Styx: Blades of Greed

Lore & Background

Styx: Blades of Greed is a stealth game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls a goblin named Styx, who must infiltrate Inquisition strongholds to steal a resource known as Quartz. The game features three large areas that can be freely explored, with multiple ways to reach objectives and infiltrate locations. Styx is equipped with gadgets such as a grappling hook and a glider for quick travel, and can use Quartz to perform magical abilities like mind control and slowing down time. The game was inspired by Metroidvania design, as unlocking new tools and upgrades allows players to reach previously inaccessible areas.

The development team described Blades of Greed as their most 'ambitious' Styx game, moving away from traditional levels to larger, semi-open worlds. Styx remains a 'sarcastic and irreverent' character, and the story explores the origin of the war between Orcs and the Empire, setting the foundation for the franchise's first game, Of Orcs and Men.

Reader's Guide

Styx: Blades of Greed received 'mixed or average' reviews for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions, while the Windows version received 'generally favorable' reviews, according to Metacritic. Jim Trinca from Eurogamer called it 'easily the best stealth game in years,' praising how it wove Metroidvania elements into its gameplay loop and made revisiting locations engaging. Travis Northup from IGN praised the fundamental gameplay mechanics and new adjustments introduced by Cyanide, but felt it retained many franchise problems, such as weak controls, a forgettable story, and performance issues, which he described as 'as disappointing as they are completely expected.' The game's significance lies in its ambition to expand the Styx series into semi-open worlds and its integration of Metroidvania-style progression, though its reception varied by platform.

Did You Know?

• Styx: Blades of Greed was released in February 2026 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
• Styx can use Quartz to perform magical abilities such as mind control and slowing down time.

Gameplay & Design Philosophy

Blades of Greed continues the series' core identity as a third-person stealth experience, placing players in the boots of Styx, a goblin tasked with sneaking into Inquisition strongholds to pilfer a valuable resource called Quartz. What sets this entry apart is its structural ambition: rather than a linear chain of discrete levels, the game presents three expansive zones that players can roam freely, approaching each infiltration objective through multiple routes and strategies. Movement is a central pillar, with Styx wielding a grappling hook and a glider to traverse the environment at speed. Beyond physical tools, Quartz fuels a suite of magical powers—mind control over enemies and the ability to slow time are among the tricks in Styx's repertoire. The design also borrows heavily from the Metroidvania tradition: as new gadgets and upgrades are unlocked, previously unreachable pockets of the world open up, encouraging players to loop back and re-explore with fresh capabilities.

Development & Creative Vision

Cyanide, the studio behind the Styx series, openly framed Blades of Greed as their most ambitious installment to date. The primary design shift involved abandoning the traditional level-based structure in favor of larger, semi-open environments that invite organic exploration. Despite this structural overhaul, the team was careful to preserve what fans expect from the protagonist: Styx remains the same sarcastic, irreverent goblin who quips through every tense moment. Narratively, the game takes a bold step by delving into the historical roots of the conflict between the Orcs and the Empire. This backstory is not merely decorative—it is explicitly designed to lay the groundwork for the franchise's very first title, Of Orcs and Men, effectively connecting the series' timeline in a way that rewards long-time followers. The project was published by Nacon, and the development team's willingness to experiment with scale while keeping the character's voice intact signals a studio confident enough to evolve its formula without losing its identity.

Critical Reception & Controversy

The review landscape for Blades of Greed presents a notable split. On Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S editions landed in the "mixed or average" range, while the Windows build earned "generally favorable" scores—a discrepancy that hints at platform-specific performance concerns. Among individual critics, opinions ranged from enthusiastic to cautiously positive. Jim Trinca of Eurogamer hailed the title as "easily the best stealth game in years," singling out the seamless integration of Metroidvania mechanics and the satisfaction of returning to earlier zones with new tools. Travis Northup at IGN acknowledged the solid core mechanics and the fresh adjustments Cyanide introduced, yet he also flagged persistent franchise issues: sluggish controls, a narrative that fails to linger in memory, and performance stutters he described as both disappointing and entirely predictable. The consensus, then, is that the mechanical foundation is strong and the world design is genuinely exciting, but execution-level polish remains the series' Achilles' heel.

Franchise Position & Release

Blades of Greed arrives as the direct sequel to Styx: Shards of Darkness, which launched in 2017, marking nearly a decade between major entries in the series. The game shipped in February 2026 across three platforms—PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X/S—broadening the audience for a franchise that has long occupied a distinctive niche in the stealth genre. Developed by Cyanide and published by Nacon, the title represents a significant evolution in both scope and narrative ambition. By threading the story of the Orc-Empire war into its plot, the game also serves as a narrative bridge to Of Orcs and Men, the franchise's original entry, effectively expanding the lore for players who may have encountered the series out of order. For fans of the goblin thief, the long wait between Shards of Darkness and this installment was justified by a game that reimagines the stealth formula with open-world freedom, while for newcomers it offers a fresh entry point into a character-driven corner of the gaming landscape.