But in Germany, they said “Ehh that’s nothing, let’s have it PG12.” It’s quite funny, becuase people say “So, the international version is different than German?” But it is not. We have some quests and dialogs with strong words, so PEGI decided it will be a game rated 18. This will affect the ending of the game.Įlex 2 is rated M around the world, but in Germany, it’s rated with the equivalent of T for teen. And the last thing is very important – it’s what faction you join or don’t. The second is how you deal with the moral system – we call it ‘distraction’ this time. There are your personal quests, how you finish them, whether you kill some NPCs or not. We have three main pillars which affect the ending you are going to get. I am very excited to see what players will do with this opportunity, how they will behave.Īnd all the choices player can make are connected to different quest lines, so you won’t be able to experience and see everything by completing the game just once, right?īP: Yes, for sure. That is a new way of playing the game and it was a challenge to do so. We don’t make you join them, but to make a choice at some point of the story at the point of no return. Previously we kind of forced the player to join a faction within the first chapters. And you will be able to change the faction mid-game. It was a little bit clunky and now it’s smoother, you can really choose when to hit the enemy, you don’t have a combo system, you can do it quite freely.īP: One of the most outstanding things in Elex 2 comparing to our previous titles is that you will be able to join five factions if you want. We also changed many things in combat mechanics. In Elex 1, it was just a list and now there will be icons. JP: We also made or edited some “quality of life” features, like little pictures of the items in the inventory. You have to collect items to complete upgrades of the jetpack, but you will be able to literally fly all over the world and that is something completely new, and it’s a lot of fun. I think this will make these actions much more fun.īP: And in the end, you can really fly with the pack. For example, you can enhance your jetpack with fighting ability. JP: Besides the children and the improved jetpack, and maybe some features about them. So are there many completely new elements made especially for Elex 2 ? It is our DNA, like you said, and we would like to keep it. Every NPC in the game can be the first one you meet here. But we always keep an eye on those favorite elements of our games that you mentioned, like endless inventory or always being able to meet one of the NPCs you want. We like modern games and we incorporate modern elements from newer games as well, like minimap or radar, map management. Of course there are some new features added sometimes, like the jetpack for example, but usually most of the key features will be the same. Is this like the DNA of Piranha Bytes? Do you pay attention to implementing all those things in your games every time?īP: For sure! We make games which we want to play. All your games have the same distinctive elements, like open inventory, unique creatures specific to the locations, collecting trophies from animals and monsters, learning skills from teachers. So the next question is related to the previous one. the jetpack upgrades or the new combat system – we finished those things, so we are proud of that as well. And it is the same with Elex 2, because the features we planned, i.e. Most of our ideas found their way to the game in the end.
But when I think of our previous game, I think it is the fact, that we have achieved 95% of what we wanted to in it.
Best thing about Elex is…ĭariusz Matusiak: What was the best thing in the first Elex game? What were you proud of the most and is it the same in Elex 2 or maybe it’s something different this time?ījorn Pankratz: I think it is always the team we are proud of. The following is a conversation with two main developers of Piranha Bytes – Bjorn and Jenniifer Pankratz – where we asked about their ideas about Elex 2 : what did they like the most about making th game, what was the process, where does the signature Piranha style come from, and how is it possible that the game was rated T in Germany (at least 12 years old). We just ignore stuff like clunky animations and weird behavior of characters, instead taking in the atmosphere, heroes, and the game world. They only remaining trace of the former glory, however, is mostly the fact that the fandom is willing to shrug off more bugs and mistakes than people are generally willing to accept in AAA blockbusters. Piranha Bytes’ games are quite popular among certain Western RPG fandoms, all thanks to the crude classic, Gothic, with which many a player back in the day discovered the genre.