Styx: Shards of Darkness

I'm on my fourth replay of "Styx" and really hoping they make a third game after this. I am very picky about what games I can play, through no conscious effort of my own, and this game somehow ticks all the boxes.

I'd explain this game as a combination of the first two "Thief" games along with a few fantasy elements, all set in a pseudo-medieval world (what that primarily means, of course, is no guns). Your enemies are primarily human but there are plenty of other creatures that oppose you along the way: roabies (blind bugs with great hearing that kill you as soon as they detect you), plus giant "cave trolls" (while very large and powerful they are also rather stupid), giant flying bugs, and a couple more. Your array of weapons and powers is well balanced although rather modest, including the power of invisibility (for 10 seconds at a time) and throwing knives. There is just enough story to make the game interesting without getting bogged down in it. The maps are all very well designed and there is constant change-up in the gameplay to keep it all interesting.

If you liked Looking Glass Studio's "Thief" series, or just stealth games in general, you may like this game too.

Apart from being funny and looking nice, the game is unfortunately pure frustration even on the easiest level at the boss in level 4.

I actually like sneak games, but this one is really only for hardcore fans. It's unfair without end.

Doors can't be closed if you've opened them before. If you extinguish torches from a distance (!), you are discovered and someone lights them again. Throwing sand, however, costs resources.

The controls are not accurate, the camera often catastrophic.

Even on the easiest difficulty level I died 100 times up to level 4!

During the boss fight in level 4 (by then you've only done 30% of the game) you can NOT save despite the high difficulty and the unfairness!

There are far, far, far too many enemies running around.

It's really no fun any more at some point and is only intended for people who are capable of suffering and who otherwise have no frustration in life.