Tyranny: So the bad guys won, what now?

Tyranny, a game by Obsidian Entertainment, is a tactical RTWP ( Real Time With Pause) RPG that has your character play the role of a Fatebinder - in universe, are powerful individuals who act on behalf of Kyros' Will, the defacto leader and conqueror of the world.

Your influence on the world starts right at the beginning as you are granted adjudicator rights on how the conquest of the last remaining bastion of resistance will play out. These decisions help build the narrative and allows for some backstory and influence with the residents of the newly subjugated land.

The game starts proper, as the complete subjugation of the Tiers is going slower than expected as a rebellion brews and infighting between the two assigned armies grows and threatens the stability of the region. Your character is then sent in to deliver Kyros' Will via an Edict. This quest sets the tone for how powerful a person Kyros is for as it is read it sets in motion a series of events that cannot be undone.

Edicts are the equivalent of superweapons derived of intense magic power made manifest by inciting the will of its creator. 

What is interesting of note however is although Edicts are designed absolute, the truth of it is that it follows a design in interpretation that as long as the conditions for it are met then it will have done its purpose and its conditions will be considered complete.

So as long as the results meet the conditions, then  the methods do not matter. This concept is further reinforced with the two other factions that are responsible with overseeing the Tiers, with a third acting as an adjudicator.

• The Disavowed based on Meritocracy, Order and structure that consists of elistist "pure-blooded" soldiers.

• The Scarlet Chorus is a chaotic rabble that believes in natural selection whose power structure revolves around whomever can survive long enough and is lead by an enigmatic figure that maintains his growing military force through manipulation, forced recruitment and constant infighting to only allow the strongest to rise in rank, despite their attrition rates.

• Tunon the Adjudicator is staunch believer in his belief of Kyros's Law in matters of law and order, where strict, clear and measured adherence to it seen at the correct manner in which to conduct oneself as a Fatebinder.

 

 

There are other smaller factions and even other archons that are spread throughout one's playthrough and by your actions can be natural enemies or allies. The minor factions act like smaller gears helping to flesh out the regions you and your entourage travel through and can be useful in providing context and this adds some replayability when one decides to try something different on repeated attempts as your choices can change from a side who were your hated enemies being a staunch ally in another other.

Something novel is that Kyros' Laws maybe be considered absolute, but Fatebinders are considered enforcers of said Law, therefore as long as it serves Kyros's purpose it can be "interpreted" however one wishes and only by the power of other Fatebinders can one's "interpretation" be put into question.

This open-ended loop hole gives the player carte blanche on how they wish to solve the problems within the confines of the game. There is no wrong or right way to solve problems, only technically, "your" way.

Every decision your Fatebinder makes has the potential be to judged and falls in line with one of the factions' opinion of you, the system encourages one to commit to their role as reaching a "morality" milestone, rewards the player with a passive benefit. This system extends to your companions and there are benefits that extend to both invoking the wrath or favour of a faction.

The combat is is a mix of action and classic RPG with heavy reliance on abilities and spells forming the core of the experience. The magic does feel appropriately powerful (maybe a bit too powerful). it still leaves room for tactics and drawing enemies into positions that are more favourable to you and the game is not shy to leverage numbers to its advantage.

The story of the game has its highs and lows, with the highs coming from the reactiveness to player choice unlocking and locking paths. Multiple playthroughs can feel distinctly different and the locations can change according to your choices through the game.

Some of the companions have stories that are interesting to explore but can require choosing the correct dialogue paths to discover it, which can be frustrating in trying to figure out the balance to get the desired outcome and alongside the the morality of the favour/wrath can clash in consistency. It can be written off as attempting to pull off the nuance of the grim reality, but can come off clumsy at times in providing that level of freedom.

The lows coming from limited enemy variety especially in the game's crypts and tombs and towards the ending parts of the game feeling somewhat rushed as the systems that have been building up to that point doesn't feel as coherent compared to the earlier parts of the game.

Overall I feel that Obsidian made a good game, that has an interesting premise that could have been expanded more in the later parts of the game but as a whole is a solid experience and worthwhile play for those that enjoy CRPGs.

Images sourced: 

IGDB Tyranny

Video Sourced: 

Tyranny Trailer PC Gaming Show