Styx: Master of Shadows

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 7,407 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Styx: Master of Shadows Game Cover
This isn't a game that takes itself overly seriously and it knows it. It's a good budget stealth game that actually takes the stealth part seriously.
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Styx: Master of Shadows is an infiltration game with RPG elements taking place in a dark fantasy universe, where you sneak, steal and assassinate your way through as Styx, a Goblin two-centuries of age.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,407 reviews
story1,428 positive mentions
stability219 negative mentions
  • Engaging stealth mechanics that encourage creative problem-solving and exploration.
  • Interesting story with unexpected plot twists and a charismatic protagonist.
  • Well-designed levels with multiple paths and options for completing objectives.
  • story4,001 mentions

    The story of "Styx: Master of Shadows" is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging plot and unexpected twists, particularly a significant mid-game revelation that enhances the narrative depth. However, some critiques highlight pacing issues, a lack of character development, and repetitive mission structures that detract from the overall experience. While the protagonist Styx is often praised for his humor and personality, the storytelling can feel disjointed at times, leaving some players wanting a more cohesive and immersive narrative.

    • “I came for the story and was not disappointed.”
    • “The world-building and storytelling are expertly woven into the gameplay, and I found myself glued to my screen for all the cutscenes, no matter how many times I played each level.”
    • “The story is great and has some plot twists you won't expect until you've seen them.”
    • “The plot and narration are horribly paced and don't create any investment from the player.”
    • “The story's not really engaging.”
    • “The story is boring but not really playing for the story.”
  • gameplay2,482 mentions

    The gameplay of "Styx: Master of Shadows" is primarily focused on stealth mechanics, offering players a variety of tools and abilities, such as cloning and invisibility, to navigate complex levels. While many players appreciate the depth and challenge of the stealth gameplay, criticisms arise regarding clunky controls, inconsistent mechanics, and repetitive level design, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the game is often praised for its engaging story and immersive atmosphere, making it a solid choice for fans of the stealth genre.

    • “The world-building and storytelling are expertly woven into the gameplay, and I found myself glued to my screen for all the cut scenes, no matter how many times I played each level.”
    • “The gameplay is a great stealth game where completing the level can be done your own way.”
    • “The various tools and abilities at your disposal, such as creating clones and using invisibility, are not just fun but are also integral to the gameplay.”
    • “The game mechanics are all the very worst aspects of a stealth game and none of your choices matter.”
    • “A solid stealth game with a great story, brought down by some clunky mechanics and annoying reuse of levels.”
    • “The mechanics are unbelievably clunky.”
  • graphics1,057 mentions

    The graphics of "Styx: Master of Shadows" are generally considered decent but show signs of aging, with many reviewers noting that they are somewhat dated compared to modern standards. While the game features a unique art style and atmospheric environments, it suffers from occasional graphical glitches and lower-quality textures. Overall, the visuals are appreciated for their charm and consistency, but they may not meet the expectations of players seeking cutting-edge graphics.

    • “The game's graphics are impressive, with a great level of detail put into the environments and character models.”
    • “The graphics look really good; I especially enjoyed the creature designs of elves and of the main character, Styx the goblin.”
    • “Great story, good graphics (not without flaws, but pretty good, even for today's standards), decent level design and characters.”
    • “The graphics looked older than they should and sound was indifferent at best.”
    • “The graphics are a bit dated and occasionally glitchy but the game is disturbingly compelling.”
    • “The graphics are decent but not great.”
  • music302 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and ability to enhance immersion, particularly in stealth gameplay. While some players find the soundtrack to be a masterpiece that fits the game's dark fantasy theme, others criticize it for being repetitive or lacking memorable tracks. Overall, the music is generally seen as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience, despite some occasional flaws.

    • “The music this game has is incredible and entirely immerses you in the situation.”
    • “The soundtrack plays nicely with the sneaking theme of the game, and each level becomes progressively more difficult as you learn new tricks and how to adapt to different environments with different enemies.”
    • “Styx: Master of Shadows is a fantastic game with great music, story, and most importantly a fitting atmosphere.”
    • “The music was awfully cheesy.”
    • “The music soundtrack is mediocre at best, nothing special.”
    • “The music is also very lousy and downright annoying, and it's rare nowadays that I feel the need to just turn off the music because it's so bad.”
  • humor264 mentions

    The humor in "Styx: Master of Shadows" is a standout feature, characterized by the main character's sharp-tongued, darkly comedic personality and witty one-liners that often elicit genuine laughter. While the voice acting and NPC dialogues can be hit-or-miss, the game's blend of irreverent humor and absurd situations, such as the protagonist's antics and the reactions of guards, contribute to a uniquely entertaining experience. However, some players find the humor inconsistent, with certain jokes falling flat or feeling out of place in the game's darker themes.

