I have a soft spot for stealth games. And while they're not always great, regardless of the franchise they belong to, sometimes you're lucky enough to find some hidden gems, which is the case of Styx: Master of Shadows. Unfortunately, Styx was never heavily advertised, so I fear it might fly under a lot of people's radar. And while it's not without some obvious flaws, it's still worth a shot, especially for fans of stealth games.
Styx stars the titular character who was previously also a playable character in Of Orcs and Men. His wit and foul mouth are in full swing in Master of Shadows, as is his ability to dispatch his human opponents in a swift new manner. The game's approach to progression is fairly linear, and each stage is split up into multiple segments, however, there is a great sense of verticality to the stages, that allow for some truly impressive maneuvers and takedowns.
Styx doesn't start out all that proficient, and gains various skills throughout the game such as killing enemies from above (a necessary upgrade) or carrying more restorative items. Styx also has a skill called Amber vision, which is not that different from Eagle vision in Assassin's Creed games, where you can clearly see enemies in your immediate surrounding, as well as any possible items or escape routes.
Master of Shadows is actually extremely accurate in its title, as you'll be needing to use them to stay out of sight, as combat, though an option, is never recommended. The human enemies are vicious and will strike Styx down with only a few hits, if that. If you're seen, you have the option of entering a mini-game of sorts where you can parry an enemy's attack with a well-time swing and then perform a killing blow, though the timing on that is often hard to read. Not to mention, if you managed to get the attention of multiple enemies, it's pretty much game over, as they swarm you while trying to parry off another enemy.
The best tactic is to literally stay in the shadows, though sound does factor into the game as well. Styx has to be super silent when approaching his enemies since any loud noise will make them alert. But walking crouched isn't the only way to stay silent. You also have to stay mindful of various objects like brooms and buckets which when just pushed over can alert guards as well. Oh and when falling a bigger distance, make sure to land on something soft like a carpet. This system of sound detection makes the game much more strategic and really forces the player to study his surroundings before making an attempt for the goal.
If Styx is seen though, hiding and running away is easily the better option to fighting. There are plenty of places that Styx can hide in, be it boxes or closets, though enemies that become aware of his presence will also as a result be more receptive to checking these hiding spots. Since Styx is very agile, climbing up out of sight is generally the safest bet to stay alive. Guards will eventually return to their posts, so it's a matter of waiting them out.
While the stealth is quite fantastic, the platforming is actually quite wonky. A lot of times when I'd try to jump and hold onto a ledge, Styx wouldn't grab it, and I'd fall right in front of an enemy guard. Jumping from ledge to ledge can also yield similar disastrous results. So while it's always recommended you resolve to vertical hiding place, actually getting there can get you in a lot more trouble since a lot of the time Styx will just flat out refuse to hold onto a ledge that he normally should be able to latch on to.
The game also suffers from a few graphical glitches as well. For example, when rotating the camera around Styx, you can literally see the textures load in from a white background. It's very quick and very slight, but definitely noticeable. I've also suffered a game breaking glitch where I hid in a closet where I was eventually found, however, the guard never dragged me out, even though the game thought he did, so I ended up being stuck in the closet without any way of getting out, no matter what button I pressed. Luckily my last Save wasn't that far behind, but it was still an annoying bug.
If you can overlook the various bugs that will hopefully be patched out, Styx is still a very fun stealth game. Its pacing isn't always consistent and its humor is definitely hit or miss, but if you enjoy games that overly rely on stealth tactics instead of straight up combat, then Master of Shadows certainly delivers.
[Reviewed on PS4]
