Styx: Shards of Darkness
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Styx: Shards of Darkness Media
Critic Reviews for Styx: Shards of Darkness
A mean-spirited character leads a big-hearted game; you’re unlikely to dwell on its lore but its features combine well to create a satisfying stealth experience.
Styx: Shards of Darkness greatly resembles the earlier Styx: Master of Shadows from 2014, but Cyanide improved the gameplay this time around with the inclusion of craftable weapons, the lack of a lock-on in combat, and expanded abilities. It presents an interesting world to explore but wastes its potential by recycling environments from early missions late in the game. Co-op mode is fun, too, but only selectively as some stealth-only missions seem far more manageable on one's own.
Many of the pieces that make up Styx feel dated, but they still come together to make a competent stealth-action experience.
A wisecracking goblin assassin may seem like an odd choice for a protagonist, but the titular character of Styx: Shards of Darkness is enjoyable to control.
A decent stealth experience, but the AI tends to sour the experience, as does the occasional camera angle issue.
Despite being so similar compared to Master of Shadows in terms of gameplay, Shards of Darkness improves in visuals and level desing, but still has deficiencies in terms of AI and narrative.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
And really, pleasant surprises are what we're talking about with Styx: Shards of Darkness. Don't let the reduced price tag or the fact that Styx's previous titles aren't exactly household names fool you. Once you get past the slightly budget look of the UI and occasional control jank, there is a solid core of a pretty damn good stealth game here. Give him a chance, and Styx might just steal your heart (only to pawn it at a fraction of its value, the little bastard).
It's safe to say Styx: Shards of Darkness is nothing short of a spectacular stealth game that brings the genre back to its roots and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Industry Coverage
Xbox Games with Gold for January 2020 Includes Batman and Star Wars
The first Xbox Games with Gold lineup for 2020 has been revealed today, with the customary two Xbox One titles and two backward compatible titles coming to subscribers' libraries.
Read more
