Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones

I'm going to get a lot of hate for this, but I Really liked this game Everything about it was amazing except maybe the quick ending, though its good enough if there was a sequel coming out. It's just sad it's never going to get a sequel. I like this lovecraftian game more than a lot of others.

This is not going to be a popular review. I really liked the game, despite the rage it gets. The game is graphically beautiful without needing to be too demanding. It has great soundtrack, ambiance, really effective at creating an atmosphere we would expect from a game set in a Lovecratian-like universe. It has some reaplayability value two with it's many character types and achievements to get, although it will get tiring once you know the story already. I loved the mechanics, the side characters, etc. The only real big thing to complain is that the game was never finished, its not even a matter of an open ending. It's straight "waiting eternally for the next chapter" kind of unfinished. Meanwhile, the devs already started working on a new, first-person game, set in the same universe that is currently on early access. It looks as promissing as it's predecessor, however not worth buying in early access as it will probably end up being an unfinished game for a spicy price as the other.

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a Lovecraftian pastiche horror CRPG/”Sanity Loss for tripping over a rock” simulator developed by Cultic Games, a company out of Istanbul who talked about how their “next game” would be a Lovecraftian RPG after seeing a hole in the CRPG genre for the Lovecraftian mythos. Considering a lot of this is coming from their Kickstarter Video, I’m unsure as to what if any previous titles they had developed or if this was misspoken considering I haven’t found much in the way of an actual history on them, but nonetheless they were extremely passionate in the midst of creating this game. According to a Cliqst Interview (or at least a number of questions with responses sent back over mail), the developers were originally working on a board game named “4 Lords” before they seemed to switch gears and focus on a CRPG in the world of Cthulhu, all of which stemmed from developer Can Oral’s obsession with Lovecraft’s work. He had also noticed that most CRPG titles out there tended to focus on certain settings and themes, because not only was a CRPG a “risk” in publisher eyes, but a fantasy based one would be considered the most “financially sound”. With this in mind, they launched the Kickstarter around the same time they launched their first gameplay trailer; with promises of new archetypes alongside the town of Dunwich, The Dreamlands and Spellcrafting, alongside many more companions which include a narcissistic cat from Ulthar. Huge promises and stretch goals aside, they had stated in the Kickstarter that they had gone through with the website in order to stay independent without the restrictions of a publisher breathing down their neck. Overall with their financial goals, they had made 73,000 euros compared to the 50,000 euro goal and had still gotten a publisher, with an ultimate release date of September 2019. I’m going to wait til’ the end to really go into what happened after the release of Stygian, but I wanna talk about how I learned about this game and what led me to feel how I feel about it.
Most of the review:
So the gameplay for the game is a CRPG, which in general involves Isometric travel mixed in with (usually) turn based combat and social mechanics that allow you to progress through a variety of different quests both side and story in many different ways. The first thing that you do is create a character based on one of several different aspects: Gender, Age, Archetype (and Background), Belief System, character portrait and then skill distribution. Gender is obvious and provides no stats whatsoever whilst age can give you a boost in skill points at the cost of certain skills (unless you’re an adult in which case you’re equally balanced). Archetype determines the general skills points you focus on whilst also determining character background (i.e. you choose a Criminal then you focus on certain skills and get bonuses with criminal characters) whilst the background itself gives specific bonuses (i.e. Occult Detective gives +1 Occult skill as well as +50 Angst, that’ll be explained later). The character portrait just gives you a general face, then you get to the skill distribution: your attributes represent your overall effectiveness with your individual skills and they’re all self-explanatory. From there you wake up. I chose to roleplay as a Criminal Gangster character of course and set out to do my thing with a focus on combat and charisma. One thing I will tell you to keep in mind is that sticking with your Belief System is something I would definitely recommend doing, because if you stick with it no matter what you will be provided unique dialogue as well as sanity, which is essential in this Lovecraftian hellscape.
I suppose from here I should explain what Sanity is as a mechanic. As Lovecraft’s stories involve the loss of one’s sanity due to witnessing forces incomprehensible to man, the more horrific things you witness the quicker your sanity falls. Losing all of your sanity provides an instant fail state of course, but lowering it enough for long periods of times will add “Angst” to your character as well as change certain dialogue choices to sound a bit more “psychotic” so to speak. Angst is like an anti-level up, in which you can see too much and get hit with a penalty of your choice though I should mention this doesn’t take away from your actual levels up. At one point late in the game, my character leveled up his angst enough that I chose for him to become a psychopath, which makes you lose sanity for each period of time you avoid combat. Of course in combat situations, characters with lower sanity or angst penalties could suffer terribly in combat depending on the scenario, made worse by the fact that some of the creatures you fight quite literally take off portions of sanity as well. Killing creatures DOES NOT provide you sanity either, which means balancing your sanity with your belief system and a combination of treatment from companions (i.e. Sonia Greene Carter) or substitutes like drugs and alcohol can help you regain your sanity back. The latter of course has a good chance of getting you addicted to these substances, though of course if you were to buy a cure then that can be easily settled. Another reason that sanity is important is that if you’re going to settle with using magic, Sanity IS your magic meter, so you’ll need to keep that high enough to use it against your enemies.
What’s my overall summary on gameplay? Too long; didn’t read version: it has a lot of cool ideas and mechanics that feel straight out of a tabletop roleplaying game, but combat and a crafting system that I’m not really huge into that’s mixed with difficulty spikes and a sense of cramming as much into as little as possible that it feels like there’s stuff missing with it. The good old “the potential is there for a much greater game” schtick, but a game that’s worth giving a shot anyways just to see at least how certain things work. Also managing your sanity can be a bit difficult and annoying to balance, but that’s a part of the experience alongside being potentially poor with money.
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Such a great way to experience a Lovecraftian horror game. I found it a bit hard to get into at first but once I found my stride I really enjoyed the story and art style. Combat is can be a real pain in the ass at times but that's really my only complaint. 8/10 would recommend

