I really hated Elex 1, I hated every second of it. Ugly, buggy, unfun. So I bought Elex 2, on a 50% sale, as a joke. I expected to see garbage that I could laugh at with my friends. As it turns out I really liked Elex 2.
It's not a "good" game in terms of quality, writing, gameplay, etc. But it's the first game since Gothic 2 that made me feel that spark of exploring a dangerous and magical world, and as far as I am concerned the best game they've made since Gothic 3, which I think it is the most similar to.
And I think it's nostalgia speaking, and that this isn't a general audience's kinda game. But I have to say that while I am not entirely down with this kind of strange mix of cheese and immitating superior action games; if Elex 2 is the kind of game PB will keep making then I'm once again ready for the ride. I still wish they would make a smaller, more grounded, world. And I wish the main story made any coherent sense. And I wish the main character was more likeable.
But I had fun. I finished the game. I'll remember it, and I'll probably replay it. I can't say that for any of the Risen games or the previous Elex.
If you end up getting this game just be aware this is jank city and it's best to quit once you get bored, there is nothing worth seeing at the end of the game. But you might just feel what made the original Gothic special in there, just a hint of it. It felt good to me.