Styx

We sit down and review Styx: Blades Of Greed. The third title in the Styx stealth game IP. Here is our review of the game.

Our little goblin friend is back and up to all of the deeds we know him for, as Styx: Blades Of Greed has landed on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This is the third big outing for our gruff little guy, as Cyanide Studios keeps the story going and all of us in the shadows doing what we were made to do. Well, more of what Styx was made to do is more than anything, as this is a stealth action game set in a fantasy world. Not much of that to experience in the real one beyond the video game versions out there. As long as they are worth the time and effort we are going to put into them. Which is why we are here. It is now time for our review of the game and if it is going to be the next best thing to drop into the IP for the fans to spend a bunch of time with.

Story

A bit of time has passed since we last caught up with Styx, not just in the real world but also in the lands of Iserian. This is all after the destruction of the Amber factory and a lot of dead soldiers in Korrangar, and now we are picking up with our little thief as he heads off into a new area. Not just by himself, but with a small adventuring party that he picks up along the way. All so they can survive a bit more from the wrath of the Inquisition and get rich along the way. Even if it does seem that Styx is only out for the new thing to absorb and grant some extra powers. That being the mysterious Quartz that the humans want to have in their total control. Most likely due to the fact that it has links to something much more powerful than we can guess, along with something that could drive the coming Great War in a specific way. That just cannot happen, and we like to steal anyway…

Hated

The first thing that seems to come up for me when it comes to Styx: Blades Of Greed is that the story just kind of feels forced in the game. Not as if we are being forced down a specific path, but more that we should know every little detail of the world and characters from the start. I played and enjoyed both of the previous titles, but this one feels like it expects us to have played them recently. Almost to the point that it felt like I just opened a book at a random point and was expected to understand everything from before that point. I mention this, as Styx: Blades Of Greed is going to feel rough for anyone who is trying to play the game without any of the past context. Even as a long-time fan, it was a little confusing and hard to follow beyond just having to do things because it is part of the gameplay loop. Which, if you are not here for the story, can work. For those who are here for the lore and have not played the IP since the last title dropped, you might want to give those a solid look before starting this one up.

Speaking of the previous Styx titles, while this one aims to take what worked before and improve upon it, it seems they went a little too far in the open-world aspect of tackling missions. No, this is not an Open World game, as you might be assuming from that statement, but it is one that presents multiple ways to approach the stealth aspect. Only, in the past, there was a specific path you needed to get to, but you could have had many choices to complete that. In Styx: Blades Of Greed, there never truly feels like there is a path and just destinations randomly about the world to get to. Yes, we still have the choice of how to get to those locations, but too many times I found myself lost or even heading to a different objective, as the layout of the world was not helpful to guide us along. Not to mention, it was populated with an obscene number of enemies to navigate at all times, making it more of a frustrating thing than a loved feature. Almost to the point where I just wanted to put the game down and pick up the previous titles instead.

If I had to guess on the overpopulation of enemies in Styx: Blades Of Greed, I would venture a guess that it could be due to the combat system that the team tried to implement. The past titles usually had it set that being spotted and surrounded was just a death sentence. In this one, they tried to make Styx a little more capable when it comes to fighting back. Weirdly, though, only if we are locked into a target and not just trying to slice and run. Something that was never automatic when the enemy engaged, and we cannot even swing a knife if we are not locked onto a target. It is a weird choice to go with, and still leads to pretty much a quick death in the game, but more in a frustrating way of offering a tool that is broken instead of reinforcing that stealth should be the option. I am still not sure why it was added in, as you can see in the gameplay below, I was never able to use it well outside of the tutorial mission that we have. It would have just been better to allow us to swing openly, however we wanted, and turn and run if that did not work. Instead, you are just locked in until you are dead.

Loved

It does sound like I had a lot to gripe about for Styx: Blades Of Greed before now, but there are some fun things I did enjoy in the game. While it took a bit of getting used to, the stealth part of the game is back and just as fun as we have had in the past. Many of the classic moves and abilities are in the mix, with a few new ones to show how we have evolved. Not to mention, when you can find the path you want to go down, the plan can go off without a hitch each time. Add in all of the extra little traversal aspects in the game, and you start to feel closer to the character and see where Styx truly shines. Being able to chain together so many actions to cause a distraction, or just heading out to slice the throats of all the enemies to get the job done, just works so well. Not just in the universe of the game, but as far as a gameplay mechanic. Using the idea of being a true hidden menace or just a silent, hidden assassin to great lengths. This is how the game should be played, and once you get the swing of things, it flows so insanely well.

While the stealth is fun, there was also a bit of fun that came in when Styx messes up and triggers a search. At least one that does not lead to the aforementioned combat system. A real game of cat and mouse seems to be played out with the NPC AI in the game, and enemies are smart enough to follow through on certain searches. Like, if one of them is suspicious that Styx dropped into a sewer or underground tunnel, they will drop poison bombs into it to try and flush us out. They will climb under and into little nooks that we are hiding in, instead of having NPC blindness as we have seen in the past and other games. This leads to a different form of stealth gameplay that is triggered by us. One that can be just as fun as hunting down each of the enemies roaming the area, even if it is not the intended way to play the game. This is a case of being a feature and not a weird AI bug that I know other games have seen, and were always lacking in the past games, where you could hang over a ledge or hide in the tunnels, and the enemies would forget what they were looking for in short order.

Lastly, while I do think that the story is a bit of a weird place to start in Styx: Blades Of Greed, they do know how to write for the character and the world. Maybe it is just me, but I do enjoy a character that is rough around the edges and willing to say what most players are thinking. We are little murder hobos when it comes to our stealth and assassination games, and Styx always has a way of stating the obvious. This always led to some fun little scenes that would bring the levity, but also never betray the character that has been made for us over the years. It might feel like a little trope to some, having the goblin thief be a crass shit-talker, but those were always the best parts of the game. In this one, it helps to keep us engaged to stick with the story and the action, that is for sure. I know I loved it, and it is not going to be for everyone, but it is on my list, as it did save the overall story and experience for me when things became a little rough around the edges gameplay-wise.

Overview

Okay, so Styx: Blades Of Greed is not a perfect game by far. The choice to add in way too much freedom in the world and a combat system did not vibe with me at all. Placing markers to track things down, only to find I was going in a direction that led to a dead end, made me want to stop altogether. That said, the humor and charm of the writing were a saving grace, and I still say you should watch a solid recap before jumping into this one. Getting past that and sticking to the shadows will make Styx: Blades Of Greed a title to pick up for many. You just have to love the stealth action genre and crude humor of things. Then this will be a buy. If you are looking for a great evolution to the IP, which is a little lacking, and you might want to stick to the older titles for that fun.

I give Styx: Blades Of Greed 6 Pieces Of Quartz on the Pieces Of Quartz scale.

Styx: Blades Of Greed was developed by Cyanide Studios and published by Nacon for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 19^th, 2026. A PlayStation copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.