Styx: Shards of Darkness

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 66 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 66
  3. Negative: 13 out of 66
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  1. dmpdesign
    Oct 21, 2017
    2
    You have to be kidding me, these high reviews are ridiculous. This game is complete crap in my opinion and I am a fan and avid player of stealth games. Here is a list of what I absolutely HATED about this game:

    1. The camera is jittery and choppy, they put no smoothing as you look around the stage, leads to choppy gameplay and just feels very very cheap. 2. Way too many enemies, some    You have to be kidding me, these high reviews are ridiculous. This game is complete crap in my opinion and I am a fan and avid player of stealth games. Here is a list of what I absolutely HATED about this game:

    1. The camera is jittery and choppy, they put no smoothing as you look around the stage, leads to choppy gameplay and just feels very very cheap.
    2. Way too many enemies, some areas are just littered with guards (upwards 10 at once is not uncommon) so if you are detected (which its quire nearly impossible not to be) you have a crap ton of guards coming after you with no way to defend against it.
    3. Guards are waaaaaaaaaay to aware of your presence. Even on the easiest level they will easily detect you. This game needs a quick reload option with the ability to quick save because you will literally be restarting hundreds of times per level during the later parts of the game.
    4. The game is about stealth, yet many of the 'stealth' moves don't work. For example if you put out a torch at a distance with sand (one of the main moves in the game) and the guard sees the torch went out its an automatic failure for mission objectives that require you to remain undetected. I have never played a stealth game where noticing a torch is out counts as a detection.
    5. Opening but not being able to close doors. This is astonishingly stupid and frustrating...if you are going to build in AI that detects a door is open that shouldn't be, then allow the player to close the door behind them. WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMMING IS THIS?
    6. Automatic hits from enemies. So again I point at poor programming (as a game developer I feel I have a fairly keen sense of when a team either sucks or is lazy with their programming) for another major annoyance. If you aggro a guard, and trust me you will, their attacks cannot miss. There is no physical hit box detection between their blade/arrows and your character model, they merely put a radius around the enemy when they strike that counts as a giant hitbox and if you're standing in it, you get hit. In other words if I am behind and enemy who swings forward at thin air, if I am within maybe 5 feet on any side of him it will hit me. Ditto the arrows, you will see the graphic go buzzing by your head but it automatically hit you for damage well before the arrow even gets close to you. Complete crap.
    7. The AI is obnoxious, i have no idea what these other reviewers are talking about with stupid AI. I can't sneak 5 feet without 10 people being notified and instantly finding my position no matter where they were when I made the sound. Hide in a barrel or under a table you say? Oh that would be cool except they check inside every darn time and pull you out of the barrel and cause massive damage.

    This game sucks, don't buy it. I only gave it a 2 because the graphics are nice. (Music sucks too btw)    … Expand
  2. seelenpfluecker
    Dec 10, 2022
    4
    Abgesehen davon, daß es lustig ist und schön aussieht, ist das Spiel leider auch auf dem einfachsten Grad beim Boss in Level 4 Frust pur.
    Ich mag Schleichspiele eigentlich, aber das hier ist wirklich nur für Hardcore-Fans. Es ist unfair ohne Ende.
    Türen lassen sich nicht schließen, wenn man sie zuvor geöffnet hat. Wenn man Fackeln löscht, aus der Ferne (!), wird man entdeckt und jemand    Abgesehen davon, daß es lustig ist und schön aussieht, ist das Spiel leider auch auf dem einfachsten Grad beim Boss in Level 4 Frust pur.
    Ich mag Schleichspiele eigentlich, aber das hier ist wirklich nur für Hardcore-Fans. Es ist unfair ohne Ende.
    Türen lassen sich nicht schließen, wenn man sie zuvor geöffnet hat. Wenn man Fackeln löscht, aus der Ferne (!), wird man entdeckt und jemand entzündet sie erneut. Mit Sand werfen, kostet dann aber Ressourcen.
    Die Steuerung ist nicht akkurat, die Kamera oft katastrophal.
    Selbst auf dem leichtesten Schwierigkeitsgrad bin ich bis Level 4 an die 100x gestorben!
    Beim Bosskampf in Level 4 (bis dahin hat man erst 30% des Spiels hinter sich) kann man trotz des hohen Schwierigkeitsgrades und der Unfairness NICHT zwischenspeichern!
    Es rennen viel, viel, viel zu viele Feinde rum.
    Das macht echt keinen Spaß mehr irgendwann und ist nur sehr leidensfähige Menschen gedacht, die sonst keinen Frust haben im Leben.    … Expand
  3. MARXENZOLOPES
    May 27, 2020
    4
    i am a fan of stealth games but this game is an example of how not to do a stealth game

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Worth Playing
    Jul 11, 2017
    75
    In the end, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a solid stealth title. The lack of real combat puts your ability to go undetected to the test, and the breadth of each level means that your solutions to each problem are wide open, giving you some flexibility to your approach. While your abilities are fun to use, it would've been nice to see them make a difference, especially since the game reuses some environments instead of going for new ones. Shards of Darkness is an improvement over the first game, and it's worth checking out if you're a stealth fan.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 7, 2017
    70
    It can be a little frustrating, but thankfully these flaws are not so insurmountable that Shards of Darkness stops being a diverting and fun misadventure [June 2017, p81]
  3. games(TM)
    Jun 14, 2017
    60
    A dated yet enjoyable stealth affair. [Issue#186, p.78]
See all critic reviews »