Also on: Windows, Xbox One
Styx is his name, the entertaining antihero of Styx: Shards of Darkness. He's a cynical green goblin stuck in the middle of a stiff, high fantasy world. You know, the pretty, shiny, magical kind of fantasy with airships, arrogant elves, big-nosed dwarves and proud humans. Styx hates them all. When he's not out thieving, he hides away in his lair overlooking his hunting grounds, a gloomy cliffside shantytown called Thoben. It seems like a slum caught in perpetual midnight. Styx should feel right at home.
This is such a fresh perspective on the genre. From above Styx mocks the inhabitants, curses their unpronounceable names and spits on their customs. And why wouldn't he? A disdain of goblins seems to be the only thing that unites the other races. The rulers of Thoben have even sanctioned a squad, called C.A.R.N.A.G.E., to deal with the goblin pest. Being the only goblin capable of speech and rational thought, Styx is the only resistance - a one man army of tricks up his sleeve.
Shards of Darkness is Styx's (voiced by Saul Jephcott) third appearance in a video game, after Of Orcs & Men (where he played a supporting role) and Styx: Master of Shadows. They were all created by french studio Cyanide, best known for their Pro Cycling Manager games and Warhammer licenses. I've played neither of these Styx games, but after Shards of Darkness, I intend to go back and see what I missed. He controls great and is fun to be around.
Normally, I don't like it when characters break the fourth wall, talking directly to the player. Styx does that in droves in Shards of Darkness. In his case, however, I picture him talking to an imaginary friend since he's got no one else. You, as the player, is that friend. The story of Styx: Shards of Darkness is laughably cliché, but with our goblin around we've got a buddy to mock it alongside. He's a cool character and I feel flattered to be the only one he confides in.
That's not all: I also know how to sabotage the environment, poison food and craft tools as well as assassin's weapons. I'm no good in a straight up fight, but my dagger can parry and knock the wind out of any assailant, giving me time to flee or close in for the kill. With the power of amber, I can harness a few magic skills like briefly turning invisible or creating a clone to mislead my pursuers. Over time, I may even upgrade and expand on these possibilites through a few skill trees.
In a stealth game I usually feel like I'm disempowered and constantly on the defensive, looking out for aggressors. In Shards of Darkness, these roles are reversed. Storywise, my role is the thief's, but playing the game I rather feel like a hunter, stalking my victims and looking for opportunities to strike. Because resources are so limited, I rarely rely on Styx's tools and magical support, instead powering through on perception and planning alone. This turns the responsibility from Styx's skills even more over to me and the way I handle the controls.
In the first few stages, I felt frustratingly underprepared, but with continued practice, the later levels felt strangely easy, although the enemies got more powerful. Towards the end I could go undetected for entire level sections, utilising Styx's Amber vision (the fantasy version of Assassin's Creed's Eagle vision) to highlight the best possible routes.
Styx may have the skills, but the enemy has got the numbers. If you get cocky and let your guard down, you can go from predator to prey in the blink of an eye. With good awareness and memory, you should know where to run and hide as soon as that happens. If not - well, as an infiltrator you are totally out of your element in the spotlight. Styx is not designed for melee combat.
This sudden shift from empowerment to disempowerment creates a weird, interesting dynamic that constantly toys with your self esteem. You'll likely start off overly cautious, being careful not to attract any attention. The better you play, the bolder and riskier your gameplay becomes. Your pace increases and you get careless, until you're finally detected. When that happens, you can blame no one but yourself - there are no scripted events that force it upon you. When detection occurs repeatedly, your self-confidence starts to wear down. You get more and more careful, until finally you're able to stay hidden for longer.
Unusually enough for a stealth game, Shards of Darkness constantly balances between tension and hubris, resulting in an uncanny atmosphere of not knowing what to expect. And with Styx himself popping into view and mocking you after each death, I think that the creators knew exactly what they were doing. His bullying actually helps you become more careful. Keeping a low profile is no braggart's game.
Shards of Darkness is an excellent game, that could have been truly great with a better story, better boss fights and a character progression system that's not only there because every game apparently is supposed to have one. I also felt a little disappointed that the latter half of the game recycles earlier maps, but with the levels' innate openness that was a minor gripe. And what we get is surprisingly varied, beautifully designed and well balanced on the difficulty scale. Besides, the story fully motivates such revisits.
