Styx: Master of Shadows

1. Gereminus

   Oct 11, 2014

   10

   Finally a revive of the stealth genre. With only little imperfections here and there it's an unforgetable ride. No nursing, lots of freedom,Finally a revive of the stealth genre. With only little imperfections here and there it's an unforgetable ride. No nursing, lots of freedom, outstanding level (or should I say - world) and sound design, solid graphics*.
   
   Controls:
   Smooth, precise, no automation allowing a great deal of freedom of movement. People complaining about it are usually accustomed to Assassin's Creed type of aids or plainly didn't grasp the introductory tutorial of Styx. After few hours I'm looking like a Quasimodo returning from a ballet lessons!
   Good camera movement BTW. I've never seen a serious clipping or obstruction problems with it.
   
   Story/world:
   Mature fantasy world with interesting, original twists. Again, mature and non-trivial!
   
   AI:
   A little bit short-sighted and quickly dropping the hunt for you if you manage to run away after being detected but aside from it. A solid work.
   
   Game mechanics:
   Like a well-selected orchestra!
   Initially I thought that some elements I've seen in the trailer are misplaced and that I won't use them. So wrong. Everything has its place and purpose and everything has its limitations, avoiding boredom and making a specific item too commonly used during gameplay. A stealthy run through a guard-crawling level on the highest difficulty level will leave you thinking you're a god :) It's all hard work, patience, planning and execution all put together.
   
   Good representation of Styx's limitations. A jump 15 meters down and you're a goner. It's not anime...
   
   Audio:
   One of the biggest selling points of the game. Apart from repetitive dialogues of the guards that is. The soundtrack should be sold separately! Well done and, as with the story and world design, a great deal of originality.
   
   * very well optimised! Radeon 6850 allows for perfectly smooth maxed-out gameplay at 1080p.… Expand

   • 18 of 24 users found this helpful
2. Skully_

   Oct 10, 2014

   9

   Styx is a real stealth game, no pseudo press X to win **** like AssiCreed. It is challenging, I recommend for Stealth Fans the GoblinStyx is a real stealth game, no pseudo press X to win **** like AssiCreed. It is challenging, I recommend for Stealth Fans the Goblin difficulty level from the start. Levels are large and have different ways in and out to the target. No hand holding, no linear levels. Just you your trusty blade and a lot of people to stab, kill, smash, burn and throw of a cliff or balcony. Yes it is lacking a bit of polish, but it is good fun.… Expand

   • 4 of 5 users found this helpful
4. KingVerity

   Oct 9, 2014

   9

   I am not normally a stealth game type person. I normally get bored and crave something more, the latest "Thief" game is a good example inI am not normally a stealth game type person. I normally get bored and crave something more, the latest "Thief" game is a good example in which this has happened to me. For some reason, with Styx: Master of Shadows, I can't stop playing.
   
   Pros: You get to be a Goblin assassin. The best kind of assassin.
   Expansive and creative level design offers a multitude of paths for your creative enjoyment.
   The controls work well and I have had no problem with "ledge detection" like other people have stated.
   Movement animations are nimble and feel right. Kill animations make you feel powerful and gritty.
   Beautiful graphics especially the lighting and main character, Styx.
   Good story and a cool way of telling it as far as I'm concerned.
   
   Cons: Sub par voice acting. I really feel like this is the only thing keeping it from a 10/10 to me. If I had to rate the voice acting it would be a 6/10, not horrible but it could have been better.
   
   All in all, this is a great game for about 25$. I've enjoyed it more than most games I've bought this year for over twice that price.… Expand

   • 15 of 18 users found this helpful
5. agurczuk

   Jun 14, 2017

   8

   A bit underrated game about stealth and infiltration set in a dark, fantasy world.
   
   I had this game on my radar for a while mostly due toA bit underrated game about stealth and infiltration set in a dark, fantasy world.
   
   I had this game on my radar for a while mostly due to the fact that it looked good and featured a goblin like main character in a Thief like world. Didn't know too much about the gameplay before diving in but I've seen mixed reviews. In the end I must admit I very much enjoyed the game despite some flaws and a bit hard difficulty level.
   
   Styx: Master of Shadows is a third person stealth game. Set in a world that reminds the one in the Thief series but a bit more fantasy and bright. But the general feel is pretty similar - at least for me.
   
   The story starts a bit slow and is a bit confusing at first. It's hard to make out exactly what's going on. But it comes around somewhere mid-game and when it starts making sense it starts to reel you in. And despite the rough start of "ok, this one is not for the story" I must admit it hooked me. Without giving anything away - you play as a goblin like creature trying to infiltrate Akenash tower in order to steal the heart of the tree. An amber producing tree. The amber in this world is a sort of drug and an extremely valuable thing. The story follows your journey through the tower while you seek to access it.
   
   The visuals are pretty nice. Levels are well designed with a multitude ways you can approach certain objectives. Sometimes you get to travel the same area twice and doing so from different starting points is a very unique experience not often found in other games.
   
