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Styx: Master of Shadows - Of Orcs & Men stealth spinoff(!)

Lyric Suite

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Mar 23, 2006
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So i did the second level. The AI is still super easy to cheese (to be fair though, it's also easy to cheese in Thief once you get gud enough). Level was fairly decent though. Not huge by any means but had several rooms and different possible paths to take. I hope they get larger.

I think i'll keep playing this. It's not even remotely close to Thief but is better than i expected. Of course i expected total shit but hey.
 

Lyric Suite

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You should skip straight to the 2nd game, it's categorically better in all respects.

Well, i started with this now might as well finish it.

It has some interesting mechanics (like the clone thingy) but the thieving is a bit on the easy side so far. The AI is not terrible but is also easy to fool and it's slightly janky as well (if you lure a group they'll sometimes get stuck on each other). I decided to go for a kill everything approach (stealth only though, no detection) at first since ghosting might be more time consuming and i may end up getting bored with the game before i can finish it (if i can finish it), but perhaps i may switch to ghosting if i get the urge for it.

What's actually interesting is the level design. It's not as complex as Thief but maps are fairly large with lots of different pathways and means of approaching enemies. Aesthetically they are not that bad either all though like a lot of indie games they had to go with that pastel look with guards that look like something out of Warcract 3. Thief wins by a mile in the atmosphere department. The only caveat is that so far the game is very skimpy in terms of loot. You can find some tokens and maybe there's some secret rooms with some potions and stuff but nothing on the level of finding gold in Thief.

As for Styx himself, he is an ok character. His dialog, like much of the writing, is fairly cliche but so far i don't dislike him.

According to my last save i've only completely 6% of the game so it's still early to really pass judgement. So far it feels like a decent albeit easier Thief clone. It's definitely better than nu-Thief that much i can say.

Turning off those Display of Detection and Display of Objectives options was a wise decision btw.
 

Eirinjas

Arcane
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RPG Wokedex
You should skip straight to the 2nd game, it's categorically better in all respects.

Well, i started with this now might as well finish it.

It has some interesting mechanics (like the clone thingy) but the thieving is a bit on the easy side so far. The AI is not terrible but is also easy to fool and it's slightly janky as well (if you lure a group they'll sometimes get stuck on each other). I decided to go for a kill everything approach (stealth only though, no detection) at first since ghosting might be more time consuming and i may end up getting bored with the game before i can finish it (if i can finish it), but perhaps i may switch to ghosting if i get the urge for it.

What's actually interesting is the level design. It's not as complex as Thief but maps are fairly large with lots of different pathways and means of approaching enemies. Aesthetically they are not that bad either all though like a lot of indie games they had to go with that pastel look with guards that look like something out of Warcract 3. Thief wins by a mile in the atmosphere department. The only caveat is that so far the game is very skimpy in terms of loot. You can find some tokens and maybe there's some secret rooms with some potions and stuff but nothing on the level of finding gold in Thief.

As for Styx himself, he is an ok character. His dialog, like much of the writing, is fairly cliche but so far i don't dislike him.

According to my last save i've only completely 6% of the game so it's still early to really pass judgement. So far it feels like a decent albeit easier Thief clone. It's definitely better than nu-Thief that much i can say.

Turning off those Display of Detection and Display of Objectives options was a wise decision btw.
You'll be happy to know that the game gets more difficult as you progress.
 

Lyric Suite

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Mar 23, 2006
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That's good to know.

So far i'm doing ok with this game. I was expecting something truly popamole but despite its shortcomings it actually operates like a stealth game should. That's not too shabby for a modern gayme. Just wish there was more to do in the maps besides taking out guards and finding tokens. Put some gold and jewelry in there or something, make it more interesting. I did encounter a few puzzles maybe that will provide some variety.
 
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Lyric Suite

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Mar 23, 2006
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So i just finished Mission 1 and i'm already somewhat getting bored with this game. We'll see if i can finish it.

While on a basic level it operates like a good stealth game everything is just... a bit popamole as well as repetitious. I noticed this in a lot of modern games all the mechanics are a bit too obvious. You know you need to do this or that to get such and such a result and it's a bit routine after a while. It's a bit immersion breaking how the mechanics on modern games are so spelled out for you. Reach the ceiling so you can drop a light on a patrol, and every room has this option. Likewise, there's always a hole in the wall to get around each patrol and so forth.
 

