PAX EAST 2022 | "Elements"
The demo at Elements wasn’t exactly a game demo, but rather a demonstration of the kind of world Apogee Entertainment and Wreckit Games wish to create. One can’t help but feel the gorgeous vibes that this game is bringing to the forefront. Its beautiful forests seemed to stretch out to infinity, something I successfully tested when I had my character run as far as they could before the demo reached its end. But does Elements have true potential?
When playing the PAX East demo, the first thing I noticed was the lack of enemies in its initial surroundings. However, once I came across some giant spiders or bats, that’s when I started to give its combat a go. Switching between my spear and bow-and-arrow, I found myself running and attacking all at once as the never-ending spawn of enemies kept coming at me. It resulted in some good trial-and-error tactics, as I attempted to find the weak spots of some of my enemies.
Elements is very fast-paced with its battles, akin to the likes of Breath of the Wild and Horizon: Zero Dawn. As I fought the enemies, there was barely a chance to think carefully about taking them down. Once one enemy went down, it seemed like another two would pop up in its place. Because of this, I began to feel overwhelmed by what was being thrown at me.
Mind you, it wasn’t exactly a bad kind of overwhelming feeling, nor was it one filled with frustration. Rather, it was one that yearned to find the perfect strategy when dealing with multiple nuisances. Taking on these kinds of enemies head-on isn’t the kind of tactic that seemed to work with them. As such, I often found myself running with my tail between my legs when it reached a far too tricky level of difficulty.
However, running away gave me the chance to explore more of the world of Elements. Despite being unable to find any of the places where the Elemental Stones may rest, I got a fair amount of joy seeing the breathtaking scenery that was rushing past me when riding my dinosaur. Oh yeah, that’s right: my ride of choice in this demo was a raptor-looking lizard that runs like one clever girl!
As of now, I can’t say for certain that the beautiful worlds will be enough for me to seek Elements in the future. Having said that, I can’t help but feel enchanted by the heroes, the creatures, and the world that Wreckit Games is aiming to bring to the masses. Perhaps when more info on the game is unleashed, my interest in it will become greater than it is now. Hopefully by its 2023 release date, my curiosity for Elements will have warmed up enough for me to want to dive in again to the beauty this game aims to deliver.
