It may comes as a shock to hear this, but I love horror more than anything. It allows me to step out the ordinary and face things I would never be able to see in real life. I crave the fear. I adore the tension, and I thrive off of never feeling comfortable. Stygian: Outer Gods feels like a true survival horror experience. While the demo I played only showed a fraction of what to expect, it made me fearful of Kingsport and the evil that lurked there. It made me tense as I explored every corner, and I never felt comfortable.
The demo starts with a creepy and unsettling introduction where you’re stuck in your office. Stood at the sink, staring into the mirror, a series of questions appear that set the tone of your upcoming descent into danger. A woman called Victoria then appears telling you your father is still alive in a place known as Kingsport. Jack, the game’s protagonist, decides to head there. Unfortunately, it isn’t smooth sailing. He arrives in the village after a shipwreck and soon discovers things aren’t what they appear to be.
Stygian: Outer Gods leaves you feeling unsafe. A sense of foreboding is present from the moment you step foot on Kingsport. You find a knife lodged in a man’s throat within moments of arriving, and this is what I had to work with. While combat is available, it’s much easier to avoid it. Fighting a rabid dog was more difficult than I anticipated, making me want to avoid fighting anything at all costs. There are other ways to get around combat, and I cannot stress how important it is to not attempt getting into a knife fight with an evil pooch.
Your stamina bar is pretty useless as it takes only a few swings of the blade and a couple of blocks to be rendered useless. Without perfect timing of your attacks and protecting yourself at the exact moment, death will come knocking far too quickly. If this is the way it’s going to be in the full release of Stygian: Outer Gods, there’s a likelihood players will fall off fast. Thankfully, by exploring and using your brain, there are ways to get around certain situations. Stacking crates was an option, and I’m glad I decided to try it out.
Stygian: Outer Gods includes skill cards that offer certain buffs to your character. You’re allowed to pick one at first, and I’m excited to see how stacking them up helps improve gameplay. Exploration is a big focus, as is the traditional puzzle-solving seen in titles like Resident Evil. That sense of dread is a constant. Not knowing what is around the corner keeps you on edge. Facing an enemy for the first time drains all hope and confidence from you. It’s looking good so far, and as long as the combat gets fixed, we’ve got something good on our hands.
I loved the look of Kingsport. It’s atmosphere is created by the dreary scenery of run-down cabins and misty air. The beings you encounter are also weird as hell. It’s claustrophobic despite being rather open, choking on the thick air and being deafened by the silence. The horror elements are more about what you don’t see as well as how it makes you feel as you wandering around, and it’s something I really appreciated. The story has potential, and I’m excited to see what Misterial Games does when it releases.
There’s plenty of promise with Stygian: Outer Gods. The horror doesn’t rely on huge jump scares and gore, but rather the cerebral – the things you think you see. Kingsport isn’t a welcoming place and the things you find want you dead. While the puzzles seen in the demo weren’t overly challenging, you’re given freedom to explore and find the answers in your own way. With a story that interests you from the get-go and some great visuals, the demo gives a great idea of what to expect.
Stygian: Outer Gods is coming soon to PC via Steam.
