Styx: Blades of Greed Preview
Styx games have always been highly specialized and a little misunderstood. They focus on a short-tempered little goblin who sneaks and steals in a fantasy look at the Middle Ages. I've always enjoyed the somewhat vulgar sense of humor and reliance on mechanics other than combat. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was given the opportunity to discuss the upcoming Styx: Blades of Greed. It will be released in February and will be the third part of the series. The setting and many game mechanics are strongly reminiscent of the Thief series, but Styx stands out as the main character.
The preview included a detailed guide to the game and a later mission featuring Styx's more complete outfit. Unfortunately, I had to play it through my own streaming service, which made it nearly unplayable on anything other than the lowest settings. Luckily, I was later able to play the demo directly through a Steam code, and most of the frustration went away.
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The demo introduces – or re-introduces – players to the richly detailed medieval steampunk fantasy world of Styx and the character's abilities. Styx can naturally run, jump, climb, wall run, and the game expects players to use all the tools. Even in the training area, there are a significant number of environmental hazards and platforming puzzles.
When possible, Styx's best strategy is stealth. After all, he's not a particularly powerful – well, at least not in the beginning – little goblin. However, there are also some very satisfying victories over unsuspecting enemies. It's a good thing that Styx doesn't have to rely on his melee weapon skills like dodging because they're pretty clumsy. Things get better from a distance, especially later as his arsenal expands.
While the game's performance has improved significantly since hitting the streaming service, that doesn't mean it's technically ready for release. The biggest disappointment was movement at close range, where the camera seemed to get very confused. Styx: Blades of Greed is already a difficult game, and fighting the camera adds even more pain.
Evil World Building
The game's role-playing mechanics are solid and quite deep. In addition to moving up the bi-directional skill tree, Styx can craft consumables from materials collected during missions. He can equip up to four quick-use items such as traps, throwables, and various bolts. The second demo hinted at just how versatile the little goblin becomes later in the 20-hour game.
I've always loved the dark fantasy world of Styx, filled with steampunk mechanics, warring factions, snarky dialogue and a cruel sense of humor. All of this is still present in Blades of Greed, but nine years after the last game, the new game looks even more impressive. Vast underground cities and medieval fortresses are designed with vertical movement and stealth in mind.
Perhaps the coolest new toy in the game is Styx's glider, which allows him – in theory – to both travel great distances and land unexpectedly for the kill. There is significant inaccuracy in glider control, and AI and enemy awareness certainly vary. I often had to replay short sections between checkpoints half a dozen times. It's fun to try new approaches, though, so I didn't mind.
Goblin Market
Styx: Blades of Greed is a great AA game, but when it comes to accessibility, graphics, sound and controls, it gives a lesson to some of the more budget games. The sound in the game – both music and ambience – was very good. The voice acting was all over the place, but I'd say that's part of its charm. There are some interesting and well written characters and I'm curious to see where the narrative goes.
I can't say that playing Styx: Blades of Greed was a perfect first impression, but the franchise has always been rough around the edges. I'm still very excited to explore this world again, so I'm looking forward to the game's full release in February.
***PC code provided by publisher for preview purposes***
