Tyranny - Gold Edition

This game checks off all the usual squad RPG mechanics just fine. What I want to emphasize is how it goes beyond the standard expectations. The plot of the game is rather similar to its contemporary in the genre(pillars of creation for example): there are deeper mysteries and patterns at work in the world upon which the narrow lives of the characters play out. While interesting, what really stuck with me(so much so that I replayed it twice more) was't the plot, but how the characters acted within the plot, how the game portrayed the nature of evil, the nature of power, and the nature of rules. Without giving any spoilers, you are put into impossible situations where you are certain to fail. And yet, all the while you are being abused, deceived, and controlled, there is a near flawlessly crafted justification for it. The antagonists have built a world that conceals the contradictions in their actions. How you choose to interact with it, whether it be to rebel, to participate, or to dominate, is fun to explore not least of all because it lets you see how perception shapes our justifications for how things are. Belief itself is the essence of tyranny. Without it, tyranny would simply be the sum total of all the individual acts of violence, no more acceptable than any random crime. We wouldn't layer any narratives over it in our minds, making it into something more. That perception, that belief, makes the game more than just a straightforward fetch quest simulator. There is always the concern for the interests of others. There is always lingering doubt. There is a void of unknown will. It stops being just a computer game with NPCs and it starts becoming alive in your head. This is a top tier RPG but what makes it a classic is the life it breathes into the characters to deliver its message.

Disclaimer: I played this on Steam. I enjoyed this game. The world & factions are really interesting. You're the bad guy which is also an interesting perspectve to play from. It was a rough start because of the Conquest mode at the beginning, I felt like I was making very important decisions about the world without knowing much about it. After about an hour or two, once I was more acquainted with the game and its lore I'd considered restarting. The companions are fun and interact with each other during conversations, which is great and that much more immersive. However, when I got really into the game, we finally discover more about the universe, about the Old Walls, it's getting really good and.. it ends. I finished the game convinced that I was barely half-way through. It was getting really good, the choices were bigger and then it all suddenly stops. -SPOILERS- In the second act, you become much more powerful than you started, you're taking on the big guys and reconquering the Tiers. Now Kyros is sending their army to crush you and you end up with a choice: cast an Edict (essentially a curse) on the Northlands where the army is coming from, or claim your alliegence to Kyros and... That's it. The end. I chose to cast an edict, and Kyros uncharacteristically backs off, the end. That is not a good ending, I need to know more about what is happening, why my character became this powerful, who Kyros is, maybe even conquer the Northlands next? -END SPOILERS- This really felt unfinished to me, the missing pieces would have needed to be in game-size DLCs or a sequel, but it looks like this'll never happen as the game apparently didn't sell very well. It's unfortunate, the game is great, the stories it has to tell are great, and I'm just left begging for more. In conclusion, I do recommend this game, the game mechanics and lore are really great, but if you don't have a big imagination to fill in the gaps you're left with at the end, you may feel unsatisfied.

There are many kinds of RPG games. This game belongs to the classical RPG family. In other words, it is basic to put importance on the depth and arrangement of the story, and solve it with proper production effects and the fun of battle. I think you are most dissatisfied with the short story, but you will be satisfied if you slowly play it like watching a novel or a short drama. If you focus on the lines of the characters and read them one by one, you will understand how epic the story is. Classical RPG games are works like reference books that show how to enjoy them. Of course, it falls short of a few games recognized as masterpieces, but shouldn't we be grateful that we can also see enough sweet games called "Tyranny" in the kind of games that are slowly forgotten? I'm worried about how many more classic RPG games I'll be able to meet in the future, but this kind of game deserves a little more recognition.

Tyranny retains, but modernizes, all defining features of Baldur's Gate. A short playtime of roughly 20-35h, and because it succeeds at almost everything it wants to do, makes it a good first CRPG to play in this subgenre. The combat mechanics are solid, with all the stats you'd expect, and the spell system is unique, complex, very thematic, but also accessible. The classless, talent-based system offers great progression, with every companion having their own talent tree. The game has a reputation for being buggy, but most of it comes from misunderstanding the design choices (whether good or bad). While you'll visit most game areas, the order, their state, and available options will differ significantly based on your past decisions. Tyranny does not shy from locking possibilities behind choices made during character generation, let alone made alliances, and a single wrong dialogue choice may silently prevent you from obtaining a quest or a reward. An inaccessible room will make you think you missed something, not knowing you'll find the key only later, and only if you make a certain, seemingly unrelated choice. A character won't speak to you, because you have worked for his rival. This is not how games are designed today, but it makes sense if you want to provide a highly roleplayable and replayable experience. The game is promoted as 'playing the evil minion' and lauded for its story. In my opinion, both are wrong. The lands were rife with petty wars before the conquest, and while the generals of the overlord are guilty of genocide, so are the rulers of all major powers in *our* world, and you may try to forge a path of least damage, truly wanting to save the Tiers within the new order. The worldbuilding is excellent, but the story is only what you make it, bringing as little, or as much character development as you decide to roleplay. Will you rebel, will you strike your own path, or will you commit more and more heinous acts because they seem most natural?

I am sorely disappointed in this game. The potential it has in its setting, writing and branching paths is fantastic. There is depth of characters, true choices, a unique world which pulls you in and manages to stand out amongst its cRPG-peers from the get-go. And it is unfortunately marred by an absolutely awful combat system. I am at this point 70 hours into the game in various playthroughs. Combat is a significant part of the game, and I find I don't enjoy it, at all. I dread having to deal with combat, despite looking forward to every new social encounter and choice. Instead of spells/abilities being on a rest basis, they are on a cooldown system. But to counteract becoming overpowered, every ability is tuned down to a minor effect, or a slightly higher damage than basic weapon attacks. Because of this combat abilities feel insignificant, but are still necessary to survive. This makes every combat encounter a drawn out struggle simply due to tediousness. I have on more than one occasion been down to one party-member, and one enemy hacking away for 5 minutes. Neither could kill the other because both are generally able to heal ad infinitum, but because of this cannot do effective enough damage or control the situation sufficiently to put a conclusion to it, despite being significant damage dealers otherwise. Yes, the game is short. The combat makes it too long. I applaud Obsidian for making a game that goes horizontal and branches out wide for every possibility you can imagine, and for daring to create a believable world with this kind of setting. But I will not spend so much extra time clicking away needlessly while my enemy does the same to no result. Naturally, there is the question of whether it's my own ability or understanding that is lacking. But ability has no bearing on tediousness. I am able, just not willing. This could have been an easy 5 stars, if they had just stuck to PoE combat.