Stygian is a game that understands - truly understands - the cosmic themes involved in a well-told Lovecraftian tale. Your character is doomed, whether they are aware of it or not. You are at liberty to fight against the hopelessness, but the universe of the Mythos is dark, cold, and alien. Nothing is concerned with the meaning of human life except the deluded or aggressively defiantamong humans themselves. Your story here might have a fair share of arguably heroic moments - depending, of course, on how you choose to overcome your challenges - but it is not the story of a hero. It is the story of an individual who is grasping for understanding where there might be none. Your missions revolve around unravelling the dreadful tangle of mysteries and tragedies all around you, including your own. You are not here to kill Cthulhu - you are here to survive, maybe, with as much of your mind intact as you can manage. Or - to hell with it, why hold on to old ways when the world is mad now, too? Yes - giving in is an option. I have sought a game in this Mythos, crafted this way, for years. This is the closest any game maker has ever come. If you are looking for a game with a conclusion, look elsewhere. If you are looking for that empty, empty sea of grasping existential fear - you have found it. Put your money here and pray to the Old Ones that more game makers will learn just what a gem this is and start up work on more of the same. This is my first review, and might be my last. I have watched Stygian struggle, and I wish it didn't have to. I hope my humble review inspires another. Well done, Stygian. Truly, well done.
