Sneaky goblins, vertical stealth sandboxes, and crude humor are apparently back on the menu. Styx: Blades of Greed marks the return of Cyanide Studio’s goblin assassin, merging familiar stealth mechanics with some ambitious new systems. Abilities like clone decoys return, while the environments have been expanded into something of a sandbox. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Styx or someone curious about the low price point and goblin antics, here are 15 key details you should know before deciding if this stealth adventure is worth your gold.
Where It Fits in the Lore
Who remembers the 2014 Xbox 360 tactical RPG Of Orcs and Men? Probably not many. The Styx games are more widely known, mostly because of the steep discounts and cheep point of entry. Styx: Blades of Greed ties directly into the overlooked tactical title that started it all, serving as a prequel that sets up the Great War between humans and goblins. It also explores the origins of the Black Hand, the mercenary group Styx belonged to in Of Orcs and Men. With its position bridging the older game and the more recent Styx titles, Blades of Greed feels like an ideal jumping-on point for newcomers.
Single-Player Stealth Action-Adventure
Unlike the tactical RPG gameplay from Of Orcs and Men, Styx sticks closely to the stealth-action formula fans expect from the series. This new entry notably drops the co-op mode that divided players in Styx: Shards of Darkness. This time around, the experience is entirely single-player, allowing the developers to laser-focus on tighter level design and more polished stealth mechanics.
Core Hook: Hunting Quartz
As a persecuted goblin (the only one who speaks), Styx now makes his living hunting Quartz, a powerful new energy resource. This time, he’s running the operation himself, commanding a crew aboard a zeppelin. Quartz fuels everything from towering golems to flying airships, and multiple factions are battling to control it. The conflict over Quartz isn’t just a narrative conceit though, it directly feeds into the game’s core systems and progression.
New Quartz Powers
Quartz introduces a brand-new suite of abilities that Styx can wield across his high-flying journey. In fact, fans of Dishonored might feel right at home here. You’ve got powers like Mind Control, which lets Styx briefly possess enemies, and Time Shift, which slows or accelerates time so you can slip through patrol routes. Flux Blast offers a more aggressive option, unleashing a shockwave that knocks enemies off their feet. Quartz abilities form just a half of the game’s upgrade system.
Cloning and Invisibility Return
The other half of Styx’s abilities come from the stealth-minded Amber skills. These include returning fan-favorites like invisibility and cloning, which lean more toward defensive and evasive playstyles compared to the offense-oriented Quartz abilities. Clone Decoy is a tad different compared to previous titles since you cannot directly pilot clones this time. The advantage is their upgradability.
Two-Track Progression
Skills in Blades of Greed aren’t static. The game features a branching, two-track skill tree giving you the option to invest in either Amber stealth abilities or aggressive Quartz powers. Your choices shape how Styx handles encounters. For example, clone-related upgrades allow you to deploy multiple decoys, which can be invaluable for slipping past heavily guarded patrols.
Crafting
Skills aren’t the only trick up Styx’ goblin sleeve; he’s also a cunning trapmaster who knows how to craft. Looting is something goblins are particularly good at and you’ll be doing much of that within the more open-ended environments. Collected materials can be used to craft temporary weapons, potions, and traps on the fly. These range from noise-making whistles and glass bottles to acid used to quickly dispose bodies. Crafting is fast and seamless, aided by automatic loot pickups.
Vertical Environments
Environments aren’t just bigger for the sake of loot though, they also serve to vary up the terrain. The game has a notable vertical element complimenting the stealth/action gameplay. Styx can climb structures and parkour across rooftops with leaps and slides, and performing kills from behind is more satisfying due to the multi-angle sandbox design. There’s some exciting tools that make traversal across the larger world more fun too, as we’ll get into shortly.
More Progression Details
These larger environments support a new platformer-inspired structure, which has me pretty excited. As you progress, you’ll unlock tools that open up new routes and shortcuts. To keep backtracking manageable, fast-travel points are scattered throughout the world in addition to frequent respawn points.
Glider and Grappling Hook
Traversal gets a major upgrade thanks to new tools. Styx can now glide across gaps using a hang glider, reaching new areas and striking enemies from above. A grappling hook allows him to zip instantly to ledges and rooftops, while climbing claws help scale steep, often rugged, walls.
Three Large Districts
Rather than a fully open world, Blades of Greed is divided into three open-ended districts. The Wall is an imposing borderland tower separating humans from the rest of the world and features some of the game’s most vertigo-inducing heights. Turquoise Dawn is a dense jungle homeland of the orcs, while Akenash offers a more fantastical, Tolkien-inspired aesthetic as the elven capital.
Zeppelin Hub
Aside from fast-travel points, you can access regions via Styx’s own personal zeppelin. The zeppelin serves as the mobile hub of the game, housing your delinquent crew of Quartz thieves with Styx at the helm. My favorite aspect of the zeppelin is that it acts as the place of conversation for all the party members. I’m not expecting the Normandy from Mass Effect here, but the zeppelin serves a similar purpose. My hopes weren’t let down when I heard the crew members speak. Your elf companion Djarak is voiced by the same actor who played Balthier in Final Fantasy XII, a fitting casting choice considering they’re both sky pirates in their respective games. Let’s just hope the dialogue writing matches the potential and we get some cool backstories and companion quests for Styx’s crew.
Tone
It’s perhaps worth pointing out that Styx himself is a very chatty goblin. In fact, he talks to himself more than he does to his crewmates throughout the game. Much of the game’s humor is filtered through his monologues and quippy observations. Thankfully, the developers have confirmed that the very repetitive death screens from Shards of Darkness are gone, replaced by contextual ragdoll animations. Numerous words are heard in the short demo alone, so if you’re averse to heavy swearing, steer clear, and if you want something with more of an edge, you’re in the right place.
Length
According to the developers, a casual playthrough clocks in at around 20 hours. Completionists and explorers can expect to spend significantly more time uncovering secrets and side activities scattered throughout the districts.
Price and Editions
For a semi-open-world platformer offering over 20 hours of content, the price is appealing. Styx: Blades of Greed retails for $39.99 on PC and $49.99 on consoles. Still not sure if it’s for you? Well, there’s a 30-minute demo available, and best of all, your progress carries over to the full game. For fans who want early access and extra bonuses, the Quartz Edition costs $10 more and includes 48-hour early access, skins, weapons, and some bonus talent points to spend on your Quartz thievery antics.
