Styx: Shards of Darkness Demo

Sometimes developers stumble upon the perfect combination of gameplay mechanics, and they have the inspiration to combine them with a great setting and a decent story. Naturally, this doesn’t happen often, and players are happy with just one of the above most of the time. Styx managed to win the adoration of the fans a few years ago with a very polished and fun set of gameplay mechanics, so it’s only natural that the developers are trying to repeat their success.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is the second entry in the series, and its goal is relatively simple: improve on the legacy of the first episode, add new elements to the mix and provide the players with a brand new adventure. In some aspects it manages to do just that, but it also misses the mark in a few other departments, which makes this sequel a bit difficult to love, especially if you were hoping for more.   In essence, the crafty goblin assassin receives a host of new missions to undertake, each one of which takes him to new cities and even different worlds. Whether you have to infiltrate a dwarven fortress or climb your way to the top of an elven city, the environments are certainly intriguing. Unfortunately, the story falls a bit flat in terms of plot progression and characters, which might annoy some of you.

On the other hand, things are better in the gameplay department, especially since it’s business as usual in most regards. There are more options at your disposal when it comes to weapons, gadgets and abilities, so there’s a lot more freedom to come up with a different approach to every mission. The environments feature more possible paths as well, which means that you can play the same scenarios multiple times and find different routes every time.   Speaking of which, the graphics quality has been improved in this episode as well, and you can truly see what Unreal Engine 4 is capable of. Gorgeous open areas and great lighting effects are just some of the high points, but the smooth character animations deserve a mention too. Naturally, the sound effects are great too, and they help a lot with the overall atmosphere.

After it’s all said and done, Styx: Shards of Darkness managed to improve more things than it broke, so it definitely deserves a try if you enjoyed the first one. Hence, even if the story is a bit too lazy and uneventful, the gameplay is where the fun is at, and you have even more options at your disposal now, making it difficult to stop playing.