Except nobody said that.
This is a bit weak as far as strawmen go, you know.
Do better.
Huh? This article claimed something that PB themselves have acknowledged but it's still full of shit?
Dylan: ELEX has an unusual aesthetic, which is obviously part of its appeal for many players. What was the thought process behind mixing fantasy and sci-fi? Was it simply a case of wanting to stand apart from the crowd, or is there something deeper you wanted to convey?
Piranha Bytes: We had the idea of the ELEX-Universe many years ago. The idea was to create a science fantasy role-playing game that shows the evolution of mankind. Original cavemen versus advanced users of technology and the connection between the two is created through the magic of the Elex.
Of course the story had to be more like a science fiction fairy tale, similar to the force in Star Wars. So we created a world, where every faction is an advancement of the residents of the world before the meteor impact, but with different views about morality, history and the right way in the future. Inspiration of this were, besides Star Wars, of course, Dune the desert planet and Equilibrium, for example. This idea allowed us to implement things, that the players know about our games and create new things and ideas, like hard surfaces or modern weapons, for example.
The article is absurd. Let's mention Mass Effect in the title, and point out some superficial similarities, to get more clicks.
No one who's a fan of either game is going to play the other thinking it's more of the same unless they're completely unfamiliar with the developers.
I'm thankful ELEX II isn't another Mass Effect though. If I wanted to play another linear shooter with RPG elements, there are other games out there.
Whaaaaah!
Now I imagine that if you are a pear producer, of let's say a company is called SharkNibbles, and you are trying to make cars with a 20-year-old design, parts and engineering tools, the best you can expect is be laughed at.
Pears are only cool when they are freshly picked. And when they are not trying to be cars.
I like funny and silly!
But PB fans are delusional, so I see why they don't like the raw exposure to hurtful truth. Truth is also that this was made into a news post, so I guess you'll have to deal with it. Tough.