Tyranny Reviews
It seems the Classic RPG is here to stay
An enthralling world with 'meaningful choices' is surely ahead of you, but for such a short game in this genre, the story stumbles and trips in its consistency and its appeal. On top of that, for a fantasy world, there's not much variety in enemies or creatures, so it can be a bit of a disappointment in that regard.
There’s a frustratingly good idea in Tyranny, but you’ll have to push your way through an unstimulating plot and mediocre combat to find it.
That being said, if you enjoy a well-written book that happens to have a few dungeons and some evenly-leveled combat thrown in every ten minutes or so, you really can’t go wrong with Obsidian’s wordy magnum opus. Just get a good pair of reading glasses first.
Tyranny is in many ways the Hamlet of videogames. By which I mean it is a fascinating exploration of the ways in which human behaviour can descend into evil, featuring a lengthy middle section defined by delay and conversation, before everything suddenly ends in a flurry of violence and a disappointing final exchange. There is much to like about Tyranny, but the game itself doesn’t live up to its narrative strengths.
While not without its faults, Tyranny is an exciting, streamlined RPG experience with an incredibly immersive world and surprisingly deep characters. Between excellent presentation, skill and spellcrafting systems that are tons of fun to tinker with, and a story that will most certainly leave you wanting more, Tyranny stands on its own as another terrific showing by Obsidian.
Tyranny is the game that flips the moral compass of RPG's on its head, you are the bad guy - but how bad will you be? Tyranny is a fantastic isometric RPG from the masters at Obsidian, if only the creases were properly ironed out and they made a decision to go full voice-acting or none at all, this would have been a near perfect 10 across the board - that being said, this is a solid title that deserves your time and is definitely one that I will play again...and again...and again.
Tyranny is most certainly a tale of two halves. The first half is immediately gripping and combat starts off a bit challenging due to the lack of abilities and options. As the game enters its second half, the plot starts to feel rushed and gameplay becomes an issue of "been there, done that." The world and lore built here are worth exploring and I anxiously await another excuse to return to this setting, but at the same time, I really hope it comes with improvements to the AI and combat in general.
Even in a world where a magical Edict by an evil Overlord can engulf an entire region with earthquakes and deadly sandstorms.
A sort of adventure title that delves deep into the mind of an evil tyrant: You.
Tyranny's bad guy morality system is a little on the nose, and other aspects of the game sometimes suffer. But the game's dedication to that conceit works, setting a path of bargaining and self-examination. Even amidst self-doubt, I did summon a volcano and destroy a library — and I’d probably do it again.
Tyranny comes to a screeching, premature halt, but prior to that it spins an absorbing tale with which player actions have long-reaching consequences.
Tyranny has little flaws which prevent it becoming a perfect game but after all, it is a worthy CRPG. Obsidian knows how to make great CRPGs and after Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny is a good example for that. If you’re a CRPG fan or a gamer which likes story-based games and don’t mind reading a lot of dialogs then Tyranny is for you.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Obsidian's new game has reaffirmed that the studio is heading in the right direction and they're just getting better at their craft. They've made an unique, dramatic and addicting game that's definitely worthy of your attention even if you usually don't play RPGs.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Tyranny may have its issues and it may be shorter than other RPGs but it often means that, in the end, it comes together as a greater and more concise experience.
Tyranny is an excellent RPG experience that has many of the hallmarks of great classic role-playing games while still making plenty of smart choices to modernise the experience for today's audience. Refined systems and a story where choices can often have some real consequence made my time with Tyranny rewarding, despite a disappointingly abrupt ending that left me wanting for more.
Tyranny weighs in at significantly fewer hours than Pillars. But a lot of this is replayable in ways that are interesting and thought-provoking. The potential to do some seriously messed-up stuff abounds, and so does the option to play in a subversive and morally-ambiguous way as well. There are few fights that seem 'just for the hell of it', which might drive down the overall number of hours. But you know what? We only have so many hours of gaming time. Wouldn't you rather spend it ruling the world in a fun and interesting way?
In Tyranny, concepts like good and evil only work on first glance. That makes it one of the most interesting RPGs of 2016.
Review in German | Read full review
It has its faults, but its approach to magic and reputation, alongside predominantly good writing make Tyranny a valid choice for cRPG enthusiasts. With all its missteps, I want to go back and replay Tyranny, simply for the sake of making different decisions and seeing what happens if I support the Scarlet Chorus or, why not, nobody. While not flawless, writing outshines combat and, for me, that’s enough to warrant a replay.
From the gorgeous, if tired, brown-infused broken environments of Tiers to the colorful noble classes and shabby peasants, every aspect of Tyranny redefines what it means to be a great cRPG title. Incredibly memorable and haunting overtures play softly in the background as the apocalyptic-ly hostile world swirls around you in a bevy of an ambient aural explosion that is deep enough that you can almost feel the dusty, rust-filled Blade-Grave to the soaring and ancient Spires, every moment in Tyranny is truly a moment to behold. The attention to detail and push for a world that feels both truly alive while simultaneously feeling broken and defeated is marvelous and truly a work of art. It is without a doubt that future generations of gamers will look upon Tyranny with the same grounded, yet awe-inspiring greatness that we currently see when we look back onto Baldur's Gate II.