Styx: Blades of Greed

About

Styx: Blades of Greed is a single player action adventure game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Cyanide Studio and was released on February 19, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The master of stealth is back! Explore the dizzying heights of the Iserian Continent and cunningly eliminate your enemies. Thanks to your Quartz powers, you are freer than ever. Be creative: Never has it felt so good to be greedy.

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Single-Player

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 319 reviews

story33 positive mentions

optimization23 negative mentions

Excellent level and vertical map design with vast environments encouraging exploration and multiple routes.
Core stealth gameplay remains solid and enjoyable with fluid controls and satisfying use of abilities like grappling hook and gliding.
Styx character retains much of his signature sarcasm and humor while the soundtrack and atmospheric sound design enhance immersion.

Frequent technical issues including crashes, lighting glitches, poor optimization, and performance instability on various hardware.
The story and character development are weak, with repetitive fetch quests and poorly justified narrative arcs.
Enemy AI is simplistic and predictable, with some gameplay systems feel underused or unnecessary, and removal of stealth incentives reduces challenge and replayability.

story
241 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
77%
9%
The game's story is widely seen as repetitive and simplistic, mainly revolving around fetch quests for quartz with minimal narrative depth or compelling character development. While some fans appreciate the nostalgic ties and occasional interesting moments, many criticize the plot for feeling clunky, disconnected, and less engaging than previous entries in the series. Technical issues and poorly executed mission structures further detract from story immersion, making it a weak point compared to the game's stealth and exploration gameplay.
- “Every mission has the objective of finding chunks of quartz throughout the world of Iseria, but there is always a gimmick that keeps you from grabbing it immediately.”
- “For any fan of the franchise, it is 100% nostalgia to get back to Akenash, to view old locations twisted but still recognizable. If you ever played "Of Orcs and Men" (all the Styx games are a prequel to that game) you clearly feel where the story goes: Styx comes from being less than a person to becoming someone, but solo, and then he takes another path from its creator, relying on an ally rather than himself alone (even if he will claim otherwise).”
- “What an excellent sequel to such an incredible stealth series, Styx: Blades of Greed took the cake when it came to environment, story, character, and gameplay!”
- “The story feels clunky and forced for the sake of progression.”
- “Almost every quest follows the same pattern: go fetch quartz, find out the quartz is locked behind a gate or carriage, find the key or lever that opens the lock (usually involving backtracking), open the lock, then get the quartz. This repetitive structure makes the mission goals boring after a while.”
- “The story tries to bridge the gap between the Styx games and 'Of Orcs and Men' but some of the plot points feel goofy and bad.”
gameplay
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The gameplay of Styx: Blades of Greed generally receives praise for its solid stealth mechanics, improved movement options, and engaging level design that encourages creative play and exploration. However, it is also criticized for repetitive mission structure, lack of incentive for stealth play over combat, mechanical jankiness, occasional bugs, and poor optimization. While core stealth gameplay remains enjoyable and expanded with new abilities, some players feel the game loses depth and challenge compared to previous entries.
- “Speaking for myself, I love the moment-to-moment stealth gameplay, and if they put out 20 of these games, I would buy them all.”
- “The core stealth experience is stronger, movements are enhanced, and the presentation supports the gameplay rather than distracting from it.”
- “I am a long-time player of the Styx series playing both the first and second game and I have to say gameplay-wise this is the best game in the series. Platforming is miles ahead of its predecessors with the double jump and wall run controlling really smoothly, the new abilities and items are really fun to use adding many different play styles, and the level designs are honestly top-tier with so many branching pathways that it's honestly surprising how many routes you can take to finish an objective.”
- “The gameplay feels janky and unpolished, with basic mechanics being imprecise and the light/dark mechanic very unintuitive compared to previous entries.”
- “The gameplay loop is extremely repetitive and the mission structure is filled with fetch quests, which makes the experience feel dull midway through.”
- “The game suffers from terrible optimization, dumb enemy AI, and repetitive gameplay that diminishes enjoyment.”
optimization
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
69%
21%
The game's optimization is widely criticized for poor and unstable performance, frequent crashes, and heavy system demands despite its modest visual style, particularly on PC and handheld platforms. While some users report smooth gameplay on decent hardware, many experience significant frame drops, stuttering, and technical issues typical of Unreal Engine 5 titles, with hopes pinned on future patches to improve stability and controls. Overall, the current optimization hinders the experience, and players are advised to expect rough performance or consider waiting for improvements.
- “The game is beautiful, the music and dialogue are so good, and it's pretty well optimized compared to a lot of Unreal Engine 5 games aside from a few bugs (easy to work around); I'm sure they'll patch soon.”
- “Performance: I play on a decent-ish gaming laptop at 1080p with DLSS balanced, and it runs smoothly most of the time. It's very playable and looks good (I turn post processing down to low to remove the muddy look from surfaces).”
- “Die Mechaniken spielen sich sehr gut, der Kampf ist manchmal etwas holprig aber man soll ja auch nicht kämpfen sondern schleichen :) Die Grafik ist toll, das Spiel ist gut optimiert und ich hatte in den fast 50h keine Performanceprobleme. (The mechanics play very well, the combat is sometimes a bit rough but you are supposed to sneak, not fight :) The graphics are great, the game is well optimized and in nearly 50 hours I had no performance problems.)”
- “The game features very good and distinctive world and level design typical for the Styx franchise, but visually and technologically it feels outdated, as if the developers do not fully utilize UE5 and its capabilities. Performance is really poor for such a simple semi-cartoonish visual style.”
