Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Released, Reviews

With the Halloween season almost upon us, those of you in the mood for some authentic Lovecraftian madness should direct your attention to Cultic Games’ Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones. Successfully Kickstarted back in 2016, the game is now available on both Steam and GOG for $29.99 or your regional equivalent, not including the 15% launch week discount. The game promises a mix of rich role-playing and turn-based tactical combat set in the strange worlds of H.P. Lovecraft. Here’s the official launch trailer:

And the game’s description:

In Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, the player journeys from a doomed Arkham into the depths of the Abyss. Create your own character based on 1920’s archetypes and carve a path through a broken and mysterious world.

Your desperate battle against forces beyond comprehension will haunt you until the end. Physical combat will be challenging, spellcasting will have dire consequences, and your sanity will be strained to the breaking point by unknown abominations. Sometimes the best solution will be to flee what lurks beyond the threshold.

Features:

• A hand drawn 2D world reflecting Lovecraft’s themes of cosmic horror and dread.
• Enemies, environments and storylines inspired by Lovecraft’s iconic original works. Take part in quests inspired by your favorite stories and see them play out according to your own decisions and role-playing style.
• Choose from 8 main character Archetypes, each with its own origin backstory and specialties.
• A host of weird companions will accompany you on your ill-starred journey: the lonely, antediluvian ‘Outsider’, a fallen soldier of the Great War reanimated by Herbert West. Recruit these and other outlandish beings to your crew.
• Your character’s Sanity and mental state will influence dialogue options. Mental illness comes with advantages as well as hindrances. Sometimes it pays to be mad in a world gone mad!
• Stygian’s Belief System determines how your characters cope with the warped reality of the new Arkham, as well as the rate at which they regenerate lost Sanity. Belief Systems also offer unique dialogue options, expanding the breadth of role-playing possibilities.
• A new kind of spell system which sometimes takes more than it gives. Being a master of the occult is not as simple as flinging colored missiles from your fingertips. The black magic of Stygian is potent but may cost you your mind, your health, and possibly even much more.
• Strategic, turn-based combat from a 2D perspective, similar to the classic Heroes of Might and Magic games.
• The struggle in Stygian is not to save the world, for that battle is lost already. Pursue your own goals in these end times: salvation, vendetta, or perhaps something darker.

Additionally, you might be interested in some early reviews that all seem to be fairly positive. Have a look:

IndianNoob 8/10:

Stygian: Regin of the Old Ones is hands down one of the best Lovecraftian video game adaptations out there. It’s also a good RPG that’s just short of excellence due to the average combat, relatively short length and somewhat limited exploration. A dark, brooding setting, narrative-driven gameplay, satisfying role-playing options and plenty of choices await those who buy Stygian. If the current price seems a bit too steep, don’t forget to add it to your must-play list and pick it up down the line.

Gaming Trend 95/100:

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a fantastic RPG. The story is interesting, the characters are unique, the quests are varied, and the systems run deep. There are a variety of different ways to play this game and I can’t wait to jump back in and explore some new paths. This is one nightmare I highly recommend.

High Ground Gaming 7.3/10:

Reign of the Old Ones promises deep roleplaying, choice-driven questlines, and a terrific sense of existential dread. I could take the combat or leave it, and a few mechanics could have been fleshed out better, but I still have plenty of reasons to dive back into the half-dead shell of Arkham.