Elements Divided launched as an Early Access title earlier this year. Now, the full release version is available on Meta Quest, bringing with it a hugely impactful new mechanic. But does the full release version overcome the issues of the Early Access version? In 131XR’s Elements Divided review, we discover that there’s still some pieces of the puzzle missing.
What is Elements Divided?
In Elements Divided you’ll use your hands to summon attacks and defenses in a fully immersive VR environment. You’ll throw fireballs, control water, shield with air, and build barriers with earth. The game emphasises both PvP and cooperative play, letting players test their skills against friends or AI opponents, and practice elemental strategies in intense arena battles.
Players can level up their character to unlock new abilities and gain mastery over each element. The game features approximately 60 attacks and abilities across the four core elements, with options for character customisation to tailor your combat style and appearance.
Elements Divided Review
As stated above, the gameplay of Elements Divided has two core elements (pun intended). The first is your ability to control the various elements for attack and defence, while the second is that this is done in arena battles. 131XR’s Elements Divided review (below) points out that there’s nothing technically wrong with the elemental abilities – they can be fun for a while – however, the fact that it’s limited to arena battles is pretty disappointing.
While Elements Divided is a blast in multiplayer, the single-player gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. It’s simply a case of enter an arena, kill some bots, gain XP and exit. Ad nauseum. Which is a real shame, because as of right now the game’s community is quite small, so finding a multiplayer match can be tricky. Elements Divided – according to 131XR – would certainly be improved by adding a more engrossing single-player mode.
Early Access vs. Full Release
The original Early Access version of the game featured the four elements of water, air, fire and earth. The full release edition launched this week introduced eight sub-elements, expanding the roster significantly. The first wave brought blood, lava, explosion and spirit to the table.
This undoubtedly offers significantly more variety for players, especially as they continue to gain skill through levelling-up and unlocking new abilities with each. However, we come back to the same problem: levelling-up in single-player isn’t really all that interesting.
What Comes Next?
The development team behind the game has promised that a second wave of sub-elements will be coming soon. However, beyond that, we’re not sure what the future holds for Elements Divided. As it stands, the game offers an enjoyable experience hampered by few ways to fully exercise the fun built within. Hopefully the team expand on what makes Elements Divided enjoyable by offering new and interesting ways to use those elements.
Have you been playing Elements Divided since its Early Access debut? How do you feel about the changes implemented in the full release version? Let us know in the comments below!
