Styx master of shadows

Discussion in 'Games, Gaming & Game-demos' started by Stone Gargoyle, Jul 1, 2015.

  1. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    Been playing this since last night and first impressions are it is actually a very surprisingly competent stealth game.

    I had ten pounds sat in my wallet forever until this grabbed my attention on sale. So far I am glad I picked it up. Has anyone else played it?
     
  2. goat1

    goat1 Ancient Guru

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    I saw it,looks kinda of cool,wonder how it is compared to Thief?
     
  3. Kolt

    Kolt Ancient Guru

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    As a huge Thief fan, I was actually disappointed with Styx. I couldn't get into it. It all felt really bland and the AI just felt very lacking.

    I might have to give it another try though..
     
  4. vejn

    vejn Maha Guru

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    Great game! Not as good as Dishonored but must play for stealth players.
     

  5. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    The game certainly has captured the visual style of a Thief game but plays more like a cross between Thief: Deadly Shadows with aspects from the Hitman and Assassin's Creed series of games. It's not open world but all levels have multiple paths and there's plenty to explore.

    I'm using my dualshock 4 controller on PC and it works great with the game. If you want the best gaming experience and a true stealth game I strongly suggest playing on Goblin difficulty.



    Visually ok it's not fantastic but it is more than serviceable for a game of this kind and the sound and atmosphere are both well done. The AI can be suspect at times but as the aim of the game is never to be seen or heard I think it's adequate enough to make the game fun.

    Basically if you are looking for something to fill the void left by the Arkham Knight sh*t fest until it gets fixed up from what I've played of this so far you could do so much worse. Technically it's a solid PC release and normally the game is £24.99 so the current £9.99 price feels like a bargain to me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2015
  6. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    I'd actually not clicked upon the rather strong Dishonored vibe and look the game has until you mentioned it. It actually really really does.
     
  7. Kolt

    Kolt Ancient Guru

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    Hmm.. maybe I was just in a sour mood or something when I tried Styx. I'm a hardcore old school stealth fan, and if this is actually as good/decent as you guys say I really ought to try it again.
     
  8. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    As with any game of its type a lot of patience goes a long way so be prepared for lots of trial and error as you make slow but steady progress. Yes enemies do seem to detect you quite easily at times but the game does offer plenty of ways to not be located.

    One thing I have noticed about this game is the ever so low vram usage - we're talking 400mb which strikes me as odd as the game isn't that bad looking a lot of the time and even though it does lack an AA option it can be forced through CCC.

    One of the many positive Steam reviews that sums up much of what I think after several hours of play

    http://store.steampowered.com/app/242640/#app_reviews_hash
     
  9. Wunderbar_007

    Wunderbar_007 Master Guru

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    As someone who adores the original Thief trilogy and really enjoys Dishonored (despite it being inferior in just about every way), I'm having a lot of fun with Styx. It's very easy when trying to complete the game without any rules, but if you wish to receive all the insignias for every level, the game becomes much more entertaining.

    Here's a personal example:


    Edit: The patches have also improved things a bit, like the shoddy controls. It's much more responsive now :)
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2015
  10. Hootmon

    Hootmon Guest

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    Sounds interesting. Loved Thief
     

  11. Kolt

    Kolt Ancient Guru

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    I did play it on release, and now that I think about it I remember not really liking the controls.. For me the controls in a game really do make a huge difference, so it could have also been why I didn't like it when I played it. I'll have to see how the patches improved things for sure then.
     
  12. Wunderbar_007

    Wunderbar_007 Master Guru

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    Cool! I hope you find it better this time around. I was also ready to abandon the game because of Styx constantly failing to grab ledges, but I haven't had any issues with the controls since the patches.

    Actually, the issue I'm seeing now is the dancing bodies bug. Whenever I take someone down, the body hops as if jolted with electricity before dropping, and that's very annoying as it makes noise. Personally, I use it as a challenge to kill only those I absolutely must :p

    Other than that one though, the game has been lots of fun. I even heard that a sequel (or some kind of DLC) was in the works!
     
  13. (.)(.)

    (.)(.) Banned

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    This looks awesome!
    Whats the stealth like? Thief/splinter cell of old, or is it that 'next-gen' pretend stealth?
     
  14. Brogan

    Brogan Guest

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    ughh.. that dialogue...
     
  15. (.)(.)

    (.)(.) Banned

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    I cant view the video atm. Are you referring to the games dialog or some youtubers speech impediment?
     

  16. drandiiski

    drandiiski Maha Guru

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    BTW free for PS+ members on PS4 this month.
     
  17. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    This is actually very challenging at times, so much so that I spent ages clearing a room to gain entry to the level exit only to be actually heard unlocking the bloody exit level door by a patrolling guard I'd missed and had my back turned to at the time. There's a very specific sense of both failure and reward based around when you get caught or manage to successfully make your way around a level as at times there's literally so many enemies about you don't even know where to start.

    Thankfully the save anywhere function comes into play so you save and save often so it never becomes frustrating. I'm attempting to get used to the somewhat odd points system which is based on 20-40-60 rather than 1-2-3-4 meaning 65 accumulated points will only get you maybe one or two new perks at best. There's plenty on offer though and the fact you can visit a hiding point and replay entire missions for things such as relics or to gain more points than you did previously is a nice touch.

    The game isn't perfect but going off what I read about it at release it's safe to say things such as the controls are now very much fixed up. Enemies do tend to do this odd dance as if they have been tazer zapped sometimes which can lead to some character models glitching through scenery issues but it's nothing too bad.

    Overall it is certainly delivering a rather unexpectedly note worthy stealth gaming experience, one I'd never have thought it would had I not played it first hand. I'd welcome a sequel at this point.

     
  18. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    So yeah this is now officially one of my fave stealth games. :)
     
  19. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    You just had me check PS Store... new games aren't live yet :(
     
  20. Stone Gargoyle

    Stone Gargoyle Guest

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    This games art style is heavily influenced by a distinct mix of Thief DS - Warcraft - Dishonored and even Kingdoms of Amalur. I'd say this is the exact reason why the game uses so little of my 2GB of vram but it fits the tone of the game almost perfectly. Every single time I enter a new map though the games level design really does shine and reminds me that graphics are only part of a gaming experience such as this and if you've ever played a stealth game and hoped that there was a way you could quickly vanish from view or climb your way out of trouble then watch from above as your enemies lose track of you - this is it. All it took was playing as a 4ft high Goblin.

    I've now learned to use my clones to set traps for guards who come too close to my many hiding places along with a death from above insta kill which makes a lot of difference obviously. I still have to be extremely careful as enemies at the point in the game I'm now at outnumber my 1 goblin by around 30 or even 40 but the more points I earn the more fun ways I'm unlocking to even the odds. Outnumbered? Throw a couple of knives into enemies heads from a distance. Stuck in a corner? Climb into a vase or even a grid in the floor or enter a hidden crawl space until you can escape. Lights stopping you keeping in the dark? Toss a small bit of sand to extinguish the flames which will bring an enemy coming to reignite it at which point he's all yours.

    Yes it does show that it's technically a little rough around the edges here and there but it runs and works just fine otherwise I'm still having a blast and the more I play the more this game is making up for the recent Arkham Knight balls up in terms of pure stealthy fun. No f*cking batmobile required.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2015

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