Pirahna Bytes and THQ Nordic have reached the launch date for their open-world fantasy/sci-fi RPG ELEX. Releasing today, ELEX was preceded by a launch trailer showcasing the game’s factions and elements of its unique genre mashup. Pirahna Bytes’ splicing of fantasy and science fiction makes for a game that promises to have its players wielding anything from swords and magic to shotguns – all while traversing the world of Magalan by way of a jetpack. You can check out ELEX‘s launch trailer below:
ELEX is, according to Pirahna Bytes, its biggest project to date, and their official plot synopsis provides a bit of context as to how the game begins. “Being raised as an Alb and fed pure Elex to strengthen your body, which also stripped you of all emotions, your world of cold logic and military discipline were all you knew. Now, as the smoke rises over the wreckage of your glider in the mountains of Edan, you are trapped far from your home Xacor. With no access to pure Elex, you are experiencing emotions for the first time in your life. Stranded amongst your enemies and outcast from your people, in front of you lies a new and open path, as heavily laden with magnificence as it is with ruin. The decisions you make will decide the fate of the world. Magalan – will you be its slayer or its savior?”
In a PlayStation blog post celebrating the game’s launch, Pirahna Bytes designer Harald Iken described the “seamless” open world of ELEX as a return to the company’s roots. The game’s genre derived from a desire to create something “fresh…bold…with science fiction,” while also taking strides not to “alienate our fantasy fanbase.” Because of this, joinable factions in the game actions are quite varied. The Pirahna Bytes summary of ELEX‘s factions reads, “In the post-apocalyptic world of Magalan, players will encounter magic-using, sword-slinging Berserkers. Or Outlaws packed with shotguns, grenades and flamethrowers. And, of course, Clerics with their high-tech arsenal of laser weapons and giant War Mechs.”
In his post, Iken explored the factions and the developers’ process in balancing fantasy with sci-fi, writing, “How can these groups compete with each other? With magic! With Elex, the central substance in the game. An enchanted bow, soaked in Mana, can fry any robot’s circuits! Having such vastly different factions in the game also gave us the opportunity to differentiate the characters through the use of language. If a character is surrounded by high-end technology all day she or he will use different words than a character who lives in a wooden hut and practices magic. This makes the world of Elex so interesting and diverse, and never lets things get boring.”
ELEX is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.