Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Improvements Roadmap and RPG Codex Review

The release version of Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, Cultic Games’ crowdfunded Lovecraftian RPG, was plagued with some unfortunate bugs and questionable design decisions. The developers are currently working on resolving those issues, and in the meantime, they bring us this Steam announcement that outlines the upcoming fixes. Check it out:

Greetings Brethren!

The stars are right once again and we indeed have some good news for you!

We wanted to update you on the state of fixes and improvements planned for the Stygian. As you know we have been collecting all the feedback coming from you and would like to share the road map that has been drawn in the light of your feedback.

Here is a list of fixes and improvements that we will work on in the following period:

• The fixing of an array of critical bugs that you’ve been reporting since launch
• A new save system with the save anywhere and Character Profile function so the player would be able to switch between different characters
• A tutorial system which would show the player the ropes on the first encounters with each of the more complex systems of the game such as combat, rest activities, hunger etc.
• A chance to hit indicator that would show the players how likely they can hit their designated targets
• The disabling of companion skills except combat and crafting related ones
• The disabling of the combat loot system that creates movement difficulties for the players Various tweaks on the balancing of the game

We will test the systems and fixes internally before releasing the patches so unless something very pressing happens, the patches will start coming out at the beginning of next month.

We will contact all our players whose requests would have been met with the new versions and notify them about the progress.

We are planning to have another and a more extended fix period following this one. You will be updated.

Thanks a lot for all your feedback and comments brethren.

This morbid story is far from over.

Team Cultic

Then, you might also be interested in this detailed RPG Codex review of the game:

When it comes to setting, Stygian makes the same mistake games like Neverwinter Nights, Bloodlines, and Shadowrun Returns did by cramming in as many references as it possibly can, turning it into a Lovecraft theme park. Cthulhu, Randolph Carter, The Outsider, one of Herbert West’s reanimated zombies, Pickman’s models, the Terrible Old Man and the Strange High House in the Mist, the Dreamlands, the Witch House, the Mi-Go, the Elder Things, they’re all here. I would prefer a more focused story that relies less on direct references, though I recognize the temptation is high to put in everything you can on your first and perhaps only attempt at an adaptation.

It’s not all bad. The writing isn’t brilliant or deep, but it is superficially entertaining and well-paced, which is a low bar many other modern traditional RPGs have been unable to reach. You won’t get plagued by walls of exposition and prose descriptions during dialogue here. There are a few typos and English-as-a-Second-Language mishaps here and there. If your character goes insane, sometimes your dialogue options are replaced with Malkavian-esque lines which can be funny but are occasionally too childish. Sometimes non-player characters react specifically to the different line; other times their reaction remains unchanged. There are a good number of other “false” flavor options that lead to the same dialogue node, which is a shame.

Quest design isn’t anything too ambitious: you find plot coupons, investigate a murder, infiltrate a cult, and engage in other Lovecraftian activities. How you’re able to carry out these tasks is determined by your character’s skills; you’ll be locked out of certain interactions if you don’t have the right build for it, but there’s always a way through. There can be quite a bit of combat, but most of your time is spent walking and interacting with people and objects. As I wrote earlier, Stygian reminds me a lot of the first few hubs in Bloodlines; there’s quite a bit of freedom in terms of supported character concepts and playstyles, but the story is on rails with only cosmetic narrative reactivity, no significant branches.

While the journal does give directions, it doesn’t hold your hand; there’s no quest compass here, so there were times where I felt lost as to what to do next, though I wasn’t actually lost since exploring the world and following a thread on any active quest would continue the plot. It’s a good feeling rarely found these days.