Recent reviews by Drayton Sawyer

My only regret is not picking this up years ago! Magnificent game, community, and developer. Restored my faith after years of countless AAA dumpster fires. Do yourself a favor and buy it, you won't be disappointed.

(I didn't actually receive the game for free but bought it on sale awhile back and feel as though I stole it, game is worth way more than the standard $30 price tag..)

Most involved Dev I've ever seen and proof a cheap Early Access game can be great. Easy Labor of Love pick for me.

Great idea, hope they make a 50's Drive-in Simulator next, the groundwork is already there and you kinda get that vibe going into it.

Speaking of vibes, this game is BEGGING to be turned into a Leatherface Simulator. Just change some signs around to switch out the location, add a BBQ spot, a few meat hooks, and go to work! The Dennis problem even solves itself. I'd really like to think that is where the game is headed(or at least you know the mods will be..), so definitely looking forward to the full release! Hopefully they don't screw this up, this game is a potential gold mine..provided they get the achievements working properly.

A game of great potential, with an uncertain future.

Most of the time when I'm deciding whether or not to buy a game, I tend to favor video reviews over the ones here, simply due to the fact you actually get to see the gameplay firsthand. I'm old fashioned, I'd rather see what I'm getting myself into rather than a wall of text or a two minute cinematic waste of time showing nothing relevant. And thus I watched a few reviews, and liked what I saw, and decided to buy the game(and DLC) when it was on sale. I did, however, skim over a few reviews on here, and was quite baffled how many seemed to put in so many hours into this game only to give it a negative rating, or wanting there to be a neutral scoring option. Why would anyone stick with a game that they didn't completely enjoy? After finishing the game and doing everything it has to offer, I too would ask myself that question.

Was it how tedious and grindy the tasks were, how lackluster the story was, or how the game just expects you to figure out everything about it on your own? Absolutely not, I realized all that beforehand from watching the reviews. What you don't fully see in those reviews is the fact this game has so much potential that it ultimately never lives up to. One reviewer said it best: the game does an excellent job tricking you into thinking the world is far bigger than it is, with more going on than there is. I won't spoil it, as I too was tricked into thinking exactly that, and while it did come as a bit of a disappointment once I came to this realization, I'm glad I was blissfully unaware for as long as I was. I'll just say I can see how many seem to think parts of this game were cut or redone at the last minute. There is certainly enough ingame to lead you to that conclusion(paths going nowhere, obstacles you can never clear, crafting items and upgrades that have no purpose, locations alluded to that are never explored), and that brings us to the heart of the matter: for as much as the game has to offer, it only leaves you wanting more.

I really loathe describing gameplay through text, it's something best left seen for oneself, so if you have any interest in this game, I would strongly recommend a video review just to see if you like the game mechanics and graphics. Like me, you'll figure out the obvious: it's a game for builders, crafters, multi-taskers, min/maxers, and those with potential OCD who'll likely do everything they can in the game even if there are oddly no achievements for it(I'm looking at you, max graveyard rating..). If you like building things, or working with your hands, but don't want to go outside because of a viral apocalypse, then this is your game.

I was fortunate enough to discover this game a couple years after it launched, with DLC already available, and while the DLC doesn't add all that much gameplay-wise(a buildable tavern and additional lore for the villagers), I would caution you to take earlier reviews with a grain of salt, for as much as this game leaves you wanting more from it, those who've been with it since the beginning must feel it the most.

Despite all this criticism, I really did enjoy the game, and while there are legitimate annoyances(most of which are minor quality of life ones that have been discussed by others at length..), I would recommend buying this, just not at full price, as it currently is. As the game is from a small Indie studio I'd even be willing to give most negatives a pass, or at the very least, more understanding. Said studio, Lazy Bear Games, has recently hinted at wanting to do something more with the game, whether it be additional content, or some sort of patch/update, only time will tell, but I'll be patiently waiting, always hoping for more..

I rate this game a 2020/10. People have been coping with this year in their own ways, I guess playing a medieval graveyard simulator is mine. Why not make it yours, too?

This game has been out long enough that I feel there is little in the way I could add that someone else already hasn't. Still, I enjoyed it enough to finish and even full clear achievement-wise, so why not post a review?

Being a big fan of stealth games, and having played my fair share from as far back as the late 90s, I went into it slightly biased and at first was going to judge it more harshly than the conclusion I ultimately came to. I could parrot all the negative aspects of the game as those previously have done before, it certainly has its fair share. Infact, when I really think about it, I haven't played a game in recent memory that had as many things against it, yet seemed to pull itself together enough for me to recommend. It's not a gorgeous game. It doesn't do anything new. I can't even say for certain it has an actual soundtrack(I only recall one song, that played maybe twice throughout the entire game, save the title screen). The only thing that might actually be original, aside from your homely little green protagonist is there are no female characters AT ALL. But with such a small team working on this title(you could count the amount of voice actors on one hand), even that isn't surprising.

I will say that despite the lack of AAA game status, they didn't do too bad, when all is said and done. Alot of people complain about the combat, even though it's not a combat-centric game. You're supposed to sneak around, avoid detection, and kill silently, if you feel the need. The stealth kills are amusing enough, albeit I had more fun doing a mercy run second playthrough. I've read people have had issues with wall hanging, and while I certainly came across a few instances of cheap deaths resulting from the character just not being properly aligned with what I was moving toward, all the patches seem to have fixed the majority of this annoyance(it also helps to save often, it makes the game even more manageable). I will say that not being able to go around corners while hanging from a ledge, or even a dedicated button to transition from being atop a ledge to going into the hanging position is my biggest gripe of all, one that I hope will be addressed in future games.

But enough about gameplay, every review should atleast mention the story, right? The story starts off slow, somewhat confusing, and rather sparse at first, with the ending finally fleshing it all out. Despite that, it left me satisfied, even with the rather disappointing final boss. Styx is an origin story for the character of the same name in Of Orcs and Men. That, if nothing else, it does ably enough. It left me cautiously optimistic, looking forward to the upcoming sequel, Styx: Shards of Darkness. And in the end, isn't that what a game SHOULD aim to accomplish?

While I enjoyed it enough that I feel the full $30 price tag isn't unreasonable, I recommend getting it at a discount during this year's Steam Summer Sale, if you want a decent stealth/assassination game. It might surprise you. I give it a solid 8/10.