Slapping a stamped and sealed confirmation of what most fans already expected, developer Piranha Bytes and publisher THQ Nordic revealed today that an ELEX II release is indeed in development. The original amassed a cult following for its ambitious sci-fi RPG and factions elements, so a sequel can only be music to ears of those partial to Piranha Bytes’ unique brand of glitchy but highly enjoyable Eurojank.
Much like the original, ELEX II drops players in a sprawling, hand-crafted open-world teeming with factions and varied environments, although this time around, there’s a jet pack thrown into the mix. Piranha Bytes also promises a massively improved control system for ‘fluid close and ranged combat,’ which should remedy one of the leading complaints players had about the original. The deep factions system returns in ELEX II. NPCs remember your actions and behave accordingly. Your choices with shape alliances and have a direct impact on how ELEX II‘s story unfolds.
Speaking of the story in ELEX II, things appear to pick up where ELEX ended. Piranha Bytes says:
The planet Magalan has seen some rather peaceful years after the Events of ELEX I: old factions have been vanquished, new factions have risen. The Berserkers’ attempts to regrow and terraform the lands have started to bear fruit. After the defeat of the Hybrid, the Albs are no longer a threat. However, our hero – Jax – returns with knowledge of a new menace that’s casting a shadow over Magalan. It falls to Jax to unite these different factions together to face this darkness together.
ELEX II Platforms and Release Date
Although there’s firm confirmation with an announcement trailer in tow, Piranha Bytes pulled the brakes on confirming an ELEX II release date, only saying PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S versions of ELEX II are in the works. A freshly-minted Steam page notes a 2021 release date, but we’d suggest taking that with a pinch of salt for the time being.