A fortress built to keep you out
Hi everyone, Cyanide here!
We wanted to kick off our new devblog with a closer look at the opening environment of Styx: Blades of Greed, a place full of danger, secrets, and narrative weight: The Wall. It’s the perfect introduction to Styx’s new journey and the systems at the heart of the game. And...
[STYX INTERRUPTS]
Oh no! No no no! We are NOT starting this with “Hi everyone!” What is this, a tea party?! Step aside, devs. Let a professional handle this!
So, picture this: a rotting mountain of stone and steel, stacked high with paranoid humans, shiny guards, and stuff. They call it The Wall, a towering monument to everything the Empire fears. And surprise, surprise, it's exactly the kind of place they don’t want me crawling around in. Which is exactly why I’m here.
It’s big, it’s dangerous, and it’s full of loot, lies, and overconfident Inquisitors begging to be humiliated. The perfect opening act for a story about infiltration, subversion, and reminding the high and mighty that no one, NO ONE, is out of my reach.
I’ve said enough. I have things to do (not your business). The devs’ll take it from here and talk about all their clever little design choices. Just don’t get too comfy. I’ll be back.
View game pageA symbol of control
From the very beginning, we knew The Wall had to be more than just a backdrop. It needed to be a statement. It looms over the borderlands of the Empire, a brutal monument of concrete, steel, and surveillance, where power is enforced not just by guards and weapons, but by architecture itself.
This place has history. Some players might remember it from Of Orcs and Men, but what you’ll discover in Blades of Greed is a very different beast. Built centuries ago to mark the edge of the Empire and to repel Orc invasions, it has long since become a prison, a military stronghold, and a city in itself, one where privilege and suffering coexist in plain view.
At the top, the nobles live in lavish quarters that mimic the capital. The Inquisition’s headquarters sit in a towering cathedral, both a religious center and a command post. But it’s the Embassy that truly pulls the strings here. More than just a diplomatic outpost, it acts as the political brain of The Wall.
But down below? It’s a different story. The Slums stretch across the lower levels of the fortress, overcrowded with refugees, plague survivors, and the forgotten. The guards down here are either corrupt, indifferent, or overwhelmed, sometimes all three. Gangs rule the streets, and Orc prisoners are forced into brutal labor at a construction site that never stops growing.
A dangerous playground
For Styx, The Wall is both an obstacle and a perfect starting point. He’s not just here to make a mess, he’s here to steal a zeppelin. Not just any zeppelin, mind you: this one belongs to a sky pirate with a sharp tongue and questionable morals… which probably explains why Styx decides to recruit him instead of gutting him.
The zeppelin is Styx’s ticket out, and his first real step in a much bigger hunt. With Körangar already reduced to rubble, traces of Quartz have started surfacing across the continent. Why? You'll see.
From a design perspective, The Wall had to be a vertical, oppressive maze that demanded players master the core gameplay pillars early on. Narrow corridors, echoing stone halls, and sharp contrasts between light and shadow define the interior, while the exterior leans into open, dizzying drops and exposed platforms. Every route feels dangerous. Every shortcut is a risk. Whether you’re squeezing through a vent, scaling a watchtower, or crawling through tunnels teeming with roaches, the environment is working against you at every turn.
But it also rewards cleverness. Each objective within The Wall is built with multiple paths in mind. You can enter through the front with careful timing, drop in from a ledge, climb your way in from the scaffolding, or find hidden entry points through chimneys, or ventilation shafts. We wanted this area to feel alive and reactive, not just something to pass through, but something to puzzle out.
Enemies that don’t mess around
The Wall is also your first real encounter with the Empire’s elite forces, especially the Inquisition, and they’re not here to play fair. Unlike the guards, Styx may have outwitted in the past, these enemies are trained, disciplined, and equipped with tools specifically designed to catch intruders.
Some are heavily armored and can’t be taken out directly unless you dismantle their defenses first. Worst of all are the Inquisition Elite, who can interfere with Styx’s powers, disrupt his powers or even take him down from afar. They fundamentally shift the stealth dynamic, making close encounters a constant gamble.
And because The Wall is structured across multiple vertical layers, the threats aren’t just in front of you, they’re above and below, watching from every angle. The result is a space that feels constantly alive with tension. A place where silence is survival, and one wrong move can cost you everything.
Places worth sneaking into
Throughout your infiltration, you’ll visit some of the most important and atmospheric spaces in the game. The Slums are dense, dangerous, and full of underworld dealings. It's a market packed with useful loot for Styx and even though it’s controlled by gangs, it’s also the birthplace of the resistance. Higher up, the nobles’ district drips with decadence, concealing political secrets… and some of their valuable loot.
Then there are the dungeons, grim, foul-smelling chambers where Orcs and other prisoners are held before being dragged into forced labor. Few make it out. Fewer still are even remembered.
The Inquisition’s cathedral is arguably the most intimidating location inside The Wall. Built as both a place of worship and domination, it serves as the central hub of power for this region. You’ll also visit the Empire Embassy, where political diplomacy masks darker motives, and eventually reach the construction site where the zeppelin is being assembled, a place buzzing with engineers, military personnel, and the constant churn of Quartz energy.
Everything begins here
By the time you exit The Wall, you’ll have a clear sense of what’s at stake, and who you’re up against. The Empire is growing bolder, fueled by Quartz and ambition. Körangar has already fallen. And in the shadows, the Inquisition is preparing something far worse.
But Styx doesn’t run from impossible odds. He slips past them, poisons their water, and vanishes with their secrets.
In our next devblog, we’ll leave behind cold stone and political corruption for something far more primal, the lush, deceptive danger of Turquoise Dawn. It’s wild, it’s unpredictable, and it may not care who wins your little war.
Until then, keep your blade sharp, and your footsteps silent.
– The Cyanide Team
OH COME ON, they’re still talking?!
That’s enough, devs! We get it, bricks, lore, lighting, “narrative cohesion”, blah blah blah. You almost put me to sleep in my own blog... Let’s wrap this up before they start quoting architecture manuals.
But let’s cut to the chase: There’s a fortress full of idiots who think they're in control, a shiny zeppelin I’ve got dibs on, and a whole Empire that’s about to get Styx.
Wishlist Styx: Blades of Greed right now, or I swear I’ll sneak into your desktop, rename all your files “LOSER_01”, and leave roach eggs in your RAM. Try me.
Great. We good? Blog’s over.
Go touch this wishlist button bellow.
View game page...Still here? Touch the wishlist button.
...You didn’t.
I can see you!
Click it before I do something you might regret.
Styx's socials:
X (Twitter) Facebook BlueSky Reddit Discord