Tyranny

Tyranny is a game I am a bit mixed about. Easily one of the better RPGs I have played but has issues with game length. The prologue starts you off as an adjudicator to an evil God, in a world that is in the midst of an iron age revolution, crushing the last region of free religion and society not under your God's rule. With the completion of the divine edict you were given, good has lost. It becomes a choice between order or chaos, which is where you will spend a majority of the game spreading influence. That is not to say you can't try to be good but as you were one of the leaders that crushed the region and surround yourself with others of the same God or those who have been "subjugated", you will be looked at like you grew another head. The game offers the player many choices on how they want to play and what manner, explaining (most of) the options with some few being hidden secrets. The most obvious is the Disfavored (order), a dishonored legion from another region that joined the evil God after defeat vs the Scarlet Chorus (chaos), an army made up of slaves, criminals, and other ne'er do wells. This game is not black and white, but a collage of grays as you see people try their best to survive. Choices you make in game are rewarded/punished and the game has a great many possibilities as to how the story will unfold. Add a new game+ feature and I have played through this game many times. The magic system in this game is one of the best I have ever used in an RPG. You can given different sigils and glyphs to tune and change spells as you want them. I wish more RPGs had a similar spell system. The main issue to me is that the game is fairly short. I have played through it 5-6 times now and am still below 80 hours. It is a shame too, because what is here is great. Part of it is that it was(is?) a Paradox game; 1/3 game released, 2/3s will be DLC, except those 2/3s never came. So you have a story that is decently self contained but didn't live up to what the website was showing for a far greater map nor does it really expand beyond the region you start in. Given its been almost 10 years since this game came out, I am doubtful of a sequel. The game is great if a bit short and knowing that the story will likely never finish. Would absolutely recommend on sale or cheap

This game really made me think about how characters might respond to my choices in dialogue based on their personalities and goals.

I'm not a fan of the 'real time with pause' style, but this is a really good game, and the combat is managed smoothly, despite the mismatch with my preferences. The game definitely shines the brightest in regard to its story, but I also find that the game is incredibly smooth across the board. Gameplay is simple and easy, the story flows smoothly and quickly, and the RP elements of the RPG provide a great deal of diversity immediately, and continue to provide it going forward. It could definitely use more aesthetic options for character creation, but the mechanical and roleplay elements are excellent.

Good: - Writing was pretty good - choices had lots of impact - combat was fun with lots of build variety Bad: - at times it felt like too much reading - some of the voice acting wasnt great (most of it was decent) - most dialogue wasn't voice acted (this isnt necessarily a bad thing to alot of people. Its also very typical of this genre.)

Playing Tyranny all the way through in 2025 is a treat. It has a fun real-time with pause combat system and some truly excellent companion characterisation that keeps you engaged all the way through. While the ending might not quite hold up to the lofty bar set by the rest of the game, it is nevertheless a masterclass in revealing little tidbits of its story and implications without spoonfeeding you the conclusions every step of the way.

Tyranny is an RPG unlike any other I have come across. The Impact of your decisions on the world makes it morbidly replayable as in even creating a character you put yourself on one of dozens of potential combinations to shape the very world-state you play in. While the combat system takes some getting used to and the inventory system is a chore I believe it is well worth it so long as you know of these points going into it. The vast story and lore of this game has carved it's place in my psyche and I will not soon forget the Teirs, the archons, and of course Kyros. If you enjoy the narrative element of rpgs and wish to experience a fresh take on the complexity of morality as a servant of a tyrant I implore you to give this game a chance. 10/10 one of my all time favorite rpgs I've had the great fortune of stumbling across.

Another sadly underrated gem, flawed but a gem nonetheless Games like these fail while shit games gets major successes its honestly saddening

A cool little CRPG with a very neat magic system and interesting story.

A game that thrusts you into thorny choices with sweeping consequences in a fascinating world that grows more relevant by the day. Despite its aged and frustrating combat system and occasional clunkiness, years later this game shines brightly in my mind as one of the unsung greats of CRPGs. Grab it on sale, keep a guide ready for puzzles, turn on godmode, and take your time exploring this labor of love.

It was fine enough, but somewhat boring at times, particularly lacking in the area of companion development. If you like this kind of game, I would direct you towards Pillars of Eternity

I remember playing a long while ago before getting it on Steam. I had completed a full playthrough and I'm happy to play this game again through Steam. It's one of the best CRPGs out there in my opinion. Narratively speaking, it is definitely a breath of fresh air to play from the persective of a conqueror, where choices are not between pure good and pure evil, but about which kind of authoritarianism you are either willing to tolerate or destroy based on your allegiances, past actions and skills. It's sad that funds for the last act were cut. If the last act hadn't been so rushed, this would be a masterpiece.

Though it feels a bit lacking and incomplete towards the end, the good writing and amount of player choice makes this short RPG a fun one to replay a couple times

Very meh. The writing is 5/10, the story is 5/10, the combat is 5/10, the exploration is boring, the inventory management is horrible, the lore is OKAY, but you can tell this game lacks the grittiness a world like the one it is portraying would have. It has Age of Decadence vibes but feels like it was written by a middle schooler. They couldn't come up with better names than Stalwart for a city/fortress? The Disfavored? The world building seemed OKAY at first, but compared to something like the Pillars of Eternity series, this game was really disappointing. I felt almost no connection to any of the characters or events. At times you can tell there is a great game somewhere in there, but there is so much that pulls you out of the world and immersion that it just ruins the whole game. Couldn't finish it, maybe I will, but who knows I might be near the end since others say the game ends abruptly. I recently bought Pillars of Eternity 2 after playing it a bit after it was released way back and that game is what I wish this one was. The choice paths in this game seem impressive but everything else is just boring or disappointing and empty. The skills are also a confusing, boring mess. Overall I give it a 4-6/10, might be lower if I finished the whole thing. The story is just meh. Didn't enjoy my time with it

For a game that prides itself on its choices, you are constrained to being a mindless stooge way too often. Along with overall mediocre gameplay it quickly becomes an unsatisfying experience despite its interesting world and great art.

This is a bad game. they send you on a straight line to help north . Your supposed to help them? they don't even come and it's your two weak party members against five and you die in ten seconds. No extra party members, and no leveling up because this is the only thing you can do. Who makes these games. I cant move along the story line because you set me up in a five against two fight that I die in ten seconds. Game over is this the whole game. You guys suck at making games.

Great game but I kind of felt like it ended a little too soon.

this game got me into CRPGs, its really good, it will make you gay

Smothered a child to death, 10/10 would do again

Very good CRPG, easy to recommend.

B-