Styx: Master of Shadows
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Cyanide
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Genre: Stealth
Release Date: 2014
Styx: Master of Shadows is an upcoming stealth focused video game that is currently in development by French developers, Cyanide who have previously developed Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2014 and Dogs of War Online. The game is set to be published by Focus Home Interactive who previously published Blood Bowl (which was also developed by Cyanide) and the recent action role playing game, Bound by Flame.
The game, which will be running on Unreal Engine 3, is currently set to launch on Microsoft Windows PC’s as well as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It will be available at retail and via digital download at some time in 2014.
Development
While there is a Dev Blog for the gane, it includes less information regarding development and more information covered elsewhere in this Wiki.
Story
Styx: Master of Shadows takes place in the same video game universe as Of Orcs and Men, a fantasy action role playing game that was also developed by Cyanide (alongside Spiders, another French developer) and published by Focus Home Interactive in 2012. The games main plot is set a long before anything that transpires in Of Orcs and Men.
Styx (not to be confused with the river) is the first of the Goblins. Styx aims to steal the heart of an ancient World Tree that is currently housed inside the Tower of Akenash. This is all a coming of ages styled story that helps Styx gain more insight into his own origin story.
Being the first born Goblin, he has all the traits that his kin are famous for, however, having not had his skills dulled by genetic degradation, he can quite simply be called a master of his craft. Be that, stealth in the darkest shadows, the theft of the highest prize or the murder of the most famous nobles. Thus, Styx intends to scale the towers innards and discover more about himself, while gathering more than a pretty penny of course.
Gameplay
Being a Goblin, Styx is born with an innate ability to make use of stealth techniques, even going so far as to become invisible at times (as seen in Of Orcs and Men). This ability helps keep Styx alive as most races and creatures would sooner see a Goblin dead than alive.
The enemy AI is understandably one of the biggest threats in the game. Enemy soldiers and guards switch their activity and behaviour dynamically to reflect your actions in the game. But if you arrange an “accident” that happens to leave a guard incapacitated, you won’t be suspected.
Staying quiet and not being seen will keep guard activity to a minimum but will of course prove rather difficult. But if that’s not really your style you can also break out your murder skills. Your murdering prowess only has room to grow of course and with 6 skill trees to unlock, each with its own special abilities, skills, tricks and techniques, Styx is quite the capable Goblin indeed.
Keeping to the shadows is of course essential to your survival but to aid you in this, Styx has access to a number of abilities. These arcane powers are similar to those found in Of Orcs and men and can help Styx survive and navigate a little easier.
As well as invisibility, Styx has access to amber vision, an ability that lets him detect and locate hidden enemies and locations in his immediate area. One of his more impressive gifts is the ability to clone himself, opening up entire new strategies for gamepaly. Scouts, decoys, distractions, the list goes on.
Characters
Thus far we’ve only been introduced to the games lead character, Styx the Goblin. Whether or not the roster will expand remains to be seen.
Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.
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