Styx: Shards of Darkness
Rating Summary
Based on 75 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Top Critic
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.
Top Critic
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.
Top Critic
Many of the pieces that make up Styx feel dated, but they still come together to make a competent stealth-action experience.
Top Critic
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).
Top Critic
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.
Top Critic
Shards of Darkness could have been a big step forward for the series, giving you a more rounded set of gameplay possibilities, alongside the better looking environments and other areas. Alas it’s not as big an improvement as I’d hoped and is let down by bugs and inconsistencies. It’s a stealth game with one foot stuck in the past, and that remains both a blessing and a curse.
Top Critic
Shards of Darkness is a fine sequel to the unexpected and great Master of Shadows. It's more ambitious, but this results in some other aspects not feeling as polished as they should.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
A stealth game in the true sense of the word you should keep an eye on, even if the enemies AI is still not that great.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Top Critic
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
Top Critic
A decent stealth experience, but the AI tends to sour the experience, as does the occasional camera angle issue.
