GameStar found the major pros and cons of ELEX:

ELEX im Test (video in German)

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Pros: world, quests, scope, atmosphere
Cons: technical side, combat system, controls

From Reddit: Elex - 7 Things to know before you buy (GameStar; source in German)

1. Elex doesn't take your hand

   • tiny small tutorial
   • all enemies kill you at least within 3 hits
   • you can miss quests/infos/mechanics if you miss proper attention
   • first hrs are hard and at times frustrating
   • might be either refreshing or totally overwhelming

2. Elex embraces Piranha-Bytes strengths

   • your char is bluff; piles of coarse dialogs
   • huge open world however with fascinating details around every corner
   • environmental stories; hidden camps; people; weapons; all sorts of stories, audiologs and letters
   • gameplay is defined by the classic gameplay-quintet of combat, conversation, exploration, scavenging and leveling
   • ruthless difficulty
   • but ALSO all the known PB shortcomings (animations, textures, production values...)

3. Elex is NOT an AAA game

   • graphics doesn't knock anybody's socks off; not ugly either
   • 30 devs working in a single family building
   • animations are stiff, facial expressions and faces are repetitive, some textures look rough.
   • creative Art-Design: picturesque landscapes due to diverse sceneries
   • german syncro is doing well
   • best score since good old Gothic days

4. Elex runs on a toaster

   • runs on even weak PCs decently
   • with min. details (16x AF, SMAA) even a Geforce GTX 760 will run it with 45fps

5. The strength of Elex' stories is found offside the main story

   • main story THE most interesting PB has ever written: your alter-ego is a former terroristic ALB-General, who finds himself amidst normal people and societies. We gradually learn more about his own violent past, learn about a vile betrayal and decide how the world should keep on spinning.
   • mix of genres invites to learn and see more of the world
   • main story remains in the background for some time
   • no arc of suspense a la Witcher 3
   • interesting moments offside the main story - side quests, environment, companions
   • each main protagonist has its own little story
   • quests with nasty moral decisions which end up far more gripping than in Gothic or Risen series - HIGHLIGHTs of the game
   • standard fetch quests but also most quests can be solved in more than three different manners

6. Elex is no Bug-Fiasco, but has rough edges

   • while testing no severe bugs that affect test score
   • however glitches and small issues along the way; nothing has impact on the overall fun factor though.
   • many mechanics lack the necessary fine-tuning; combat can be fiddly and clunky; the jetpack lacks the proper pace; Interface and inventory are neither particularly impressive nor managable.

7. Elex is a true RPG

   • no Action Game with RPG elements but a true RPG
   • combat is subordiante to the character system
   • Leveling and specialization is often times more interesting than the actual use of such enabled combat mechanics; killing a horde of raptors after you've been pathetically running from them hours priorly is extradordinarily satisfying
   • satisfaction of leveling combat mechanics > clunky combat
   • Crafting, using sockets, alchemy and the correct choice of factions can create a deep and rewarding rpg system.

Thanks Farflame!