The enemy AI doesn't come across as particularly rational. You can literally see their algorithms on display, as one guard wakes up from his slumber, goes to investigate a noise you've caused and sees two of his comrades crushed underneath a chandelier. He remarks that it's disgusting and that someone should remove the bodies, before returning to his former position and once again falling asleep.
This could, of course, also be conceived as a flaw, but to me it seemed like another part of the game's systems. Detecting such patterns and acting upon them is how you'll spend the lion's share of your playthrough anyway. A more erratic AI behavior would perhaps be more realistic, but would it make the game better?
As slow as Shards of Darkness is, it still never gives you time to truly relax. The combined demands of platforming, constant planning and total awareness creates a mental strain that disencourages long sittings. You're left to your own devices. Apart from what Styx can hear, see and communicate, you don't get a lot of assistance. The tutorial laconically explains "how" to perform, not "what" to perform. The proper levels explain where to go, but how to get there is your major problem to solve. Checkpoints appear at highly irregular intervals - sometimes very often, sometimes very rarely - prompting you to manually save on occasion.
Playing Shards of Darkness was so tense, I had to take frequent breaks to recharge my mind and give my aching hands some time to recuperate. Some people might misinterpret this as a flaw in the game design or pacing. A good game keeps you endlessly hooked, right? Not necessarily. As soon as I was fit for fight, I couldn't wait to get back in there for another session. I wanted to experience the next set of very varied challenges thrown my way, and could not risk getting out of the groove, having to rebuild my skills and self-confidence from zero. There are so many ways to enjoy a game, and the satisfaction of evolving as a player should be among the foremost.
This is such a fresh perspective on the genre. From above Styx mocks the inhabitants, curses their unpronounceable names and spits on their customs. And why wouldn't he? A disdain of goblins seems to be the only thing that unites the other races. The rulers of Thoben have even sanctioned a squad, called C.A.R.N.A.G.E., to deal with the goblin pest. Being the only goblin capable of speech and rational thought, Styx is the only resistance - a one man army of tricks up his sleeve.
Shards of Darkness is Styx's (voiced by Saul Jephcott) third appearance in a video game, after Of Orcs & Men (where he played a supporting role) and Styx: Master of Shadows. They were all created by french studio Cyanide, best known for their Pro Cycling Manager games and Warhammer licenses. I've played neither of these Styx games, but after Shards of Darkness, I intend to go back and see what I missed. He controls great and is fun to be around.
Normally, I don't like it when characters break the fourth wall, talking directly to the player. Styx does that in droves in Shards of Darkness. In his case, however, I picture him talking to an imaginary friend since he's got no one else. You, as the player, is that friend. The story of Styx: Shards of Darkness is laughably cliché, but with our goblin around we've got a buddy to mock it alongside. He's a cool character and I feel flattered to be the only one he confides in.
THE POWER OF GOBLINS
Gameplay, on the other hand, is pure, unadulterated joy. Finally I get to play a thief and feel aptly nimble and clever, possessing skills no one in the world can counteract. As Styx, I'm practically undetectable in the shadows. I can assassinate any unprotected, unaware enemy, and my ape-like physique can get me to places unreachable to everyone else. The controls respond so delicately I personally feel like the culprit when Styx dies. He even confronts me about it on the game over screen, occasionally pleading that I lower the difficulty.That's not all: I also know how to sabotage the environment, poison food and craft tools as well as assassin's weapons. I'm no good in a straight up fight, but my dagger can parry and knock the wind out of any assailant, giving me time to flee or close in for the kill. With the power of amber, I can harness a few magic skills like briefly turning invisible or creating a clone to mislead my pursuers. Over time, I may even upgrade and expand on these possibilites through a few skill trees.
BRAND NEW STEALTH
The story has you working for Helledryn (Barbara Anne Weber Scaff), a female human captain of a C.A.R.N.A.G.E. squad. She needs Styx's skills to gather intelligence regarding a possible conspiracy within the upper echelons of the elven society. The story will take you through some twists best left unspoiled, as you follow the trail of a shapeshifting elf with dubious intentions. Shards of Darkness does not have a singular, open world but consists of a series of fairly large, open levels with a great degree of freedom. In between these you get the opportunity to level up, craft items and equip better gear at a sanctuary.In a stealth game I usually feel like I'm disempowered and constantly on the defensive, looking out for aggressors. In Shards of Darkness, these roles are reversed. Storywise, my role is the thief's, but playing the game I rather feel like a hunter, stalking my victims and looking for opportunities to strike. Because resources are so limited, I rarely rely on Styx's tools and magical support, instead powering through on perception and planning alone. This turns the responsibility from Styx's skills even more over to me and the way I handle the controls.