- “But oh my god this game is so poorly optimized it's borderline unplayable at the moment.”
- “It is insanely poorly optimized, to the point that I can't play it without risking overheating and crashing my PC.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
72%
10%
The graphics present a mix of strong artistic design and impressive environments but are frequently marred by performance issues, poor optimization, and technical glitches linked to Unreal Engine 5. Many users note washed-out visuals, excessive motion blur, and lack of graphical polish, resulting in a less impressive experience compared to previous series entries despite higher hardware demands. Overall, the game's aesthetic is appreciated, but the graphical execution and performance require significant improvement and optimization.
- “The artists have done a tremendous job—amazing level design and environments—but the visuals are marred by Unreal Engine 5 implementation issues (Lumen and Nanite).”
- “Graphics are quite good, and in some scenes, it looks phenomenal.”
- “Environments are sharper, lighting is more deliberate, and it still has that Styx aesthetic, just presented with more polish.”
- “Terrible anti-aliasing blurs the entire screen, removes depth, and leaves you wondering how the first game on Unreal Engine 3 could have better clarity and visuals.”
- “The graphics are horrible with a high hardware requirement.”
- “Elephant in the room: hardware requirements are ridiculous for graphical quality that is - charitably - a sidegrade from 2017's beautifully stylized and crisp Shards of Darkness.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game remains centered on Styx's abrasive and gritty character, but many players feel his sharp wit and fourth-wall-breaking jokes have been significantly toned down or lost, resulting in a less funny and more serious tone. While some enjoy the occasional dark or adult humor and amusing bugs, overall the writing and NPC dialogue lack the memorable humor and charm present in previous titles.
- “Styx hasn't gotten rid of his abrasive nature fortunately, but what is fortunate is that they've toned down the fourth-wall-breaking humor to "just about right" levels.”
- “A fun stealth / murder sandbox with the same humor and grit that you had in the previous two games.”
- “The humor, tone, and identity of Styx is still there, which is a necessary element for this character.”
- “He is still hateful, just not funny anymore.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
30%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and fitting soundtrack, often described as a standout element that enhances immersion and captures the signature Styx feel. While a few find it less memorable compared to previous entries, most agree the soundtrack is excellent, with high marks for composition and its contribution to the overall experience.
- “The soundtrack fits perfectly and has that signature Styx feel.”
- “The music and sound are outstanding.”
- “Soundtrack – 9.5/10; Gameplay 10/10 - graphics 8.5/10 - soundtrack and theme 10/10”
- “- Sound design and music - boring and forgettable”
- “The music is nothing special, I don't think it's as good or memorable as Master of Shadows, but it's definitely better than Shards of Darkness in my opinion.”
- “Music: fair”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including collision issues, visual glitches, and buggy AI behavior, leading to occasional soft-locks and control problems. Stability is inconsistent, with performance requiring high specs despite average visuals, and many technical issues remaining unpatched. While some fans tolerate these flaws, overall the game feels poorly optimized and unstable.
- “Still a buggy, control-cursed mess in 2026!”
- “Very fun but also very buggy and poorly optimized.”
- “AI gets a little buggy, especially during chases where they automatically know where you are, making it almost pointless to hide unless you go several rooms away.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Character development in the game is criticized for feeling rushed and inconsistent, with Styx's sudden changes seeming off. Additionally, the character design and overall presentation clash with the grimy fantasy setting, diminishing immersion.
- “Better character development.”
- “Styx's sudden character development feels off.”
- “The character design feels like it was created in a brainstorming session.”
- “Better character development is needed.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game currently offers little replayability due to a lack of challenging variations in playstyles and feels more like a one-time solo story rather than a title to revisit repeatedly. Compared to previous entries, it falls short in providing engaging gameplay that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “D is still the best Styx game for gameplay and replayability; this game was basically just an excuse at closure for the bad ending they had on S.O.”
- “Not having any challenges regarding speed, stealth, or pacifist playstyles makes the game lack any replay value.”
- “Maybe the developers will make some patches and the game will become more playable, and I will buy it again, but not now.”
- “Now this game is only a one-time solo story instead of a replayable game that you'll want to play again and again with friends.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is praised for being cozy and immersive, enhanced by appealing graphics and well-balanced character humor that adds personality without breaking the mood. Overall, it continues the series' tradition of a rich and engaging ambiance.
- “Good continuation of a cozy and very atmospheric series.”
- “His sarcasm, comments, and irony add character without disrupting the atmosphere.”
- “Toning down Styx's quips is also neat, seems way more atmospheric that way.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is widely viewed as the weakest in the series, feeling overly cash grab–like despite heavy use of the character's personality in advertising.
- “The weakest in the series, just a step above a cash grab.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is considered more tedious compared to previous games due to the need to collect multiple currencies for different upgrades, rather than relying on a unified XP system. This increases the effort required for progression.
- “Progression feels grindy, with how multiple currencies are needed for different upgrades versus the prior games' more unified system of XP for most, if not all, upgrades.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a hopeful but cautious emotional response, indicating strong interest and attachment to the game despite current issues, with plans to revisit it after future optimizations and patches.

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2h Median play time

5h Average play time

2-15h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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