    • “Who would have thought that playing a grumpy goblin with sharp-tongued humor could be so satisfying?”
    • “Overall, Styx: Master of Shadows is a hilarious and thrilling adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
    • “You'll find yourself laughing out loud at Styx's hilarious one-liners and witty commentary as you navigate the world.”
    • “No fourth wall breaking awareness, no wild references, very little dialogue, and not funny in any way.”
    • “No fourth wall breaking awareness, no wild references, very little dialogue, and not funny in any way.”
  • atmosphere242 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and dark fantasy setting, enhanced by detailed level design and haunting audio that includes fitting music and ambient sounds. While some players note dated graphics and occasional immersion-breaking elements, the overall experience is described as captivating, with a strong sense of tension and a unique world that encourages exploration. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a thick atmosphere that draws players into its stealth mechanics and storytelling.

    • “In general, the game is very atmospheric and gives a good mood with its gloomy, dark castle dungeons filled with challenging enemies.”
    • “The detailed level design immerses you in the goblin's grim world, and the atmosphere is further heightened by the haunting audio, which includes eerie ambient sounds and the goblin protagonist's snarky commentary.”
    • “The world is beautifully realized (albeit very generic), the atmosphere is thick with tension and when everything in your shadowy plan occasionally comes together, it's a beautiful thing to behold.”
    • “The atmosphere looks lifeless due to a lack of variety in the enemy department; the same few enemies patrol every map, and there are no citizens present—no kids or women in the entire game world.”
    • “My biggest problem with it is that even though the story isn't that bad, and the setting is unique, and the gameplay is fine, it completely breaks the atmosphere and immersion when it comes to character development.”
    • “The game feels like the developers were really trying, but the special something that gives the atmosphere is missing.”
  • stability235 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized due to numerous bugs and glitches, including graphical issues, erratic AI behavior, and problematic save systems that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. While some players report minor glitches that do not significantly impact their enjoyment, many others find the game's instability to be a major drawback, often resulting in lost progress and disrupted immersion. Overall, the game requires more polish to address these persistent issues, which can detract from its otherwise engaging gameplay and story.

    • “Game runs great with no issues.”
    • “Runs well, good graphics, not buggy.”
    • “Aside from the crazy ragdoll here and there, I experienced no glitches, audio or graphical issues of any kind, and the game runs smooth even on an older system.”
    • “So many glitches, throws you into areas with zero explanation where creatures immediately start attacking you and there is nothing you can do.”
    • “Glitches break the game, don't bother until they get fixed.”
    • “The game is buggy and unreliable.”
  • replayability184 mentions

    The game offers a solid level of replayability through repeatable missions, optional challenges, and various playstyles, allowing players to approach each level in multiple ways. While some players appreciate the depth and variety of challenges, others criticize the forced nature of replaying missions to unlock skills, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the replay value is considered decent, with many opportunities for exploration and skill enhancement, though opinions vary on its effectiveness.

    • “Every stage has several different ways to complete them, as there are shortcuts hidden everywhere and mission challenges that will give you extra skill points, so each stage offers replayability.”
    • “There is an element of replayability, as in unlocking all your skills (hard to do on your first playthrough), grabbing all collectibles, speedrunning levels, and the classic 'no-kill' and 'no-detection' completions.”
    • “The game is fun, relatively cheap, and super replayable due to the upgrade system rewarding different styles of run-through.”
    • “A lot of the replay value is also lost due to the fact that you have to replay whole missions comprised of several levels and can't pick specific individual levels and just replay those.”
    • “I would say this completely ruins any replay value, and as mentioned most of the talent tree stuff should never have been locked to the player to begin with so now that I have finished the game there are a few talents I would like to unlock left but it is not worth the hassle of going through recycled content (i.e. the levels are recycled once you get about halfway through the game).”
    • “The story is okay and gameplay has its moments.. good and bad.. replay value is zero.. I don't know anyone who would willingly go through that grind again but overall the game was mildly entertaining.”
  • grinding106 mentions

    The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the need to replay levels multiple times for skill points and collectibles. While some players found the initial gameplay enjoyable, many noted that the experience becomes monotonous and frustrating in the later stages, with a lack of meaningful progression and exploration incentives. Overall, the grinding aspect detracts from the enjoyment, leading to a sense of boredom and a desire to rush through the game.

