Following the fall of Akenash tower, an extraordinary matter has forced Styx out of hiding and into Korrangar, city of the Dark Elves. Supposedly impregnable, a diplomatic summit offers Styx a chance at slipping in unnoticed. His infiltration complete, Styx will stop at nothing to accomplish the robbery of a lifetime: stealing a scepter of immense and indomitable power.
Embark upon a stealthy adventure with new enemies, new environments, and a plethora of new mechanics refining the abilities of Styx - grappling around corners, climbing ropes, and using his trusty knife to zip line!.
With its beautiful graphics, gritty realism, and engaging story, it won't take long for gamers to find themselves hooked on stalking through the shadows. The improved skill trees make customization possible and enhanced skills add to the enjoyment of the adventure. With a nice mix of easy and challenging, the achievements add even more to the fun. All in all, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a game you won't want to miss.
In conclusion, Styx: Shards Of Darkness is a unique beast. In a time where every game seems to be committed to diversifying their gameplay as much as possible, and appealing to as wide an audience as possible, Styx: Shards Of Darkness is unconventionally pure in its approach. It is a stealth game through and through, and despite it’s flaws, is still one of the better games to come out in the genre for a long time.
Cyanide's stealth series confirms its strengths, improving its graphics and adding a welcome co-op element. Except for these elements the game doesn't feel too different from the previous one and it still retains some of its problems (mainly in the enemy AI area), but it's definitely advised for lovers of stealth games.
Styx may not be the most anticipated stealth adventure of the year, but it’s definitely one you should be checking out If you’re a fan of the genre. Gameplay can unfortunately start to feel repetitive after a string of deaths, but those happy to take their time will find an adventure to enjoy. Unfortunately, with a lack of excitement past the main missions, Styx doesn’t have what it takes to match the big guns like Hitman in the stealth market and the A.I. could also do with being a bit more human-like.
With all the things Styx bumbles, the game really shouldn’t work, but somehow everything still managed to click for me. The stalking, the scheming, and managing the successful execution of strategies are all gratifying. Styx: Shards of Darkness is far from perfect and can’t compete with the triple-A titles already crowding 2017, but it is a great B-tier budget title, and underneath that warty skin, there’s the sort of heart that’s often lacking in its more polished peers.
Styx: Shards of Darkness offers more improvements upon it's original than most other sequels you'll find in gaming today. This is due to the painstaking process of finding out what needed improving, how to improve it, then executing it properly. If you are a fan of games that thrive on creativity and stealth, then Styx: Shards of Darkness should be on your gaming radar. While there are a few issues that plague the game, the overall gaming experience is one of quality and craftsmanship. Earlier I asked if developer Cyanide ticked all the boxes that make up a quality stealth title, and the answer to that is yes.
A budget stealth romp that'll please the old-school crowd and frustrate everyone else. [May 2017, p.80]
May 15, 2018
Bigben Interactive acquires Cyanide Studios, authors of Styx.
