Styx: Blades of Greed Review – Stealth Shines, Performance Falters

Styx: Blades of Greed Review

Styx: Blades of Greed is the third game to feature the titular foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, green-skinned goblin protagonist. I’d say antihero, but that’s not really true. After all, Styx is just following his goblin nature and their love for shiny treasure, sneaky movement through the shadows, and hatred of dwarves. In all seriousness, though, Styx: Blades of Greed is by far the biggest and most ambitious title in the 9-year-old franchise. It isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely a stretch.

In the Shadows

Some people look at the Styx games and mistake them for action RPGs. While Styx can — and often does — take down enemies, his primary mode is stealth and using the environment to his advantage. Compared to your typical RPG heroes, our little goblin is pretty paper-thin. He doesn’t wear armor, and he doesn’t compile much of an arsenal. Every time I play a new Styx game, I need to relearn the truth that the best combat is usually no combat.

The enemies in Styx might be a ragtag-looking lot, but they are possessed of excellent hearing and eyesight and a tenacious spirit. Enemies will pursue Styx for a very long time, and they’re pretty clever about where to check for our hiding hero. While Styx doesn’t have a wide range of weapons, he makes up for it in acrobatic ability. Besides all the usual single-and-double jumps, wall runs and rope climbs, he also has tools. A grappling hook and a glider to start, supplemented by special powers like invisibility and mind control. These come from the game’s new resource, Quartz, which has replaced Amber in Styx’s big book of unhealthy addictions.

One of my frustrations with Styx: Blades of Greed is that the game’s camera isn’t always the best partner for the player or the hero. Especially in small spaces — of which there are many — the tight camera obscures potential exits and climbing opportunities. As thrilling as a Cirque du Soleil acrobat, Styx’s impressive moves also feel a bit lacking in weight and might even be too physics-defying fluid on occasion.

Styx Drives Me Up the Wall

No longer strictly mission-based, Styx: Blades of Greed has fallen in with the open-world crowd. There are three expansive areas: The Wall, Turquoise Dawn, and Akenash Ruins. They’re unlocked during the campaign and then can be accessed via fast travel points. The campaign begins with fairly narrow, linear goals but gradually transitions into a more creative playground, coinciding with Styx’s growing abilities and upgrades.

The Wall — the game’s opening area — is an impressive labyrinth stronghold built into a cliffside. Of course, it was handcrafted to make use of Styx’s abilities, versus, you know, engineering logic. Climbable walls, ledges, platforms, and hidden rooms filled with treasure: check. Places to glide and shadows in which to hide: also, check. Strategically placed enemies give Styx’s movement through the maze a puzzle game feel. Other areas have equal visual flair and a host of new enemy types.

Styx’s fiction includes staples of fantasy fiction like humans, goblins, elves, orcs, and dwarves. Of course, in this dark fantasy world, Styx has gripes with all of them. Mostly, because they have or control Quartz, and Styx wants it. As a single entry in the series, Styx: Blades of Greed is narratively no better or worse than the other, earlier games. It’s really best to look at the three games as one large story arc. New players should probably watch or read some summaries, as Styx: Blades of Greed takes off immediately after the previous game’s end.

Moving Forward

Styx: Blades of Greed excels in level and art design. The Wall’s muted and dilapidated greys and browns contrasts with the vibrant colors of Turquoise Dawn. The spaces look lived in and intentional, and only rarely give away that they’re video game levels. It’s a rare game that doesn’t have collectibles in illogical places or enemies whose sole purpose is waiting for the player to stumble into the scene. Styx: Blades of Greed doesn’t escape these either.

Sound design is incredibly important in a stealth game. Styx needs to hear where enemies are at all times, in addition to seeing them. Sometimes the positional audio is perfect, but at moments the mix gets muddled and confusing. The game’s voice acting and cut scenes are very entertaining. As a character, Styx’s love of profanity and brutal verbal takedowns remains pitch-perfect. The musical score — once again by series regular H-Pi — is excellent, varied, and much richer than you might expect.

Only a few things knock Styx off the top of the podium, but they’re not easy to overlook.  I talked about the camera. There are a lot of visual and performance issues, like screen tearing, pop-in, and framerate stutters. For all his impressive acrobatic skills, I often felt like controlling the beloved goblin was occasionally imprecise and even frustratingly loose.

Charming Number 3

Generally speaking, Styx: Blades of Greed’s move to a more open world is a good choice and plays to the title character’s strengths. Intricate level design and challenging stealth are matched by Styx’s new and returning toys. Apart from some technical misfires and my personal gripes with a few mechanics, Styx: Blades of Greed is not quite an open-armed introduction to the loveable green guy, but it should absolutely please fans of the series.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***