Styx: Master of Shadows an underrated gem

Been having a blast playing this game after dowloading it on PSN and was kinda sad it got such low ratings. Yeah the graphics aren't that great and the combat is pretty much non-existent (but who needs combat in a stealth game) but the stealth is top notch in this game!

Also the developers weren't kidding when they said there are tons of pathways to complete a level. I love the freedom it gives you and the numerous tools you get as you progress through the game.

Reminds me of Thief really

Never got the chance to give it a try myself but apparently the game can get really repetitive.

It's okay. Great stealth mechanics, lousy combat (which is kind of the point, but still). It's a good game overall, but not my kind of game honestly.

I am playing on Goblin difficulty, so it is a one hit kill if the main character gets struck.

@BranKetra: same here! :D

Yeah, it's okay. My main problem was that it tried too hard to court both schools of stealth game design. For as much as it tries to offer myriad approaches to any situation, that freedom is entirely dependent on you having a full stock of amber at all times. Otherwise the game becomes a slog of trial and error.

I recall one specific instance in which I was trying to exit a level. The end stood at the other end of a bridge swarming with guards and little in the way of hiding spots. I couldn't systematically kill everyone because I'd always be spotted after the first kill, nor could I just carefully sneak by because the patrols were aligned just so that I couldn't move forward without drawing some attention. And of course, since I used up all my amber in the rest of the level due to equally challenging obstacles and had no reserves, I couldn't just create a clone and distract them or turn invisible and bypass them all entirely. So my options were either to keep banging my head against a wall or restart the level entirely and hope I could conserve enough amber for that specific situation that I could get through it with ease.

That moment was emblematic of the problems with that game. For as much as they got right with the level design -- there were plenty where I felt like I was getting lost because they're so large and intricate, which isn't something that can be said about most stealth games of this type -- there's a lot they got wrong in regards to basic balancing issues.

I've purchased the game but haven't played it. It's good to know things like this though. I agree that it sounds like bad level design. You should be able to succeed in most situations unless the game gives the player some indication that there will be limited resources.

@c_rakestraw: I think it was an incorrect observation on your part because the game always allows you to use a clone. That's because your Amber level always goes back to a certain level no matter how many abilities you used. So you will always have access to at least Amber vision and clone.

This is a hardcore stealth game. Any comment about combat is hilariously off target. If you find yourself in a combat situation, you failed. Reload and try again. The goal is to avoid combat. That's why this game is best played on Goblin mode where there is no combat, getting in melee range of an enemy that knows you are there is an instant kill.

One huge strength for this game is level design. The best level design we've seen in a stealth game since Thief 2: The Metal Age (2000). Radically far beyond the level design in any Hitman game or any Splinter Cell game. The level design is absolutely incredible. Every situation has multiple solutions, so any complaint that you're too low on Amber to finish the level is inaccurate. You just didn't see the proper solution.

This is a brutally hard game and is not for the casual or the story gamer type. This is for hardcore fans of the stealth genre. This is for those of us that cut our teeth playing games like Tenchu and Thief. This is not for casual fans that think games like Shadow of Mordor or the Batman Arkham games did stealth right. You will only find yourself frustrated.

Also of course this game is repetitive, that's true for 99.99999999999999% of games and does not ever need to be mentioned. Almost all the greatest games ever made have been repetitive, it is part and parcel of the video game medium and is not ever worth mentioning.

This game is definitely on my radar.

+1

Now, I'm definitely going to play this one sooner than later. I love Thief trilogy. Being underpowered is charm of actual Stealth Games...