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a standout for anyone craving a true Lovecraftian role-playing experience. From the moment you enter its deeply customizable character creator, the game excels at pulling you into its world; your choices genuinely shape how you interact with the horrors around you. The depth of its RP mechanics makes you feel less like you’re playing a character and more like you are the investigator, slowly unraveling alongside the narrative.
The game’s commitment to Lovecraftian authenticity is exceptional. Its atmosphere, writing, and themes capture cosmic dread in a way few games manage, and it confidently stands beside classics like Fallout and Fallout 2 in terms of old-school RPG depth, choice, and consequence.
That said, it isn’t without flaws. Combat can be buggy at times, and the late game takes a strange, occasionally frustrating turn. After you “learn the Duchess’s spell,” you’ll know exactly what I mean. The pacing and structure shift in ways that can feel disorienting. But if you push through that stretch, the game regains its footing and delivers a strong, memorable conclusion.
Overall, Stygian is a deeply immersive experience with well-written and memorable characters. An atmospheric RPG that rewards patience and roleplaying investment, well worth experiencing for fans of classic CRPGs and cosmic horror alike.
The game’s most compelling mechanic may be how it slowly drives the protagonist toward madness as a genuine RPG system, blending narrative and gameplay into one creeping descent. You may find yourself thinking, “If I am mad, it is mercy! May the gods pity the man who in his callousness can remain sane to the hideous end!” - H. P. Lovecraft

Stygian is a neat setup and style, even if it leans too far into horror for my own tastes. The execution maybe isn't all there and I'm told that the game ends with no conclusion because they ran out of money and just stopped making more, so only go into if if you're really intrigued by the concept and you catch it on sale for $4.

This game is not a hidden gem, but it could've been- I enjoyed the game, it has its problems, and probably isn't worth full price, but I wish I could find another game just like this but... more. It's so close. So close.

It does also end abruptly, which is unfortunate, but I can still hope for more.

Long story short; I enjoyed it despite its flaws and don't regret giving the devs my money. If it's on sale definitely check it out, if not- I don't know.