Styx: Blades of Greed

Styx: Blades of Greed is a solid AA hardcore stealth game that may not break new ground in the genre, but in the current drought of AA and AAA stealth titles, it’s more than welcome. While there are some AI limitations and a few bugs that should be ironed out in upcoming patches, the level design is thoughtfully crafted and the stealth mechanics are predictable in the best way, consistent and well implemented.

Styx returns in his biggest adventure yet. At its core, it remains the same game, but it is more enjoyable thanks to three large, brilliantly designed maps that encourage exploration and reward revisits with metroidvania-inspired elements. The series’ trademark B-movie charm is still present, but should not deter stealth fans from what works well.

While its mechanics never quite cohere into a truly transcendent experience, the developers’ understanding of their protagonist helps to bolster Styx: Blades of Greed against becoming just another anonymous sneak-‘em-up. They’ve provided a play space that’s free of judgment and agnostic to the moralistic implications of player behavior, and I felt no pangs of guilt as I went about systematically murdering a fortress full of guards and staff, stealing all I could in the process – after all, it’s what Styx would do, and they probably deserved it anyway.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a game recommended for fans of the stealth genre, despite several rough edges. The story is not particularly engaging, the control system is far from flawless, and frame-rate drops are frequent. And yet, Styx proves to be a sufficiently charismatic protagonist, and the level design is genuinely compelling.

Styx: Blades of Greed offers a literal classic stealth adventure, with expanded level design and gameplay mechanics, yet it struggles significantly in its story, mission structure, and both main and secondary characters.

Styx: Blades of Greed inherits both the good and the bad from the series, but I assure you that the good has been enhanced. It's a very respectable stealth game that fans of the genre will quickly fall in love with.

Styx is back, as tenacious as ever, and his latest adventure aims to build on the best elements of the franchise’s predecessors.

Styx: Blades of Greed is yet another budget title from the French developers at Cyanide Studio. Their games traditionally suffer from rough gameplay polish, a bunch of bugs, awkward animations, and odd design choices — yet they still carry a certain charm and that so‑called "soul".

An ambitious episode which, despite its imperfections, proves that the legendary goblin has lost none of its splendour. Not everything is perfect, but the goblin knows how to use its charms and assets to achieve its ends.

Styx: Blades of Greed shines with its mastery of stealth game conventions, its original fantasy world, and its art direction, but this alone isn't enough to make it the undisputed master of the genre in 2026. Beyond the purely technical aspects, this third installment in the saga fails to reinvent itself throughout the adventure to guarantee a fresh gameplay experience. On the contrary, a persistent feeling of doing the same thing over and over takes hold. Aside from that, Cyanide's title delivers the essentials… stealth.

Styx: Blades of Greed successfully brings the goblin anti-hero back into the spotlight with refined mechanics, strong vertical level design, and flexible stealth gameplay. The addition of Quartz abilities adds fresh tactical options, and the semi-open environments encourage exploration more than ever before. However, while the game plays smoothly and offers a consistently enjoyable stealth experience, it rarely dares to surprise. The core loop begins to feel repetitive, and the innovation expected after such a long hiatus simply isn’t fully realised. For fans of the series, this is a worthy continuation. For the genre at large, it’s a solid entry rather than a defining one.

Styx, the Master of Stealth, is back, and in his latest adventure he has more freedom than ever as he hunts down valuable Quartz. The openness of the levels is perhaps the highlight of Styx: Blades of Greed, though the new tools and skills available to Styx are also welcome. It's just a shame there are no maps to help with your navigation, and the combat remains something that will frustrate.

The newly vertiginous sandbox levels prove an excellent canvas for sneaking and stealing, in a welcome new entry in what feels increasingly like the spiritual successor to Thief: The Dark Project.

Styx: Blades of Greed starts slow but grows into a satisfying stealth game with detailed maps and plenty to explore. The world is full of challenges and creative freedom, though environmental interactions could be expanded. Despite some technical hiccups, it’s a fun and rewarding ride with our cynical goblin.

Styx: Blades of Greed isn’t a bad game. Within its evident limitations, it has several strengths that could convince many players to give it a chance. However, the game’s ambitions clearly clash with an execution that doesn’t always live up to its ideas or intended goals, ultimately offering players a watered-down and somewhat messy experience.

If you missed the rugged goblin, then you'll be able to relate to it just as you did with the previous installments. And despite a few stumbles, fans of the genre will have a blast.