14 DAY TRIAL // 
There's been a surge of Cthulhu-themed games in the last year or so, but those who love the Cthulhu Mythos should expect even more titles soon. It all started with Call of Cthulhu, a game developed by Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive in October 2018. In the meantime, we've played The Sinking City a few months ago and a very funny adventure game, Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure, which I can't recommend enough.
Well, it looks like Cthulhu is back and this time the Elder God is tackling a different genre, the cRPG. Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a classic RPG that successfully raised (and surpassed) its Kickstarter goal of €55.000 back in 2016.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is an indie game with a very small budget, but that's only obvious when it comes to one aspect of the game: combat. The rest of the pieces fit perfectly in what appears to be one of the best games that involve the writings of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
The eerie atmosphere that one would expect from a Lovecraftian adventure is there from the opening sequence and throughout the end of the journey. I absolutely love the hand-drawn 2D art style that perfectly matches the cosmic horror universe built by H.P. Lovecraft. The totally weird NPCs and quirky dialogues help with the setting as well, but it wouldn't be enough without the storyline and side quests, which are spot on.
You start by choosing your character's archetype from 8 possible options ranging from Academic to Investigator to Occultist, each class having its benefits. You can also choose a specific background that will come with advantages and disadvantages, but if go with the basic on you won't have any of those.
Then, you must choose a Belief System, an important task that will influence the way your character copes with the warped reality of a maddening world. Many unique dialogue options will pop up in the game depending on what Belief System you chose, which will help you recover some of your lost sanity.
The city of Arkham is trapped between two plains of existence and its inhabitants have been affected in different, but most of the time gruesome, ways. The horrors of the city will affect the protagonist's sanity, which you can replenish through quests, unique dialogue options, and resting.
Moreover, in a world where the whole value system has been turned upside down, drugs are the best way to recover your sanity. By the way, everything in Stygian is paid or bought with cigarettes, the only currency that matters in a city that's been cut out from the world and now exists on a different plane.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is quite brutal when it comes to combat. Even with a full team, which means two companions and one bodyguard, every fight is frustrating. You'll be swarmed by enemies every battle and the spell system that developers are so proud of is of no help. Combat is turn-based on a hex grid where each character has a single pool of action points, which can be used to move or attack.
My first few battles were pretty horrendous and not because I was facing the horrors of Arkham, but because 75% of my attacks were missing their target. Not to mention that enemies do triple the damage that your characters can shell out on their best outcome. There are not a lot of strategic options about two-thirds of the game, which makes combat even more frustrating. There's also a Retreat option that opens up after you did a certain amount of damage. It automatically ends the fight and lets you continue exploring the map, but it will add mental instability to your character, which is quite bad.
There's also a bare bone crafting system in the game, but you need to invest in the tools that will allow you to make potions and other stuff. Also, your character must be prolific in certain abilities to be able to craft something.
The Good
- Faithful to Cthulhu Mythos
- Compelling story
- Deep skill tree, interesting archetypes, and Belief System
- Great writing, eerie atmosphere
- Unique hand-drawn art style
The Bad
- Flawed combat system
- Sub-par spell system
Conclusion
There's enough enemy variety, many interesting little stories built as side quests, and the atmosphere oozes with bleakness, exactly what a game about the Elder Gods should be. If not for the unappealing turn-based combat, Stygian could have been the best Cthulhu game to date. Although if I think about it, it's clearly better than everything I've played that involves the Cthulhu Mythos.
Even though it lacks the presentation of a high-budget game, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is one enjoyable nightmare that I can't recommend enough to cRPG fans. Bristling with mythos creatures, beautifully-drawn environments, and great Lovecraftian inspiration, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a fantastic RPG that no fan of the cosmic horror should skip.
