Styx Blades of Greed Review and Analysis of Pure Stealth Gameplay
The review begins with a complete analysis of Styx Blades of Greed. The existence of pure stealth games has reached its conclusion. The indie and AA scenes are the only remaining solution which can satisfy purists because the genre now either receives simplified treatment or becomes an optional playstyle in action RPGs. The goblin returns after nine years to Styx Blades of Greed (the third installment by Cyanide Studio) which marks his first return since Styx Shards of Darkness. The return becomes justified through the classic gameplay of Splinter Cell which it brings back to modern audiences. The answer becomes difficult because Styx’s moral compass leads to two different paths of decisionmaking.
The story begins at the exact moment which follows the ending of the previous game. Styx now leads a crew which travels on an airship craft that functions as your main base of operations. The plot centers on an unstable partnership between Styx and a dwarf pirate captain who leads an engineer to find dangerous Quartz fragments. The premise explores Styx’s addiction to the power Quartz provides and touches on lore that fans of the Of Orcs and Men universe will appreciate, including the origins of the Black Hand.
The delivery of the narrative fails to achieve its intended conclusion. The setup creates openended travel opportunities yet the game presents frequent cutscenes which become excessively tedious for players. The dialogue lacks flavor, and even Styx usually known for his quippy, fourthwallbreaking sarcasm seems bored by his own crew. The English voice acting shows competent performance yet the supporting characters fail to maintain interest which transforms the story into a sequence of fetch quests without emotional stakes.
The game achieves its best performance through its commitment to authentic stealth gameplay. The game requires you to follow the path because you will face death through any encountered detection. The combat system provides a clumsy experience through its soulslite parry and dodge system which stops players from fighting against opponents. The game requires players to watch their environment while making tactical plans and executing from hidden positions.
Styx now provides players with improved control over their characters movements. The movement system enables players to perform double jumps and wall scrambles while moving between cover points. The toolkit includes many tools which help users create original solutions to their problems.
The system lets players create clones who will draw enemy attention while they activate traps. The player can use short stealth periods to move past busy areas. Guards will die on their patrol route after you poison food or set acid traps in strategic locations. The levels offer players high verticality through their design which includes multiple pathways that connect through chimneys windows and rafters. The game has too much content available for players to access at the beginning of the experience. The game should have unlocked essential traversal tools earlier because players need these tools to progress through Turquoise Dawn yet they become available only in later stages.
The game provides multiple biomes which players can explore through their semiopen design to experience Metroidvania gameplay that permits them to return to locations they have already explored. The level design provides a tactical sandbox experience yet the mission design remains outdated. The game requires you to explore the area until you locate all the shards. The game often presents itself as a collection of fetch quests which become annoying when the game moves the objective to another location right when the player arrives at the current one.
The environments in the game feature large spaces yet their visual design remains too consistent throughout. The game uses assets in multiple locations which results in players experiencing identical interior designs after entering buildings through chimneys. The absence of different visual elements makes it difficult for players to maintain their immersion while experiencing the game world.
Blades of Greed uses Unreal Engine 5 to deliver better lighting and larger environments than its earlier games but the new system introduces major technical problems.
The Good
The game achieves a constant 60fps performance on PlayStation 5 while its lighting system effectively shows all light and shadow areas needed for stealth gameplay. The sound design (music and ambient audio) is generally strong, enhancing the atmosphere.
The Bad
The game runs poorly on PC because of its insufficient optimization. The RTX 4060 and similar mid to high range cards need DLSS and Frame Generation to reach 60fps performance at 1440p resolution. The textures on the screen can appear either muddy or lowresolution which makes the game look like a PS3 title that has a contemporary lighting engine applied to it.
The handheld experience for users of Steam Deck and ROG Ally and similar devices becomes problematic. The Xbox Ally X testing required operating at full 25W35W TDP to maintain playable performance. The frame rates experience major variations which depend on map density because the game runs smoothly at 55fps during open areas but drops down to 20fps inside lightingheavy zones. The device consumes too much battery power while needing mid settings with FSR enabled to operate properly.
The AI system serves as a paradox because it punishes players through exact precision while demonstrating impractical intelligence. Archers show complete accuracy when they spot you while guards will stay in place to examine a dead body instead of becoming alert. The game contains major bugs which disrupt gameplay. The patrol system of guards fails to function correctly which causes enemies to remain in one location indefinitely and prevents players from using stealth unless they restart the game. The poison food mechanic functions improperly because it does not activate when a guard eats the poisoned meal.
The quick save feature through L3 provides players with simple access to save points yet players must wait more than 20 seconds for the game to load after they encounter death in the game. Players find the wait time irritating because the game uses trialanderror gameplay with deaths occurring frequently throughout the experience.
The Pros
- True Stealth Gameplay: A rare experience where stealth is mandatory and satisfying.
- Fluid Movement: Styx controls beautifully with excellent vertical traversal.
- Creative Tools: Cloning, poisoning, and traps allow for fun experimentation.
- Audio Design: Excellent music and atmospheric sound cues.
- Level Sandbox: Multiple routes and approaches for every objective.
The Cons
- Dated Mission Design: Repetitive fetch quests and a lack of narrative context.
- Optimization Issues: Poor performance on PC and handheld devices; relies heavily on upscaling.
- Visual Repetition: Environments lack variety, with assets reused frequently.
- Long Load Times: Punishing wait times in a trial-and-error style game.
- Bugs & AI: Inconsistent mechanics and easily broken enemy patrol paths.
- Front loaded Difficulty: Core traversal tools unlock too late in the campaign.
Styx Blades of Greed is a game designed for players who love stealth and seek out new experiences. The game presents an excellent core loop which remains unpolished through its outdated presentation. The game provides a 20 hour adventure which becomes enjoyable if players can handle the repetitive mission structure and the technical hiccups and the expensive 40 buckes/euro price point. Players who want nextgen polished experiences should wait until the game goes on sale.
Pc,Ps5 and handheld Version Tested.
