Styx: Shards of Darkness Reviews
Styx: Shards of Darkness is everything you could expect this game to be and more. It offers hardcore stealth gameplay for those who are interested in it while simultaneously lowering the skill cap for those who just want to finish the game and do not shy away from a messy slaughter or alarm or two. It is hard to resist Styx’s wits and cockiness even in the middle of situation he gets into. If you were waiting for a sign that Styx: Shards of Darkness is an amazing game worthy of your time, consider this to be just it.
Depending on what you're looking for in your next third person stealth game, Styx may fit the bill. It gets a lot right and is a noticeable improvement from the first game, which itself was pretty good to begin with. It may not carry the history or prestige of some of stealth's bigger franchises, but if you like the genre at all, Cyanide Studios' latest effort deserves your attention.
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.
In some ways, Styx: Shards of Darkness felt as Stockholm-Syndrome-inducingly difficult as Dark Souls, with the frequent deaths, taunts, and preference for evasion over confrontation. But that made me like it even more.
Despite some flaws still present from its predecessor, Styx : Shards of Darkness is a solid sequel. Even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel, and borrows its mechanics to the biggest stealth games or adventurous ones like Assassin�s Creed, this opus does things well. With its high dosed difficulty that will encourage the player to be discreet and explore the verticality of the great level design, this entry will fulfill players from the outset.
Review in French | Read full review
Shards of Darkness could have been an amazing stealth game, thanks to a witty and cynical main character, a wonderful level design and a lot of skills and perks. Unfortunately, the experience is partially ruined by a sub-par AI and some flaws in the control system.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All in all, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a game you won't want to miss.
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.
Styx: Shards of Drakness is developing the predecessor's ideas, but there is no breakthrough here. We are returning at one's old place in a slightly better, nicer and more friendly way. The game perfectly implements characteristics of stealth games, but because of bugs it misses AAA games quality.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
Styx: Shards of Darkness is an incredibly fun game - provided you are ok with slowing down the pace and willing to put up with uncompromising stealth. If you are looking for an action heavy stealth experience, this isn’t really your cup of tea. However, if you’re like me (though I’m terrible at stealth on the whole) and want a great, difficult challenge, Styx: Shards of Darkness might be right up your alley.
What's worse than dying in a game... dying and being heckled for doing so.
Styx: Shards of Darkness is a little big sequel of the first chapter, Master of Shadows. Gameplay, graphics, atmosphere: all is in the right place.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Cyanide continues to build its own dark fantasy world, step by step. And Shards of Darkness is a step in a right direction. Story is richer, gameplay is better than in its predecessor. And we only hope developers will stay on track for a few games more.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Styx: Shards of Darkness is an excellent purist stealth game, which is let down by stupid AI.
What it may lack in narrative development, Styx: Shards of Darkness more than makes up for in its near-faultless gameplay that stands out as a prime example of stealth design done right.
This is a game that you need to sink more than just a handful of hours into in order to really appreciate but in my opinion, the reward is well worth it - the feeling of nailing a multi-target assassination with some high-octane traps before ziplining away and cackling was indescribable, and made much more meaningful by the fact that a few hours ago I was struggling to find my own ass in the dark.
A surprisingly old-school and well-crafted stealth game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a welcome sneaky outlet in a world so often focused on open combat.
Styx: Shards of Darkness is polished and expanded Styx: Master of Shadows. It uses same mechanics, which makes it feels familiar, but somehow better. It's the essence of stealth game where you can either leave a trail of blood behind you, or a few empty purses. Styx feels like THIEF and is acquired taste, but everyone should at least try it.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Everything comes together to create a really great stealth gameplay experience.