3 reviews
1. Stealth - at its core this is a stealth game (imo second favorite only to Splinter Cell Chaos Theory). And it gets stealth right. It doesn't "lack" a combat system. There is no combat system because in real stealth combat means "game over".
2. Level design - an integral part to stealth is the freedom of approach. An integral part to the freedom of approach is level design. This game works because of its intricate levels. Always more than one way to skin a cat in this game. If you get stuck, there's always a shortcut or a passage that you missed.
3. Gameplay - incredibly intuitive and leaves plenty of room for improvisation. Once you get used to how things work there is nothing you can't do. No glitches. I haven't experienced a single glitch in my so far 50 hour playthrough.
4. Interface - not cluttered. Pretty straightforward. Nothing vague or misleading. "Less is more" through and through. Prompts for Amber powers appear as soon as you press the corresponding key as to not interfere with your field of view (in stealth games FOV is very important). Throwables and consumables fade out. HP bar is always there. Kind of useless if you ask me. If you're playing the game right your HP bar is always full. Doesn't have a quick load shortcut key on the controller, but they changed that in the sequel.
5. Replayability - of course. You can even replay missions within the main campaign thanks to an option in your hideout.
6. Story - it's almost too clever.
7. Style - cutscenes are without animation, but they're really beautiful pictures of the characters (imagine Hitman, but better looking).
8. Performance - it can run fast on incredibly low-end PCs and can look pretty good on high-end PCs. Not demanding at all.
9. Atmosphere - everything from visuals, to soundtrack, the overall setting is executed perfectly in my opinion.
10. Details - as Sherlock Holmes often says, details are the most important. An amber mark on Styx' back and a subtle vignette effect let you know when you're in the shadows. Almost everything of the environment is there to be used and abused - buckets and mops can raise an alarm if you trip over them, closets and chests are there to hide the bodies, plates and grog sacks are there to be poisoned, every part of the interior and exterior of every level is part of the gameplay. The game is also an NPC haven. If you enjoy taking out baddies - each level has them in the hundreds. You can do a quick passive run without being seen, but you can also spend hours methodically taking them out one by one... also without being seen.
It is incredibly fun! As a stealth fan I got nothing but love for this game!
2. Level design - an integral part to stealth is the freedom of approach. An integral part to the freedom of approach is level design. This game works because of its intricate levels. Always more than one way to skin a cat in this game. If you get stuck, there's always a shortcut or a passage that you missed.
3. Gameplay - incredibly intuitive and leaves plenty of room for improvisation. Once you get used to how things work there is nothing you can't do. No glitches. I haven't experienced a single glitch in my so far 50 hour playthrough.
4. Interface - not cluttered. Pretty straightforward. Nothing vague or misleading. "Less is more" through and through. Prompts for Amber powers appear as soon as you press the corresponding key as to not interfere with your field of view (in stealth games FOV is very important). Throwables and consumables fade out. HP bar is always there. Kind of useless if you ask me. If you're playing the game right your HP bar is always full. Doesn't have a quick load shortcut key on the controller, but they changed that in the sequel.
5. Replayability - of course. You can even replay missions within the main campaign thanks to an option in your hideout.
6. Story - it's almost too clever.
7. Style - cutscenes are without animation, but they're really beautiful pictures of the characters (imagine Hitman, but better looking).
8. Performance - it can run fast on incredibly low-end PCs and can look pretty good on high-end PCs. Not demanding at all.
9. Atmosphere - everything from visuals, to soundtrack, the overall setting is executed perfectly in my opinion.
10. Details - as Sherlock Holmes often says, details are the most important. An amber mark on Styx' back and a subtle vignette effect let you know when you're in the shadows. Almost everything of the environment is there to be used and abused - buckets and mops can raise an alarm if you trip over them, closets and chests are there to hide the bodies, plates and grog sacks are there to be poisoned, every part of the interior and exterior of every level is part of the gameplay. The game is also an NPC haven. If you enjoy taking out baddies - each level has them in the hundreds. You can do a quick passive run without being seen, but you can also spend hours methodically taking them out one by one... also without being seen.
It is incredibly fun! As a stealth fan I got nothing but love for this game!
This game takes a page or two from the Splinter Cell book - silent takedowns, your character glows in the dark indicating you're in the shadows and the faster you walk, the more they'll hear you.
It also takes its level design seriously. The story is as twisty and turny as the environments are. You will start in a new setting, then go back to it a second time, seeing what you've learned. Once you go back to your hideout a couple of times you will realize that all the levels are as intricate as Jindosh's Mansion in Dishonored 2, the castle in POP: Warrior Within and Yharnam of Bloodborne to name a few.
No handholding by the devs here too. You will really struggle to figure out how to approach different enemies without being spotted. Roabies are the first harder opponent, because they can hear everything you do and from there it only gets worse. In that sense another reference to POP WW - environment can be your weapon.
As far as gameplay (and interface) goes - the objective marker is the most non-intrusive one I've seen in a game these last 10 years. And this encourages you to really explore. I can't tell how many times I was so distracted by taking out as many enemies as I can that I forgot I had an objective to finish. Which also means the devs wanted you to have fun with everything the game has to offer.
I honestly miss when games were such passion projects through and through.
It also takes its level design seriously. The story is as twisty and turny as the environments are. You will start in a new setting, then go back to it a second time, seeing what you've learned. Once you go back to your hideout a couple of times you will realize that all the levels are as intricate as Jindosh's Mansion in Dishonored 2, the castle in POP: Warrior Within and Yharnam of Bloodborne to name a few.
No handholding by the devs here too. You will really struggle to figure out how to approach different enemies without being spotted. Roabies are the first harder opponent, because they can hear everything you do and from there it only gets worse. In that sense another reference to POP WW - environment can be your weapon.
As far as gameplay (and interface) goes - the objective marker is the most non-intrusive one I've seen in a game these last 10 years. And this encourages you to really explore. I can't tell how many times I was so distracted by taking out as many enemies as I can that I forgot I had an objective to finish. Which also means the devs wanted you to have fun with everything the game has to offer.
I honestly miss when games were such passion projects through and through.
- LawrenceLambleg
- Aug 15, 2023
- Permalink
So many games in recent years are incredibly corporate and stale, Styx MoS is not one of them. The story (which I shall not linger on for fear of spoiling it) is one of the most unique and interesting character origins I have ever seen or read. Thank you Sachka Duval for that. The gameplay, while failing in level design at times, is overall solid and decently executed. The user interface is well thought out and never cluttered. The controls are, once learnt, consistent, and the only time they falter or feel clunky is in a couple of the less well designed levels. The games difficulty has four levels: easy, medium, hard, and goblin. I played on normal difficulty and the game was neither too hard, nor too easy at any point other than the final boss. The soundtrack (by H-Pi) is sparse, but fittingly so, the gentle rasp of the viola gently mourning over the top of it feels just right. The voice acting is a major weak point for the game, however, the voice acting itself isn't bad, rather there is a lack of voice direction (probably due to budgetary constraints). The dialogue writing is at times poor, at times good. Overall a really solid stealth-infiltration game. 7/10 would recommend.