Platform: Steam
Genre: Action/Stealth
Completed: 21/03/2024
This was another game that I had installed and left untouched for a long time. In fact, looking at my desktop I have a surprising amount of S games installed. I won't be installing anything new until I get through all those.
I remember playing the first game in the franchise, Of Orcs and Men, back on the PS3. If I had not known in advance that Styx: Master of Shadows took a different route, I would have been in for a big surprise. But, it was for its different direction that I originally set out to play Styx as I was enjoying the stealth genres (such as the Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid franchises). At first, I thought maybe this game would reference the previous title, but I was later told by my youngest brother that it was a prequel. Not going to lie, was a little saddened by that news. I suppose, I half expected to see how the story of Styx and Arkhail continued, but after playing Styx: Master of Shadows I was not disappointed in the direction they took.
When I originally started playing it I had barely even completed the introductory levels before I stopped. There was no real reason why I didn't continue it. I most likely got distracted by something else. God knows what it was. And more so if it's still installed in my backlog. So, it wasn't a big effort to restart the game and get re-acquainted with its mechanics.
When I told my youngest brother that I was picking it up again, this time as part of the challenge, he gave me a bit of advice - "think upwards". At first, I thought I understood what he meant. When I had originally gone through the first two introductory stages I remembered hiding in rafters and walking along ledges. Boy was I mistaken. The introductory areas had nothing on some of the later levels. Some stages had multiple layers to them with multiple paths leading into them.
In fact, it was often one of the things I enjoyed. While the areas were "small" on the horizontal plane, they were often larger on the vertical axis. This made getting to the objectives and exploring interesting. Sometimes it helped to survey the area and discover the path least traveled to get past safely. Or, to time patrols and deploy distractions to safely navigate a busy thoroughfare. Or, to kill everything in sight and let God sort them out...
However, more often than not, I would get lost/disorientated, especially when exploring the map and finding the hidden tokens and relics. But that's ok. The game comes with its own map - if you are good at map reading. Unlike other games, Styx: Master of Shadows doesn't have that user-friendly "you are here" marker. Instead, it expects you to review your surroundings and translate that position on the map, which was not always easy. Especially since the map was a flat top-down representation of the environment and didn't always factor in the multiple floors. There were plenty of curse words said and backtracking done.
As I progressed further into the game, I noticed that the areas were always the same 4 zones, which I will admit, I was a bit gutted about. While you would be a bit familiar with the layout, at least the start point and the type of enemies and their routes were changed to make things a little harder and necessitate a change in approach.
Because I was constantly attentive to my surroundings - so that I don't blunder into a patrol or get lost - I often didn't get to admire what was going on around me. While I did notice the detail in the architecture and the rooms, (and it's probably why I felt a little disappointed that the same areas were re-used), I failed to pick up on a lot of interesting background conversations. They didn't help the story in any way, but there were a couple which, as I was sneaking by, made me go "Hang on a minute."
I even noticed, which I found amusing, that when you fall to your death, Styx would sometimes shout out "F*ck you!" like he was breaking the fourth wall to insult you for his death. There was no other reason why he would be shouting that specific phrase otherwise.
While the game did have its good and bad points, there was one thing that made sure this game fell squarely into the "loved it" category. From the start of the game, you are planning a heist and setting things up to pull it off. You secure the maps; ensure the get-away is clear and go to recruit a friend. And then suddenly, mid-way through the game, a revelation is made and everything changes: From the direction of the story; to the cutscenes and dialogues and even all the way down to Of Orcs and Men. When this reveal hit me, it stunned me, because the developers pulled it off brilliantly. This alone, for me, would be a selling point to encourage people to play the game. (Obviously, I am not going to spoil anything).
Well, that's one more title down. Onwards and upwards as they say. Next up will be - Thief
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