    • “Achievements - the achievements in this game were completely reasonable and not very grindy.”
    • “Had it been shorter, I think the experience would have been more memorable, but there just isn't enough substance here for a 15-hour playthrough; you're sneaking around, not grinding to level 99 so you can fight Emerald Weapon.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It becomes tedious and boring very fast, because there are so many enemies that you can't really explore the gorgeous settings; instead, you have to beeline to the exit.”
    • “No real progression whatsoever, it becomes really grindy and long.”
    • “I never actually finished the game; I'm the type of player that likes to 100% complete a thing, and it simply became too tedious to have to redo a level two or even three times to complete all the bonus objectives.”
  • optimization68 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed reviews; while many players praise its solid performance and smooth graphics on various systems, others report significant frame rate drops and stuttering issues after extended play. Some users highlight excellent optimization for lower-end PCs and the Steam Deck, while others express frustration with unoptimized controls and outdated textures. Despite these discrepancies, the general consensus leans towards a well-optimized experience, particularly in terms of graphics and gameplay mechanics.

    • “The game has pretty nice graphics, perfect optimization, and great lore/worldbuilding, akin to the grim fantasy of Dishonored with an emphasis on fantasy creatures.”
    • “Performance is perfectly optimized; nice graphics and low system requirements.”
    • “Good graphics with great optimization, various enemies, good upgrades, divisive stealth mechanics, a great story with a shocking twist in the middle makes this a no-brainer.”
    • “I'm not sure if the sequel has better controls, but this one feels very unoptimized.”
    • “With perfect consistency, the game will always be stuttering around 30 frames after 80 minutes of playing, and it only gets worse from there, stuttering between 5-25 frames over and over, making the game completely unplayable until you restart it.”
    • “Performance was quite frankly kind of a joke.”
  • character development46 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the protagonist Styx's growth and the engaging story, others find it lacking depth and immersion. The character design is praised for its uniqueness and visual appeal, but some feel that the overall development is insufficient, with minimal lore and repetitive character appearances detracting from the experience. Overall, the game offers enjoyable character progression and a compelling narrative, but it could benefit from more substantial character development elements.

    • “However, when I really got into it, I could see a 10/10 stealth game with a good story, nice character development (for its short duration) and even replayability.”
    • “I loved Styx's character development throughout, and I was always looking forward to finding out what happens next with the story after every mission.”
    • “The fantasy-setting story is both refreshing and compelling, not lacking in plot twists and character development in a mood reminiscent of Thief: Deadly Shadows.”
    • “There are no books, recordings, or anything to provide more lore and worldbuilding, nor much of any character development.”
    • “It is just a little lackluster and does not really pique interest or drive character development.”
    • “My biggest problem with it is that even though the story isn't that bad, and the setting is unique, and the gameplay is fine, it completely breaks the atmosphere and immersion when it comes to character development.”
  • emotional38 mentions

    The emotional experience of the game is marked by a mix of tension, frustration, and occasional relief, particularly due to challenging controls and punishing gameplay. While some players appreciate the depth of the protagonist's motivations and the satisfaction of stealth mechanics, others find the story lacking and unengaging, leading to a disconnect between the player's feelings and the character's journey. Overall, the game evokes a sense of respect for its mechanics but struggles to deliver a compelling narrative that resonates emotionally with players.

    • “It is not easy and it has made me feel tension, frustration, and relief over and over again.”
    • “Styx is a nice stealth game with a touching story and perfectly fitting music.”
    • “Motivation for the protagonist seemed like something meaningful and worthwhile to him, even if the player didn't feel the same emotional level as he did.”
    • “Even though it has some decent stealth mechanics, and the main lead is voiced well, it still suffers from a boring story and wonky NPC/AI, and it is very punishing; you will need to reload a lot.”
    • “But it suffers from a very boring story, stupid AI, misplaced checkpoints for respawning, and lame combat.”
    • “Shitty graphics and kind of a boring story.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The reviews do not provide any specific insights into the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on the character of Styx and the strong language used. Therefore, no relevant summary can be drawn regarding monetization.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

Buy Styx: Master of Shadows

Play time

19hMedian play time
25hAverage play time
5-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 48 analyzed playthroughs

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