Styx: Blades of Greed review

I’m a huge fan of stealth games. Despite my love of killing everything in sight and running at full pelt, I adore the change of pace. There is something extremely rewarding about trial and error and victorious experimentation. This is where Styx: Blades of Greed excels. It builds on the foundation of its 2 predecessors while promoting creativity and freedom. Moreover, who doesn’t love to be a thieving goblin with a cruel sense of humour?

Developed by Cyanide Studio, this single-player game has a semi-open-world theme. Moreover, the third-person perspective lets you take in the glory of the weird floating world you get to explore. With hundreds of ledges, windows, and rooftops to master, Styx must leap, clamber, and sneak across every surface. If the grim little goblin is caught, his weak armour, slimy skin, and sharp sense of humour offer little protection to every knife, sword, and arrow that is thrown his way.

Styx: Blades of Greed is all about the quartz.

We all have an Achilles heel, that thing that pushes our minds and puts us in trouble. Styx has an obsession with quartz and the magic power it possesses. With this in mind, you know that he’ll stop at nothing to get his fill and become a ridiculously powerful thief. Styx: Blades of Greed asks the titular hero to tackle many main quests and party side quests as he explores a huge world. 

There are 3 main levels to explore and to climb all over. This may not sound like a lot, but trust me, each of the locations is impressively huge. Moreover, travelling from one area to the next isn’t straightforward. There are gangs of goons to avoid, locked doors to pick, resources to gather, and plenty of quartz to find en route. However, it is the quests and their goals that get under your skin. Do you use traps, poison, and your special abilities to take down as many people as possible? Alternatively, do you stick to the shadows, find the key items, and get out without being spotted? Either way, you’ll love experimenting.

Proper old-school gameplay.

Styx: Blades of Greed focuses on gameplay mechanics that have long been forgotten. We all know and love the Hitman series, but this pushes a more straightforward mindset. You may use the environment to your advantage. In fact, this is a desirable choice as falling chandeliers, poisoned food and ale, and tunnels become your best friend. Alternatively, maybe you can throw a glass bottle, fire a bolt, distract someone with a whistle, and much more as you try new ideas to complete each mission.

Alongside this, Styx unlocks new skills and abilities to overcome his foes. Kicking enemies to their doom was a fun, albeit cruel, way to finish them off. However, things soon ramp up as mind control convinces them that jumping is a great decision. If you choose not to focus on mind control, you can unlock decoys and other tools from the previous iterations. These options are more direct and obvious, but equally fun. Therefore, there is a style for everyone as you try unique styles to overcome every situation.

Styx: Blades of Greed has its flaws.

Although I adore practically every element of Styx: Blades of Greed, it isn’t without its flaws. There are some frame rate issues, and the cinematic is pretty dated. Additionally, the acting isn’t as upmarket as I’d have expected. None of these things holds it back, but it is unnecessarily rough in places. Alongside this, I noted some missing characters even though I could interact with a large void. This was strange and something that needs to be patched.

Regardless of the problems, the world is fantastic to explore. With so many paths to navigate and loads of items to collect, you are spoilt for choice. The ability to travel over, under, and through many buildings was a joy. On the way, you can attack grunts, civilians, or ignore them altogether. The choice is yours, and this is what makes it thoroughly enjoyable.

The audio blends impressive music, OTT sound effects, and many fun elements. Each level features impressive ambient sounds, and every journey feels alive. However, the acting wasn’t great, and this impacts the cinematic experience. This was a shame as it could and should have been much better.

Excellent controls.

Stealth is the name of the game. Therefore, Styx is as slow as a snail, and this isn’t a problem. Instead, it makes you think outside the box when it comes to conflict. You are not rewarded for being a hero. Hiding, throwing items, and distractions are a must. Thankfully, the control system supports this approach, and there are numerous on-screen labels to assist you. This approach is going to assist newcomers to the franchise and will help genre experts settle into the madness.

Replay value is off the charts. Despite its old-school mechanics, Styx: Blades of Greed is stupidly addictive. There are so many ways to complete a level, and the unique items and skills give you almost endless choices. Consequently, you can tackle a mission or traverse the world in countless ways.

Styx: Blades of Greed is an excellent game.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a refreshing romp down memory lane. I love its silly story, the excellent mechanics, and the near-endless replay value. With loads of abilities, plenty of crude jokes, and a great world to explore, this will appeal to many gamers. Accordingly, I recommend getting a copy from the Xbox store!