Styx: Master of Shadows
A stealth prequel set in the world of Of Orcs and Men.
Styx: Master of Shadows is a stealth game from Cyanide Studios, released on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It serves as a prequel and is the second title set in the universe introduced by 2012's *Of Orcs and Men*. A follow-up, *Styx: Shards of Darkness*, came out in 2017.
In terms of gameplay, survival depends on staying hidden. The protagonist, Styx, wields magical abilities such as turning invisible (a power also seen in *Of Orcs and Men*) and using amber-vision to spot hidden enemies and pathways. A key mechanic is his power to create a magical clone, which can scout ahead without risk or serve as a distraction, shaking up standard stealth play. The Tower's guards and soldiers react dynamically to the player's actions. Success requires careful planning: studying patrol routes, using light and shadow, luring targets away for silent kills, or staging "accidents" to avoid detection. The game also incorporates RPG elements, letting players earn experience to unlock new skills, special moves, and deadlier weapons across six talent trees.
The story takes place before the events of the earlier game. Styx infiltrates the Tower of Akenash, a massive flying fortress kept aloft by the magic of the World Tree it was built around. He aims to reach the Tree's heart and rescue an imprisoned friend, though his motivations are unclear due to confused memories and a guiding voice in his head. Upon freeing his "friend," he finds a creature identical to himself. It turns out the player has been controlling a clone of the real Styx, who was held in an interrogation chamber the whole time. The original Styx was once an orc scholar studying the World Tree, transformed by its magical amber into the first goblin. For centuries, he has been plagued by the telepathic chatter of elves sleeping in the Tree's roots. Stealing the Tree's heart would silence the elves and possibly let him become an orc again. The amber gave Original-Styx the ability to spawn clones, usually mindless thralls. However, when infiltrating Akenash, he created an unusually intelligent clone to rescue him if captured, though he still saw it as disposable. Enraged, Clone-Styx vows to destroy his original. With an elf's help, Clone-Styx breaks the telepathic link, chases Original-Styx to the Tree's heart, destroys it, and then leaps into a pool of amber at the Tree's base.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Styx: Master of Shadows
- Developer
- Cyanide
- Publisher
- Focus Home Interactive
- Composer
- Henri-Pierre Pellegrin
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One
- Released
- 7 October 2014
- Genre
- Stealth
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game takes place before the events of Of Orcs and Men. Styx infiltrates the Tower of Akenash, a massive flying fortress held aloft by the magic of the World Tree. He seeks to reach the heart of the World Tree and rescue an imprisoned friend, but suffers from confused memories and a voice in his head. When he liberates his 'friend', he discovers it is a creature identical to himself; the player has been controlling a clone of the real Styx, who was held in an interrogation chamber. The original Styx was once an orc scholar transformed by the tree's magical amber into the first goblin. He has been plagued for centuries by the telepathic chatter of elves sleeping among the World Tree's roots. The clone, furious at being considered a disposable tool, breaks the original's telepathic control, destroys the Heart of the World Tree, and commits suicide by leaping into a pool of amber. Hordes of feral clones emerge and tear the original Styx apart. The tower crashes, and the feral clones disperse, becoming the goblin race. One intelligent goblin with no memories except the name Styx emerges; it is uncertain whether this is the original, the clone, or a new goblin.
Reader's Guide
Styx: Master of Shadows is notable for its emphasis on pure stealth, with combat described as stiff and unwieldy, which forces players to avoid confrontation. The game features arcane abilities including invisibility, amber-vision to detect hidden foes and areas, and a cloning mechanic that allows scouting and creating diversions. Guards adapt dynamically to player actions. RPG mechanics let players gain experience and unlock skills across six talent trees. Reception was mixed, with Metacritic scores ranging from 69 to 71 out of 100. Critics noted that the combat system disincentivizes fighting, while the stealth gameplay delivers a satisfying tension. The game's levels were praised for having more depth than typical stealth environments. A sequel, Styx: Shards of Darkness, was released in 2017, and a third game, Styx: Blades of Greed, was announced in early 2025 and released on 19 February 2026.
Did You Know?
- The game is a prequel to 2012's Of Orcs and Men.
- The player controls a clone of Styx for most of the game, not the original.
- The destruction of the World Tree's heart causes the Tower of Akenash to crash to the ground.
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