2019’s Stygian: Reign of the Old Gods was a promising CRPG that featured some neat madness mechanics and a tone and atmosphere that perfectly suited its Lovecraftian influences.
It did, however, suffer from some difficulty spikes and a few terrible bugs that have never been fixed. I was therefore surprised to see another game in the series appear, especially given that it comes from a completely different developer and takes on an entirely new gameplay style and perspective.
The old-school top down approach has been replaced in Stygian: Outer Gods by a first-person view that provides a more immersive and, dare I say, modern experience.My time with the demo – which will be available as part of Steam Next Fest from Monday 24th February – began with a mysterious vision in a strange otherworldly environment before reverting to the familiar setting of an office stacked with esoteric items.
This is textbook Lovecraft and reminded me of the likes of Call of Cthulhu and The Sinking City. Similar to those titles you soon find yourself stranded in a coastal town with a mystery to solve and dangers to overcome.Before you set out on your investigation, however, you can customise your character by interacting with the mirror in your bathroom.
A series of questions are posed and your answers affect various character stats, from your occult knowledge to your lockpicking skills.