizzy, the mechanics that appealed to me from elex 1 are not upgraded but gone and the story is not good enough to keep going.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It stopped launching. I haven't used any mods. It throws an error "sorry it crashed". Piece of junk :)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love Gothic, Risen, Elex. The typical stuff you expect from pirhana bytes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Release - macOS] ELEX II by Piranha Bytes. cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/3377327 > **Other stores** > ELEX II on GOG.com: https://www.gog.com/game/elex_ii > ELEX II on the Epic Games Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/p/elex-ii
unlabelledView post →The game is mediocre at everything. Mediocre graphics, mediocre story-telling, horrible combat (to the point it feels like an alpha release game). I only played it due to nostalgia for the company's earlier projects (mainly Gothic), but it's clear they're just milking the franchise now. They didn't put love or any kind of polish into this product.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well how to begin; I really liked Elex 1. Especially as a RPG fan including the Gothic games, Elex 1 gave me the dopamine even though it had janky animations, weird combat, and reaallly steep curve getting powerful. And even though all the jankiness and our stiff main character, Jax, it was a huge blast for me - because I really liked the world that they have built, on top of having Gothic-like character progression. I postponed playing Elex 2 for a long time. Seeing that the Gothic Remake is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed Elex and looked forward to play this instalment only to find that its another franchise being milked for cash, full of pointless "collectables" and benign quests. I am supposed to join a faction but none of them are particularly good. You are locked into an endless cycle of upgrading your character and your weapons to make the foes a little easier to take down. The companions help, especially at the beginning, I wish more games had autonomous NPC helpers, but you can only…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is easy, if you love elex or piranha bytes game, you should try this game it is the same feeling than elex and continues its story the story is great, the exploration is nice, the scavenger turned hero feeling is excellent and the progression and quests are very well done this is not an AAA title but it is a very enjoyable rpg that will easily give you a lot of hours of enjoyment the only thing i disliked is the fact that there is a parameter from conversation answers that makes you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First game was bad, but interesting This is just a super long and boring DLC. Didn't complete game fully cause of hard lock (One of the enemies dropped behind textures and i can't kill him). And tbh i don't want to end this game, 30 hours of "Kill this mobs" are just bad. Fractions don't matter, melee combat sucks, ranged combat sucks, magic sucks. But first 20 hour's of the game feel pretty good overall, clanky but good
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →3.5/10 Clunky, unstable and unbalanced combat system, too much unnecessary dialog that doesn't even come close to Gothic 1 & 2. (The story is unbelievably bad, the cut scenes are comically hilarious.) Let's be honest for a second here!!! Michael "Mike" Hoge was Gothic and the main brain in Piranha Bytes when it comes to game design and world building, he was literally the face of our hero. When he left the studio, he took with him the humor and the entirety of the games personality. And…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is not bad game but it could be so much better. You can see through a game how much problem Piranha had and why it does not exists anymore. I was hyped by the trailer and was really hoping for something like that happening in a game but no. It is again you going around killing everyone and everything. To be true if all areas would be accessible to you without some mission/dialog mumbo jumbo I would kill bos and finish game before finishing chapter 1. No war/alies/faction necessary.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is somehow worse then the first one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved the first one but the combat jank with the increased difficulty is bad. Plus you get the usual mess up with any game, main character has a child, child doesnt listen and gets into constant stupid situations you have to then fix
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was looking forward to this one because I liked the first ELEX game, but I'm disappointed. I just can't get myself to spend more time on it. The characters look weird, the interactions slow and in general its a downgrade from the first game. Tried twice now to play it after uninstalling it once already. But just can't play it, it's just not good enough.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Play for and hour, next thing you know 3 are gone.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I'm finally playing Elex II and this might be Piranha Bytes' best game since the Gothic series? I dunno. It's vibing better than Elex 1 did? There's more fun shit to explore and find? This being their last game is such a fucking tragedy 🎮
