Styx: Shards of Darkness

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a surprisingly old-school and well-crafted stealth game, providing a welcome sneaky outlet in a world so often focused on open combat. With good gameplay, great production values, and a plot that never gets in the way of the action, Styx: Shards of Darkness should definitely be part of every stealth fan’s library.

A really good stealth game, with a great design of levels and mechanics totally oriented to infiltration, although with an AI that affects the final result.

8[0]. A solid 8[0], mind you. Styx: Shards of Darkness has renewed my trust in the game trailer once again. After removing the plush padding of the cinematic trailer, I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw in the actual gameplay. On the contrary, I was welcomed by a well-rounded stealth puzzler that I plan on playing (with) for quite some time into the future. The writing and story are both refreshing and hilarious, which gives this title a firm lead in an otherwise dark and quiet genre.

The death scene taunts can get a bit tiring (when you die frequently… especially if it’s from a fiddly jump) but overall there’s a lot of charm on offer here and an interesting story. Worth a look and a bit of fun.

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.

If you love the stealth genre, you will love Styx: Shards of Darkness.

Ready to join a new and amazing adventure? Have you have honed your infiltration techniques? Styx is back in better shape than ever, new graphics, new skills, and of course his black humor. A sparkling new chapter of the saga signed by Cyanide Studio.

Gameplay, graphics, atmosphere: all is in the right place.

Shards of Darkness could have been an amazing stealth game, thanks to a witty and cynical main character, wonderful level design and a myriad of skills and perks. Unfortunately, the experience is partially ruined by a sub-par AI and some flaws in the control system.

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.

Where Shards of Darkness excels is when it gets you to think dynamically and to pare off all the extraneous technicalities, when hiding and slashing and scheming becomes second nature after you’re forced to hone your skills by being thrown for a loop once you think you know it all. 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.

Styx: Shards of Darkness, while a solid stealth game, does not dare travel off the beaten path. Having said that, fans of the genre should definitely check it out.

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.

Huge adventure playground with some little quirks, for stealth fans with a knack for experiments.

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.

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.

The second adventure has the bitter taste of a wasted opportunity.

Styx is a through-and-through stealth game, so scoring system doesn’t approve of murders, and enemy placement always leaves a way to slip by. But, unlike Thief, you’ll feel the desire to cut some throats. There, stealth was like a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse; here, it’s personal. It’s vendetta, where mercy has no place. Also, there are few things as satisfying as pouring acid on still-warm corpse to completely dissolve it. [Issue#219, p.68]