... such character from such game had a baby with such other character from such other game ...

Without resorting to the use of clichés, Styx is, at first glance, a clever combination of elements from other stealth and action-adventure games. As you play it, you can clearly see where the inspiration for it was drawn.

It puts together the atmosphere from the old Thief, the gameplay from the old Tomb Raider and the world and look from Dishonored in such a brilliant way that not for a moment the expression "rip-off" will ever come to mind, especially as not only the story itself was very well written, but also the narrative was delivered with mastery.

The gameplay couldn't be easier: very few commands, no combo nonsense, no button mashing (none that I came across, that is). The combat can be a bit annoying with the parry/attack combination, but the game's called "Master of Shadows" for a reason: the objective is to stick to the shadows and avoid direct combat. This is what some people don't seem to get.

The devs also done a brilliant job on the level design, with large maps and plenty of cleverly thought paths, as well as quite challenging AI (Goblin mode, of course), which will make you second guess your every move, and keep on failing until you get it right.

It's also got the usual skill tree on which you can unlock skills by distributing XP points you earn each completed chapter, plus relic collecting, side missions and extra objectives that will give you extra XP if done. You can also save your progress manually (F5/F9 and menu), as opposed to the check-point only save system commonly found in games these days.

The only negative I can think of is that there is no way of knocking enemies unconscious: either kill them or sneak past them, and believe me: if you opt for the latter, you're in for a world of pain and frustration. But going on a no-kills, 100% stealth playthrough is perfectly doable, and feels very rewarding when you finally complete each chapter.

This is one of the best games I have ever played in 25 years, and deserves a 9/10 score.

... [i]such character from such game had a baby with such other character from such other game[/i] ... Without resorting to the use of clichés, Styx is, at first glance, a clever combination of elements from other stealth and action-adventure games. As you play it, you can clearly see where the inspiration for it was drawn. It puts together the atmosphere from the old Thief, the gameplay from the old Tomb Raider and the world and look from Dishonored in such a brilliant way that not for a moment the expression "rip-off" will ever come to mind, especially as not only the story itself was very well written, but also the narrative was delivered with mastery. The gameplay couldn't be easier: very few commands, no combo nonsense, no button mashing (none that I came across, that is). The combat can be a bit annoying with the parry/attack combination, but the game's called "Master of Shadows" for a reason: the objective is to stick to the shadows and avoid direct combat. This is what some people don't seem to get. The devs also done a brilliant job on the level design, with large maps and plenty of cleverly thought paths, as well as quite challenging AI (Goblin mode, of course), which will make you second guess your every move, and keep on failing until you get it right. It's also got the usual skill tree on which you can unlock skills by distributing XP points you earn each completed chapter, plus relic collecting, side missions and extra objectives that will give you extra XP if done. You can also save your progress manually (F5/F9 and menu), as opposed to the check-point only save system commonly found in games these days. The only negative I can think of is that there is no way of knocking enemies unconscious: either kill them or sneak past them, and believe me: if you opt for the latter, you're in for a world of pain and frustration. But going on a no-kills, 100% stealth playthrough is perfectly doable, and feels very rewarding when you finally complete each chapter. This is one of the best games I have ever played in 25 years, and deserves a 9/10 score.