In the first few stages, I felt frustratingly underprepared, but with continued practice, the later levels felt strangely easy, although the enemies got more powerful. Towards the end I could go undetected for entire level sections, utilising Styx's Amber vision (the fantasy version of Assassin's Creed's Eagle vision) to highlight the best possible routes.
Styx may have the skills, but the enemy has got the numbers. If you get cocky and let your guard down, you can go from predator to prey in the blink of an eye. With good awareness and memory, you should know where to run and hide as soon as that happens. If not - well, as an infiltrator you are totally out of your element in the spotlight. Styx is not designed for melee combat.
This sudden shift from empowerment to disempowerment creates a weird, interesting dynamic that constantly toys with your self esteem. You'll likely start off overly cautious, being careful not to attract any attention. The better you play, the bolder and riskier your gameplay becomes. Your pace increases and you get careless, until you're finally detected. When that happens, you can blame no one but yourself - there are no scripted events that force it upon you. When detection occurs repeatedly, your self-confidence starts to wear down. You get more and more careful, until finally you're able to stay hidden for longer.
Unusually enough for a stealth game, Shards of Darkness constantly balances between tension and hubris, resulting in an uncanny atmosphere of not knowing what to expect. And with Styx himself popping into view and mocking you after each death, I think that the creators knew exactly what they were doing. His bullying actually helps you become more careful. Keeping a low profile is no braggart's game.
Shards of Darkness is an excellent game, that could have been truly great with a better story, better boss fights and a character progression system that's not only there because every game apparently is supposed to have one. I also felt a little disappointed that the latter half of the game recycles earlier maps, but with the levels' innate openness that was a minor gripe. And what we get is surprisingly varied, beautifully designed and well balanced on the difficulty scale. Besides, the story fully motivates such revisits.
A TAXING EXPERIENCE
Containing only eight levels plus one disappointing end boss battle, finishing Shards of Darkness is not an overly arduous task, although it might feel that way in the beginning. Amber vision reveals the multitude of ways to deal with each section, with scaleable walls shining in the dark. Getting killed over and over on the same path indicates that you missed a safer one. Taking your time and carefully plotting your next move usually pays off, as the game rarely throws anything unexpected your way. It's all driven by systems. You just need to learn them, and stay in the shadows until you do.The enemy AI doesn't come across as particularly rational. You can literally see their algorithms on display, as one guard wakes up from his slumber, goes to investigate a noise you've caused and sees two of his comrades crushed underneath a chandelier. He remarks that it's disgusting and that someone should remove the bodies, before returning to his former position and once again falling asleep.
This could, of course, also be conceived as a flaw, but to me it seemed like another part of the game's systems. Detecting such patterns and acting upon them is how you'll spend the lion's share of your playthrough anyway. A more erratic AI behavior would perhaps be more realistic, but would it make the game better?
As slow as Shards of Darkness is, it still never gives you time to truly relax. The combined demands of platforming, constant planning and total awareness creates a mental strain that disencourages long sittings. You're left to your own devices. Apart from what Styx can hear, see and communicate, you don't get a lot of assistance. The tutorial laconically explains "how" to perform, not "what" to perform. The proper levels explain where to go, but how to get there is your major problem to solve. Checkpoints appear at highly irregular intervals - sometimes very often, sometimes very rarely - prompting you to manually save on occasion.
Playing Shards of Darkness was so tense, I had to take frequent breaks to recharge my mind and give my aching hands some time to recuperate. Some people might misinterpret this as a flaw in the game design or pacing. A good game keeps you endlessly hooked, right? Not necessarily. As soon as I was fit for fight, I couldn't wait to get back in there for another session. I wanted to experience the next set of very varied challenges thrown my way, and could not risk getting out of the groove, having to rebuild my skills and self-confidence from zero. There are so many ways to enjoy a game, and the satisfaction of evolving as a player should be among the foremost.
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