Styx: Shards of Darkness

I died and the character in the game told me in the cutscene: "You are ugly and You will never get laid."
super realistic game 10/10

It's good. I think I liked Master of Shadows better, for a couple reasons.

I mean, first off: there are no Shards of Darkness to be found in the whole game? It just... never comes up.

Most importantly, stop trying to be Deadpool. I get being a jokester, even an extremely ironic jokester, but the constant fourth wall breaking just never stops being at odds with how excellent and surprisingly deep the worldbuilding and lore of the series is. I like his intense sarcasm, it fits really well with a character as damaged as Styx is, but knowing he's in a video game and making cracks at the developers is just a bridge too far.

You'll be in the middle of some important story beat - "They're using <THING> to make <THING>?!" - and then you get too close to a Roaby baneling nest and suddenly you're being roasted.

Styx's toolkit this time around is fantastic. Everything I wished I could do in Master of Shadows, you can do here, so from a pure gameplay perspective it's a straight upgrade. His magnet hands are better-tuned this time around, you're definitely more in control, but I wish they'd given him better control in the air cause it's really easy to sail past a ledge or climbing point you weren't quite lined up for and plummet to your death and subsequent mocking.

Styx: Shards of Darkness basically boils down to being a stinking ugly goblin and sneaking around while trying to find a way to get rich, just like in the first game.
In case you don't know, it’s the direct sequel to this game here:
I’ve played the first game before playing this one, and a tl;dr for my opinion would be that it’s just a bigger and better version of the first game, so, with it being a clear improvement, I’m recommending it as well. In case you’re interested in more details about the first game, I also wrote a review for it:
So, yeah, this game basically keeps the core structure of the first game - large sandbox levels, stealth-focused gameplay and movement, and reliance on verticality - but it also expands on nearly every system. Level design is broader and more open than in the first game, with multiple routes, interconnected areas, and fewer narrow chokepoints. It’s basically a bit more open world in nature than the first game was, while still keeping a mostly linear design, which is a hit or miss for some people. I didn’t mind it, the zones are larger, but you can still clearly tell where you’re supposed to go and what you need to do at all times. Movement is smoother though, and you notice that immediately if you’re coming directly from the first game, with more reliable climbing, ledge detection, and jump arcs. They also added a crafting system this time around, which isn’t particularly complex, rather streamlined into a small set of tools, traps, and potions.
Enemy variety was somewhat increased, though AI behaviour remains largely similar: line-of-sight detection, sound awareness, and predictable patrol routes. Combat is still deliberately weak and functions only as a last resort if you can’t hide or escape. The clone mechanic also returns with fewer limitations, and the usual environmental interaction - lever pulls, trap setups, and distraction items - though it tends to work more consistently than in the first game.
As far as the graphics are concerned, the upgrade to Unreal Engine 4 offers much clearer lighting and more readable level geometry, while keeping the exact same style of the original for the most part. Storytelling, cutscene quality, and character animations are all not really the best, but they’re okay. The story has some weird inconsistencies and switch ups, however, that’s not the strong point of the game anyway, so it’s whatever. There are many typos and grammar errors though, which isn’t anything terrible, but one would think that at least checking such things before release for polish is something you wouldn’t want to miss, still, w/e.
Talents and challenges return as well - nothing much changed really - you earn points to spend on talents on a talent tree and the challenges are speedrunning the levels, not killing anyone in the levels, and getting all collectibles. You can play this game in co-op too, where another player can take on the role of a permanent clone, however, any form of direct combat and duelling gets completely disabled in that case. I played it solo so I can’t say too much about the co-op side of the game. The game’s a good experience, especially if you like stealth games, and I liked it just like the fist game, so I recommend this one too!
Also, if you end up liking this, the third game and sequel to this is coming out later this year:

Perhaps you are already have a perfect life, a peaceful life.
Then you feels bored, and want to play as a low life thief.
Not just a normal thief but also an ugly puny one goblin, Yes you are him. You play as him.
Then this is a perfect game for you.

Great game if you like a stealth/thief challenge. Humor is ok but gets old quick. Sometimes the mechanics can be a pain, especially when you're spotted and have to fight. I find parrying a bit tricky, but I'm old. But overall it's a pretty cute stealthy goblin killer game.

Like the first game but better. You can ledge grab easily now, and you can move around corner when you ledge grab now. I really love this dark fantasy setting they have created, the elves looking so scary and ugly is really refreshing. And the level design continues to be amazing, offering multiple approaches to every objective, and the levels are just really pretty and interesting to explore. The game is definitely shorter than the first, for although there are more chapters in this game, the chapters consist of only one or two parts, whereas before they were three or four. And although the guards are smarter, the game overall seems easier than the first. Regardless, this game was consistently excellent and I can't think of a single bad thing to say about it.

Its a stealth game, really good stealth game and the next part is coming this year of 2025
you can also first play master of shadows which is also good just that graphics is a bit worse but except that the levels are also crafted well