Lyric Suite

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It's fairly decent as far as modern games go, especially once you turn off all indicators and quest markers, but it is still also a bit popamole. It has all the right elements but each feels less than what it could and should have been.

I went to check and apparently i paid 2 bucks for it so i definitely can't complaint there. I've seen some people complaint the platforming is broken but i had no issues with that whatsoever. Styx hooks himself on ledges just fine wonder if it's something they fixed with patches. I DID get some quicksave bugs though. That was definitely jarring i don't think i've seen a game with a buggy save mechanic before. Like i killed a guard, got spotted, so i reload and the guard dies in front of me as soon i get back to the previous save what the hell.
 
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gabel

fork
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The first game is way better in my book.
But if you enjoy it, the sequel is definitely worth playing as well.
 

Lyric Suite

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Alright, i'm still plodding along with this thing, still going the serial killer route:




And so forth.

So far i've been able to get the Shadow and Thief insigna on all missions. The Mercy and Swiftness will probably not bother as i'm still unsure if i'll finish it once let alone twice or more, plus i'm doing enough ghosting as it is even to kill all the guards without being detected. Unlike Thief, ghosting in this game is actually a bit frustrating because there's too many guards. Enemy count is a little bloated in my book, so i had the right idea about murdering everything as i might have abandoned the game if it got too annoying or long winded with constant reloading.

Was fun ghosting the bugs for like two hours until i figured out you can actually kill them even without the throwing knives, sheesh.

I've been super careful about not leaving bodies around and yet somehow they are still getting found. I've seen some glitching through the floor upon reloading a couple of times i guess it's likely due to bugs. Thankfully, there's no insigna related to not letting bodies get discovered. I've also killed everything that was killable and tried to leave nothing alive whatsoever and yet every mission i'm told there were "enemies" left alive. Not sure what gives with that either.

BTW, that twist when you free your "friend" from the cell. Did not see that coming.
 

Lyric Suite

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Mar 23, 2006
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Ok, so i'm trying the Predator skills for the first time. Master of Vials is pointless given you get a ton them in the maps. Omniscience appears to be spoiler mode if you like to find the coins on your own, and Born Killer requires me to upgrade the Agility tree which is pointless since i'm not fighting anyone (only first skill in that tree seems useful). That leaves Manipulator of Shadows. I've actually been avoiding the stealth and clone trees as i was afraid it was going to make the game too easy but with the guard bloat it may cut down how long i takes me to finish a map. Plus, given the clone is the stand out mechanic in this game it's probably a good idea to focus on it if anything for the novelty.
 

Lyric Suite

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56,164
Ayy, got the Shadow insigna on mission 4:



And got the Pretentious achievement on top of it:

uc


Took some work to get past the clones without using items but i managed.

BTW, i hope the game is not gonna just recycle all the maps until the end. I know it's an indie game but that would be complete ass. So far it's ok as there's an ingame reason why you had to retrace your way out of the prison complex but it better stop here.
 
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Lyric Suite

Converting to Islam
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Mar 23, 2006
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56,164
The funny thing is because of how abstract the level design is, it's not actually as bad as it could have been as some maps it took me a little bit to even recognize where i was, but yeah, it's still pretty bad.

On a positive note, that twist in the story was really something else. I'm actually curious to see where this gonna end which is helping me maintain my interest despite the recycled areas (i'm almost done with mission 6 and it's now obvious they are just gonna recycle everything right to the end).
 

Lyric Suite

Converting to Islam
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So i started mission 7 and did they just recycle the same map a THIRD time? This is getting out of hand lol.

Also, after that little clever twist the writers have decided to sink back to retardation by introducing literally Hitler, now bent on oppressing the poor dindu elves.
 

Lyric Suite

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Mar 23, 2006
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Soooo, i finally finished mission 7, but somehow failed to get my Shadow insigna. Turns out it counted if you alerted the stupid clones during the final fight. When i got to the hideout i made the mistake of overriding my last save so to be an autist i decided to redo it and get the Shadow, Mercy and Swiftness isignas in one go:



Fuck it.

Not a terrible game as far as modern trash goes. Too bad about the shameless recycling of the maps. I got two achievements left i think i'll get those done as well then uninstall the game as i don't think i can get anything else out of it in terms of enjoyement and replaying the game is pointless since they basically make you replay it anyway with all the map repetion lol.
 
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