Styx: Master of Shadows Reviews
Styx: Master of Shadows feels like a dated game. The unsurprising progression and brainless AI make for a game that offers nothing new in exchange for one's time.
A great addition to any stealth gamer's digital library.
Styx: Master of Shadows is fun. It falls somewhere between enjoyable and infuriating on a scale, as for every shining moment there is one of constant resetting. I feel players will quickly acclimate themselves to the gameplay and be able to move about quickly as the game is very intuitive and pulls from the likes of Metal Gearand Thief. Topping it off, it has a decent story to boot that works its way into Cyanide's previous title, tying both together.
Styx: Master of Shadows isn't terrible, but it follows the template of the genre to the letter, warts and all.
A little buggy and a little glitchy, but a whole lot of stealthy.
Styx: Master Of Shadows showed some potential. Styx himself is an interesting character and the game's use of amber allows the player to be creative in their approach to each mission, but unfortunately these ideas have been thrown into a game which lacks the enjoyment to appreciate them. The frustrating moments far outweighed any fun we had with Styx, and the game's repetition solidified this by making us do those frustrating sections over and over again, which only helped to create a very unenjoyable experience. We only hope that Styx sticks to those shadows he is so masterful of, because we don't want to play a game like this again.
As such, it's difficult to recommend Styx: Master of Shadows to all but the most hardcore shadow skulker when the many other games that have come before it have all done the whole stealth thing that much better.
This ultra-hard stealth game kind of feels like it came out ten years ago, but in a good way.
I enjoyed tearing through the world Of Styx, and truly felt I had that "Master of Shadows" title down to a T. While the game has its slight bumps here and there, it is a fantastic addition to the stealth genre, and I couldn't be more pleased with it's approach. There's enough innovation and elements sprinkled in there for you to have creative and tactical approaches to how you take on your enemies and truly, Master the Shadows.
Our verdict is probably to think long and hard before purchasing. Even though Styx only retails for $30, which Cyanide Games certainly deserve for their hard work in creating an awesome character and a good overall stealth experience, the lack of variety in the environments will really drag at times. Huge stealth fans will get an enjoyable experience out of this, but anyone else likely to get mildly frustrated by the dated gameplay and repetition is probably best off avoiding it.
Styx: Master of Shadows is not a great game and the timing of its launch is somewhat unfortunate as many gamers are probably still enjoying the stealth approach in Shadow of Mordor, but for old school fans of the genre it does offer a solid experience with some nice level design and cool character abilities.
The stealth mechanics in Styx: Master of Shadows are bloody fantastic, but the game is completely overshadowed by its poor controls and repetitive scenery, turning what could have been a really enjoyable game into controller-breaking frustration, as an ungodly amount of time is spent repeating the same sequence over and over again, praying that Styx isn't a clumsy mess.
Styx's greatest strength is in always providing another option when a passageway appears to be impenetrable.
Styx: Master of Shadows is a stealth game that relies entirely on just that, pure stealth. The beautifully open-world mission designs are great, and the stealth gameplay is extremely satisfying. For $30, a hardcore stealth fan can't go wrong with Cyanide's latest title.
If you are a fan of the likes of Thief and Hitman then Styx: Master of Shadows is well deserving of a play. Goblins may be foul, disgusting creatures, but you won't help but like this one.
Styx: Master Of Shadows is a proper old-school sneak'em up that harks back to the tough and rewarding heyday of the stealth genre, but the production values don't come close to matching the ambition. Thanks to its budget price, enormous sandbox levels and fun stealth mechanics, I can still recommend this shonky yet endearing little game to patient fans of sneaking, stabbing and pressing F9 every few seconds.
At its best, Styx: Master of Shadows is a half-decent stealth game with barely a fresh idea in its head. At its worst, it's a soggy pile of frustration, clumsiness, and save-scumming. Guess which end of the spectrum it tends towards.
You will notice some cut corners but if you are looking for good pure stealth game this is it.
There's a brilliant game hidden deep inside Styx: Master of Shadows but a lack of item variety, shoddy controls, and a horrid combat system keep its potential buried deep.
"While Styx: Master of Shadows managed to sneak up on me, as a good goblin should be able to, it has not gone unnoticed. The game started as yet another review, but has now become a beloved world in my imagination. My only hope is that whether by DLC or a sequel title Styx will get more stories, even if this particular one seems to have come to a defining end."