Title: Styx - Shards of Darkness
Author: PottyZA
Recovered Author: PottyZA
Published Date: 2017-04-07
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2017/04/styx-shards-of-darkness
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170719041056id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za:80/2017/04/styx-shards-of-darkness/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Video Game Review
Tags: Fantasy, featured, Geeknode, PC Gaming, Shards of Darkness, stealth, Steam, Styx, Styx - Shards of Darkness, video game review

- Developer Cyanide
- Publisher Focus Home Interactive
- Distributor Apex Interactive
- Where we got our copy Apex Interactive
- Game modes Single Player, Co-op
- Players 2
- Reviewed on PC

- Available on Playstation 4, Xbox One

- Where to buy Steam, Xbox Store, PSN or your favourite brick-and-mortar retailer

- PottyZA

- 3 months ago

- 0 0

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a good stealth game but sadly does pretty much everything else in a mediocre fashion. It is the sequel to 2014’s Styx: Master of Shadows and once again stars the titular Styx, a goblin with quite a few tricks up his sleeves. Shards of Darkness does a good job at getting new players up to speed and skulking about, but prior knowledge of the previous game does help you understand what is going on in the world of Styx.

This time around, however, the developers tried to give Styx more of a personality which is very hit or miss in my opinion. Styx ranges from being snarky and sarcastic to being downright irritating. It’s clear that Cyanide attempted to emulate the success that Deadpool had with breaking the fourth wall, but they mostly don’t succeed. The story isn’t that great either, but it does serve its purpose as a way to guide your progress throughout the game. Most of the missions are quite unimaginative and consist of making it to a certain point on the map or pilfering a specific object. The side objectives aren’t that interesting either, typically consisting of going to a location along the way that you might not otherwise care about.

Luckily, the character doesn’t detract too much from the core experience, except for the comments he makes every time you face an untimely death. The mouse and keyboard controls on PC are quite good, but the game is better suited to be played with a controller. The movement controls, specifically, can get a bit clunky with a keyboard and lacks the precision of movement that a controller offers. There are some instances where Styx doesn’t grab onto a ledge that you’re sure he should be able to and the jumping mechanics can sometimes be a bit awkward, but it’s far from game breaking. Overall, the controls allow you to fluidly dictate your character’s actions.

The gameplay itself is comprised of mostly standard stealth mechanics, with more and better skills being unlocked as you progress through the game. There isn’t much room to experiment with how you play the game since it’s pretty much stealth or nothing at all.

The combat mechanics are extremely limited and are entirely comprised of single-button counter attacks – there is no option to attack an enemy head on. This means that every time you’re spotted, you’re going to want to reload from the last save. This is mostly okay if you don’t mind playing the game purely stealthily but it does limit the amount of improvisation that you can do once the situation goes completely south. It’s this kind of improvisation that makes other stealth games like Dishonored or Hitman so much more fun to play, and Shards of Darkness is missing that opportunity completely. You’re better off avoiding head-on combat situations since it’s pretty much a sure-fire death sentence.

Shards of Darkness introduces a skill tree system, with five different paths to follow to help mould Styx into the character you want to play. You can choose to focus on making clones of yourself to create clever distractions or manufacture deadly acid traps that dissolve the body of any poor soul that might get caught in it.

The environments are gorgeous thanks to the use of Unreal Engine 4, and every movement Styx makes is beautifully animated. You’ll be sneaking your way through a few different environments such as cavernous cities, sprawling fortresses, and mines. Sadly, the game starts recycling the same environments after around the halfway mark which seems a bit lazy to me – I’d rather play a shorter game with varied environments than a long game recycling the same content.

The game runs very well on PC, with relatively modest system specifications required to play it at minimum settings. On the topic of the game’s underlying technology: the enemy AI definitely needs work and frequently devolves into the age old “what was that noise?” cliche, even after noticing that their friends have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances. This is sadly not a new issue, Master of Shadows had this problem too, and numerous other games in the last decade have made the same mistake – Is it too much to ask for decent enemy AI now in this latest generation of gaming?

The addition of cooperative play to the series is a nice thought, but in practice, it can hinder the experience more than it enhances it especially if you’re not playing it with a close friend. Saving is disabled in the co-op mode, which highlights how frustrating it can be that there are now two players that can get caught and few ways to successfully recover from being spotted. However, there is a lot of fun to be had if you and a buddy have the patience to slowly and methodically creep across the game’s sprawling levels and pay careful attention to avoid being spotted.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a game built for stealth purists with only the stealth mechanics working exceptionally well. Everything else falls flat, with many other recent games doing a better job at key features such as story, mission objectives and combat gameplay. The fluid controls, sprawling environments, and the impressive amount of varied skills provide something for fans of the series to enjoy. I would, however, not recommend it as a full-price purchase, unless you’re a die-hard fan of the series or the main character.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a good stealth game but sadly does pretty much everything else in a mediocre fashion. It is the sequel to 2014's Styx: Master of Shadows and once again stars the titular Styx, a goblin with quite a few tricks up his sleeves. Shards of Darkness does a good job at getting new players up to speed and skulking about, but prior knowledge of the previous game does help you understand what is going on in the world of Styx. This time around, however, the developers tried to give Styx more of a personality which is very hit or miss in my opinion. Styx ranges from being snarky and sarcastic to being downright irritating. It's clear that Cyanide attempted to emulate the success that Deadpool had with breaking the fourth wall, but they mostly don't succeed. The story isn't that great either, but it does serve its purpose as a way to guide your progress throughout the game. Most of the missions are quite unimaginative and consist of making it to a certain point on the map or pilfering a specific object. The side objectives aren't that interesting either, typically consisting of going to a location along the way that you might not otherwise care about. Luckily, the character doesn't detract too much from the core experience, except for the comments he makes every time you face an untimely death. The mouse and keyboard controls on PC are quite good, but the game is better suited to be played with a controller. The movement controls, specifically, can get a bit clunky with a keyboard and lacks the precision of movement that a controller offers. There are some instances where Styx doesn't grab onto a ledge that you're sure he should be able to and the jumping mechanics can sometimes be a bit awkward, but it's far from game breaking. Overall, the controls allow you to fluidly dictate your character's actions. The gameplay itself is comprised of mostly standard stealth mechanics, with more and better skills being unlocked as you progress through the game. There isn't much room to experiment with how you play the game since it's pretty much stealth or nothing at all. The combat mechanics are extremely limited and are entirely comprised of single-button counter attacks - there is no option to attack an enemy head on. This means that every time you're spotted, you're going to want to reload from the last save. This is mostly okay if you don't mind playing the game purely stealthily but it does limit the amount of improvisation that you can do once the situation goes completely south. It's this kind of improvisation that makes other stealth games like Dishonored or Hitman so much more fun to play, and Shards of Darkness is missing that opportunity completely. You're better off avoiding head-on combat situations since it's pretty much a sure-fire death sentence. Shards of Darkness introduces a skill tree system, with five different paths to follow to help mould Styx into the…

Video Game Review: Styx – Shards of Darkness

Video Game Review: Styx – Shards of Darkness

2017-04-07

PottyZA

A good stealth game, let down by an annoying lead character

Total - 6.5

65
6.5

Shards of Darkness does stealth very well, but an irritating main character, one-dimensional combat system, and unimaginative storyline prevents it from being a must-have title.

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PottyZA

Tech Author at Geek Node

Developer by day, gamer by night. Charl loves everything about gaming and tech, and sometimes writes about them. When he's not busy gaming, you can be sure he's thinking about it.

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