Styx: Master of Shadows

Do you know the role-playing game "Of Orcs and Men" by Cyanide Studio? No? No matter, you do not have to. With "Styx: Master of Shadows" the French stage this time classic stealth action, which plays in the same fantasy world. You slip into the poison green skin of an old friend - of course, the eponymous assassin Styx. And the lousy Goblin is planning the big coup.If you want to steal the heart of the world tree, you have to come up with something. Not only because as a goblin you are much smaller than all these people and elves. But above all, because from the tree also something very valuable drips, with which one subjugates the people: gold resin. And that will of course be well protected. After this drug, they seemingly crave everyone. Above all, people are increasingly succumbing to deceptive intoxication. How much would you get if you own the source? This greed inspires a goblin to a daring plan.



Even if the production quality - especially in comparison to Dishonored - leaves something to be desired when it comes to direction, art design and staging, one gets quite a feeling for the unscrupulousness, the intrigues and the power politics around the gold resin.

Murderer and thief Styx has done a lot of crooked business for the grownups anyway, knows the devious elves and stupid people only too well. But now the cool-designed goblin wants to turn his own fat thing between the fronts. He wants to infiltrate the heavily guarded Tower of Akenash on his own to seize this mysterious heart.



Moment: The way to the center of power is not so lonely, because Styx can summon a twin at the push of a button. This can be controlled separately, e.g. to move exclusively through narrow gates, to operate switches or to distract guards. You can also jump him like a mountain on the back of a human, extinguish it torches or let it dissolve in the air until it leaves confusing smoke - there is much to experiment. And the nice thing is: the clone is not artificially forced on you in a trial and error manner, it's more of an optional asset, so Styx can do a lot without it.



Nevertheless, this magical cooperation has its advantages and contributes much to the entertainment. It gets really cool, for example, if you hide the clone in a box so that it snatches past running weapons, pulls in and smashes them down there! Or when a guard just wakes up from half asleep, you just activate the lever next to her and then the clone disappears in the last second with a cloud of smoke! In these moments, the stealth action runs with the short-lived killers to the top.



What I sometimes dislike about the "modern" stealth action, apart from collecting stuff, is this pace. In Thief one scurries meanwhile like a hyperactive squirrel around and in Dishonored one beams oneself in Highspeed forward. All the more I have enjoyed these almost deliberate, but nevertheless pleasantly dangerous trips with Styx - deadly crashes when climbing, hardly a chance in a duel, hurray! Anyone looking around and taking their time will find many ways to their destination in just under fifteen hours. Apart from the fact that I have a weakness for cynical goblins who sometimes puke people into food to poison them: The crawling, streaking and climbing trains through pleasantly large towers, libraries and castles awaken in the best moments nostalgic creeping feelings , And how cool is it when your own clone from the box out the next guard?