Styx: Shards of Darkness announced for 2016 launch

Styx: Master of Shadows has spawned a sequel. Huh - how do goblins reproduce, exactly? I should probably turn safe search on before I Google that.

Publisher Focus Home Interactive said Master of Shadows was received positively enough to justify Cyanide Studios having another go-round with centuries-old goblin assassin Styx - this time with an expanded budget.

Shards of Darkness is about six months into development and is being built on Unreal 4. It boasts "a nimble, more refined Styx" as well as "a more complex narrative and fully realized world". The screenshot above shows all this off, apparently, and was taken in the Körangar mission area. Here's Focus's blurb:

Following the fall of Akenash tower, an extraordinary matter has forced Styx out of hiding to infiltrate Körangar, the city of the Dark Elves. Supposedly impregnable, a diplomatic summit offers Styx a chance at slipping in unnoticed, as he learns that the event is nothing but a mere facade. Moreover, the Elves have joined forces with the Dwarves, and the only thing both races have in common is a mutual hatred of the Goblins.

Embark upon a stealthy adventure with new enemies, new environments, and a plethora of new mechanics aimed at refining the abilities and movement of Styx; grappling around corners, climbing ropes, and using his trusty knife as a zip-wire. Shards of Darkness aims to offer unparalleled freedom of movement, along with refined stealth and assassination mechanics, expanding and improving on the strengths of Styx: Master of Shadows.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One next year. Personally I'm looking forward to inevitable spin off Stonz: May Break My Bones. Master of Shadows is on sale on Steam at the moment, by the way.