unlabelledView post →Enjoyed Elex 1 and 2 . Number 1 was hands down better and more polished. Number 2 seems like it was rushed. Elex 2 is a hate love. Could have been so much better. It is what it is. Sad Elex 3 will never release and we wont have a real ending to the story. Glad i played Elex though and got to expericence the world. Now that its done i have a sadness to what could have been and what was.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elex 1 was better, but this is still a great game. Old school RPG with great story and quests. I am having a blast.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm finally getting a chance to play Elex 2 & I'm digging it! I'm extremely saddened by Piranha Bytes & THQ's status. Unfortunately we won't see the Gothic remake, but I appreciate the decades of amazing games that defined open world RPGs for me. Thank you!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got it, managed to play for a couple of hours and now the game keeps crashing. What a piece of junk game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →initial intro is stupid and basically 'sets the scene' for the rest of the game!. the protagonist is running along a cliff as it collapses..and then he makes a jump that a four legged animal would be able to do in its sleep.. but doesnt!?! utter stupidity.. then there is the dialog.. cringe worthy! I'd say this must have been written by some leftist feminist DEI hire.. because the 'story', is utter ♥♥♥♥♥.. full of hateful psychotic diatribes and rants about how useless/spinless men are.. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ELEX II is a sprawling open-world RPG developed by Piranha Bytes that continues the legacy of its predecessor by blending sci-fi and fantasy elements into a unique and ambitious setting. The game invites players to explore a richly detailed post-apocalyptic world where advanced technology coexists with magic, crafting an unusual but fascinating atmosphere. As the sequel to ELEX, it retains much of the original’s complexity and depth while refining gameplay mechanics and expanding its narrative…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 steps forward, 3 steps back. The combat and movement are an improvement over Elex 1, but the rest of the game is just awful. The story is terrible, factions suck and serve no real purpose, missions are repetitive and only have 1 solution. It's the same map as Elex 1 with a new coat of paint. Skills and abilities have been gutted and are just extra damage, health etc. - you can't use them to complete missions in different ways like you can in Risen or Elex 1. There are no speech skills, and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's some good in Elex 2 but alotta bad as well. Coming in from Elex 1, which I really enjoyed there's some things improved and some worse than it. Graphic engine is improved but the characters look terrible, no facial animations or emotions, odd skin textures give off the kinda lifeless doll-like characters. Caja's scrunched up face makes her look like she smells something terrible everytime she's on screen! Most faction armors look horrible compared to Elex 1. Combat is much improved.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →characters look very weird and changed from elex 1. it looks like they dont have shadows around theirs faces and things. nothing in the modding scene to fix this kinda thing either. couldnt get past the graphics and performance compared to elex 1 so i dropped it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{Graphics}--- ☐ Its better than going outside of home ☑ Good ☐ Mid ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ---{Gameplay}--- ☐ One second is month of flying irl ☑ Good ☐ Mid ☐ Bad ☐ Starring at walls is better ---{Audio}--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Good ☑ Mid ☐ Bad ☐ Earrape ---{PC Requirements}--- ☐ If you can ran Paint, you can run this game ☐ Low ☐ Mid ☑ High ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{Difficulity}--- ☐ Autopilot ☑ Easy ☐ Mid ☐ Hard ☐ Beating Simon in Expedition 33 is easier ---{Grind}---…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love every game this company made.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy. Its very bad. The thing that really got me is the horrible way that the game makes you into a babysitter for your son that wants you to take him places and spend time with him. The game starts out with you having a custody battle with your ex wife btw. I mean its the apocalypse and who ever came up with the bright idea of having you stuck with a kid from the very beginning of the game is a horrible game writer. In the game you are region locked by monster difficulty nd you have to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I waited for a pretty steep discount knowing this game was kinda rough after the demo I played. Even still it was much more rough than I anticipated. Dialogue is very robotic and the controls and very clunky. I can't recommend this game as much as I wanted to like it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Loving it so far, im going to get the first elex 1 too. its my first time discovery this gem and its been a while since i play a game like this... if you love skyrim, fallout, outward, witcher, ur going to like this one too
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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