Styx: Master of Shadows trailer reveals devilish "attack of the clone"

11

I'll be honest: I like what I've seen so far of Styx: Master of Shadows , but my expectations aren't super-high. Its predecessor, Of Orcs and Men , didn't exactly set the world on fire, and developer Cyanide is probably best known for the Pro Cycling Manager series, a far cry from the stealth-action genre. But even if I'm not particularly optimistic, I do remain hopeful. I mean, how do you not like a goblin who can spawn a gooey clone of himself and use it to turn a chest into a wicked, murderous jack-in-the-box?

Styx's clone-generating ability is dependent upon Amber and will thus be rather limited, since Amber is a rare resource in the game. It's also defenseless in a fight, and it's not particularly stable, either, so once the clone is created, you'll have to move quickly to accomplish your goals. But as a distraction, or just an amusing way to kill people, it looks like a handy skill to have.

And while it wasn't part of the announcement, we also appear to have a proper release date. Cyanide and publisher Focus Home Interactive announced earlier this month that Styx will launch in October , but didn't nail down a specific date. Steam , however, now lists the Styx: Master of Shadows launch date as October 7. Fingers crossed.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.