Elex is an RPG that does not make you an adventuring hero on a quest to save the world. Rather, Elex has you play as a person who is too weak to face most of the world's challenges. Many have said that this game excels in terms of progression, and I would agree. A level 1 character, a level 10 character, and a level 40 character experience the game in a fundamentally different way. You learn to avoid ruins instead of running in to loot the place because odds are, you will die almost instantly. Then, you come back with upgraded equipment and barely survive. Then you come back with even more upgraded equipment and breeze through it. The biggest strength of ELEX is the world in which it takes place. So much world building and visual storytelling. Some of the most fun I had playing this game was exploring houses and other buildings and just experiencing world itself. It's no secret that the game's combat is "Janky". Movement can be clumsy and targeting is unreliable. It is important to remember that on the Action-RPG spectrum, this game is very slanted towards the RPG side of the scale. There's a little bit of player skill involved, but character build and stats are far more important to the outcomes of combat. When leveling up, always focus distribution of stat points into what is required to learn skills or equip weapons/armor. Stat points don't directly affect the character very much, if at all. In conclusion, go into this game knowing that it is first and foremost an RPG with a focus on exploration and character building from zero to hero.
CrossCode is an incredible game. It is rich with compelling puzzles, thoughtful story-telling, and fantastic combat. In addition to the base game's already hefty end/post-game content, this expansion adds several new areas to explore and a colossal dungeon that could have been a DLC of its own. It also completes the story of Lea and the rest of the characters of CrossCode in a wonderful way. A New Home also adds several gameplay elements that give CrossCode new life: -Gear that scales to your level -Arena cups that provide significant challenge to advanced players -Tons of new quests and rewards -New party members -Several new bosses, including an incredibly difficult final dungeon boss and a creative final boss. -A new explorable region with new enemies and lengthy platforming challenges. All in all, A New Home is a crowning completion to CrossCode. Well worth the price of admission and then some.
I've attempted to get into this game several times in the years since I originally purchased it. Finally, I made a deliberate attempt to finish it over a winter break. I installed the Killer App Mod (highly recommended, by the way). It's fairly different to the sort of game that I usually play, but I enjoy the world of Tron, and was excited to experience more of it. Overall, I recommend playing the game, but I also realize that much of the game is an acquired taste due to it's slower nature. This game is fun experience once you can get into it, but occasionally janky platforming sections will have you dying and repeating certain sections over and over (for example, during a brief visit to Alan's old computer, you must cross a chasm on platforms that will be randomly shot out from under you by tanks. The pattern is seemingly random, and will likely kill you at least a few times. The RPG elements introduced are unique, but not in such a way that each playthrough will be dramatically different. Aesthetically, this game is amazing. The soundtrack is excellent at establishing the alien and electronic world of Tron. The graphics capture a very 2003 vision of the computer world, which is fun if you grew up in that time. This also means it is dramatically different than the colder, darker style of Tron: Legacy or Tron: Uprising. The story is unremarkable, but largely secondary to the gameplay, which is fine. Disc combat is fun, and while the game boasts a variety of other weapons, you will likely not even touch most of them. In my playthrough, I only really used the disc, the LOL (a sniper rifle), and the Sequencer (which lets you throw multiple discs without having to wait for the first disc to rebound to you again). Even then, both of those were used in very specific circumstances. Otherwise, the normal disc weapon was fine for the whole game. In conclusion, this game is fun. Enjoy an experience unlike anything else.
I was excited to see this game come out on GOG. Star Wars Episode I: Racer was my first video game, and it's nice to enjoy it at a more modern framerate and resolution. The game itself is an excellent piece of Star Wars media. John Williams's score is on full display here, and combined with the top notch sound design, it creates a wonderful sense of immersion in the races you play. The game is not particularly difficult, and you will likely get first place in most races on your first try. However, the courses are well designed and will keep you coming back to play them again, if only to beat your own records. There is also a wide variety of racers that allow you to tailor your driving to the course. This is a quality game, and is well worth the money.