   Audio layer is also well designed - the voice actors did pretty decent job and the soundtrack fits with the gameplay. Nothing breath taking but absolutely fine.
   
   One thing to note about the gameplay is that it's pretty hard. I've struggled with first levels before figuring out there is quick save functionality which I would strongly advise to use. Without it - the auto-save spots are so rare that getting trough meant replaying up to half an hour of level progress. On the other hand learning the level layout made travelling through it all that much easier and satisfying. Even with the quick save - the game is still pretty challenging and though. I don't think I've achieved a "no alarm" or "no kill" or any other of the achievements for a single level of the game. It's not hard enough to discourage from playing though.
   
   The game gives at your disposal a set of abilities. You can upgrade them between missions through experience points. You get them by completing secondary objectives and getting achievements. From the lot the most notable are amber vision - which is sort of night vision with benefits, invisibility - though for painfully short time and clones - can be useful at times although didn't find all that much use for them. Overall they're a nice addition though I've relied mostly on sneaking, moving between covers and quietly killing off guards.
   
   Aside from that you have to manage your consumables - you get two health potions, two amber bottles - which are used for the above abilities and two throwing knives - probably most useful thing in the game. You can replenish them between levels or sometimes pick up along the way though they're all pretty scarce commodity and thus so much more valuable.
   
   The game is fun. Although being very difficult it's really fun to play.
   
   It has some flaws as mentioned in the beginning - of which two are most note worthy. First is the ledge detection and jumping. It takes time getting used to it. It's not very polished and can lead to a lot of trouble while trying to perform a tricky jump. The second problem lies with AI. While the enemies behave quite good and pose a challenge - the NPCs are terrible. Most of what they do is stand and shout. Even if no one is coming and you're murdering one of them just in front of the other. Makes up for a silly moments.
   
   Overall I really did enjoy the game and would really recommend it to any stealth loving gamer.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Lupa999

   May 11, 2015

   7

   Styx master of shadows is not for the casual gamer. Hell even veteran stealth gamers will have a hard time on the first level. The maps inStyx master of shadows is not for the casual gamer. Hell even veteran stealth gamers will have a hard time on the first level. The maps in each level are HUGE. With many guards and hidden guards you will feel at times you are backed into a corner because of a lack of abilities and supplies, which is what makes the game feel so good.There is a surprising amount of ways to handle missions. Many places to to hide are scattered around the area. like his name, Styx uses the shadows to stay hidden, taking out torches and using balls of sand to take them out from a distance if needed.Many hidden collectibles and really cool "amber powers" . Many items like balls of sand, bottles of acid, throwing knives and more to give you more options in your environment.Satisfying stealth, great setting and soundtrack and sound effects with interesting visuals and odd but bad ass goblin protagonist makes this game feel unique.
   
   At least that's what it tries to be. One huge flaw the this game suffers from is its no different from anything you've probably played. It doesn't try to be unique of different, at all. Game play is exactly as what you would expect from a stealth game. The game also pretty much makes you have to go stealthy if you want to feel the full experience from the game. The combat is terrible. when you fight a guard the camera auto locks onto him, which means you cant turn the camera away unless you roll away, which leaves you open to attack from other guards. There's no blocking, just keep pressing the right button at the right time to parry then kill him when he stumbles. Hit detection is horrible as well so good luck on either of you landing a hit. AI is retarded unless you play on the hardest difficulty. Many abilities like overhead assassinations or cover kills and locked away abilities unless you buy them with SP that you earn when you beat a mission. And Some of the cute scenes are drawn by hand and repeat as well which is an odd choice since the game had a strong opening cut scene. A lack of variety in enemies as well until far into the game. Overall this is a good but unremarkable stealth game that just aims for the bare minimum. Its $30 price tag is nice, since most "next gen" games ask for $60.… Expand

   • 2 of 3 users found this helpful
7. rodericrinehart

   Jul 8, 2015

   5

   Really found it tedious and boring. It is old-school stealth, which I knew going in, but I guess I just enjoy modern action-stealth far more -Really found it tedious and boring. It is old-school stealth, which I knew going in, but I guess I just enjoy modern action-stealth far more - like Shadow of Mordor and Dishonored. My god are the graphics bad, even for a "half price" game. The textures look like they are a decade old and there is SO much darkness and lack of color in the game it is just pretty ugly to look at. The controls are not great and it is difficult to get him to do what you want every time, which is paramount in a game where you can get insta-killed.… Expand

   • 0 of 3 users found this helpful
8. Zipfer

   Jan 6, 2016

   0

   This game is ok for 2002 year. If you like stupid checkpoints and look on the same scenes again and again. This game for you
   bad bad bad badThis game is ok for 2002 year. If you like stupid checkpoints and look on the same scenes again and again. This game for you
   bad bad bad bad bad bad bad… Expand

   • 1 of 4 users found this helpful

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