ELEX 2 - Interview @Gamingbolt

The first ELEX is definitely a bit of a cult classic, in that even though the game had some issues, there are a lot of people who enjoyed it thoroughly. With ELEX 2, what are the biggest ways you've looked to improve upon the first game. At the same time, what aspects of the first game did you decide to bring over as is, or with minimal changes?

The ability to fly is the new feature, everyone will notice. And the increased flying possibilities have a strong impact on the game world - as in ELEX 2 the whole world is simulated, we had to make sure, even if the players are reaching areas where they are not supposed to be (yet), the world and the people in it react to that in a believable way. Also directly tied to this feature is the aerial combat. This includes melee and range combat in the air and of course it comes with specifically designed enemies. Although this will only become available while you play and not from the very beginning, flying will become an important part of your adventures in ELEX 2.

We've seen that there is no need to make the world bigger than it was in ELEX but to put even more interesting stuff into it, to increase the density of content. Also, we've improved the pacing. There is now a well-guided central thread you can follow to experience the storyline for those players who asked for more guidance and who want to follow the main story. On the other hand, we still only offer it - the players don't have to follow it but can still wander around Magalan and explore the world as they like. Another learning was to offer more and more detailed difficulty settings, to make all players able to play the game as they like it best. ELEX 2 will be a typical Piranha Bytes game.

[…]

What can players expect from ELEX 2's side quests? Will they tie into the main story in significant ways?

We have more characters in the game, we have more dialogues, more quests and overall more content - but all in a game world of similar size. The players will have the feeling that there is much more to do, just because there is indeed much more to do. We've doubled the number of companion quests and yes, this has some impact on the main story - especially, what faction you join, what companions you choose etc. - but of course the main story arc will happen in the main story quests.