ELEX marks a debut intellectual property from the award-winning creators of the Gothic series, presenting a handcrafted action role-playing experience set within a post-apocalyptic science fantasy universe. Players navigate a huge, seamless open world devoid of loading zones, exploring environments populated by original characters and mutated creatures. Combat involves tactical close and ranged engagements against diverse adversaries. A jetpack facilitates vertical exploration, allowing access to any point within the game world.

The world of Magalan reacts directly to player actions, contributing to an authentic atmosphere. The narrative centers on a conflict over a powerful resource, Elex, which grants magic-like abilities but suppresses emotions. Players confront deep moral choices, influencing whether humaneness or cold synthetic logic governs the world through a highly interconnected quest system. ELEX establishes a distinct action-RPG framework built on player agency and environmental interaction.