Styx Xbox One/PS4/PC Sequel Announced With Bigger Budget, New Engine

Last year's stealth game Styx: Master of Shadows is getting a sequel for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game, Styx: Shards of Darkness, is in development at Cyanide Studios and is published by Focus Home Interactive. That's the same developer and publisher behind the 2014 game, which GameSpot scored a 5/10.

For Shards of Darkness, Cyanide is pledging "more ambition" and "bigger ideas," made possible in part by the game's bigger budget compared to the original. In addition, Shards of Darkness runs on a new engine, Unreal Engine 4. Its predecessor was developed using the Unreal Engine 3.

Among other things, players can expect new enemies, environments, and mechanics, including grappling, rope-climbing, and using a knife as a zip-wire.

The game's first screenshot (above) shows a "more nimble, more refined" Styx green goblin. In terms of story, Cyanide said Shards of Darkness will "delve deeper into a more complex narrative and fully realized world." The game is set at least partially in a place called Körangar.

"Following the fall of Akenash tower, an extraordinary matter has forced Styx out of hiding to infiltrate Körangar, the city of the Dark Elves," reads a line from the game's story description. "Supposedly impregnable, a diplomatic summit offers Styx a chance at slipping in unnoticed, as he learns that the event is nothing but a mere facade... Moreover, the Elves have joined forces with the Dwarves, and the only thing both races have in common is a mutual hatred of the Goblins..."

Shards of Darkness has been in development for more than six months. It is due to launch across PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2016, though a specific release date has not been announced.

If you're looking to pick up the first Styx game on PC, now is a good time, as Master of Shadows is discounted by 66 percent to $10.19 right now on Steam.