Tyranny

Absolute move by Obsidian here with Tyranny. While you're all playing your little fantasy games being the goody-two-shoes hero saving kittens from trees, this game goes "Nah mate, you're basically working for Darth Vader, and you're gonna bloody like it!"
From the start, you're an absolute unit of authority. None of that "oh, you must be the chosen one" rubbish. You walk in, and everyone's like "Oh shit, it's the boss!" And that's because YOU ARE THE BOSS.
The writing? Brilliant. Properly brilliant. Not like those other fantasy games with their "ooh, look at me, I'm an elf who needs to save the world from the big bad dragon." No no no. This is proper grown-up stuff. You can be an absolute monster or just a bit of a prick – your choice!
Now, let me tell you about the combat. It's... fine. It's like a decent pub meal. Nothing fancy, gets the job done. Sometimes your warriors get stuck on doors like they've had too many pints, but what can you do?
And yeah, the maps are small. But you know what? I don't need a massive open world where I spend half my time walking around like a lost tourist in Leicester Square. Get in, make your choices, destroy some lives, get out. Efficient! That's what it is!
The magic system? It's like IKEA for spells. You can build your own! Bit weird, bit different, just like that mate we all have who's really into CrossFit and won't shut up about it.
Listen, the game's got problems. The economy’s more broken than a piñata at a toddler’s birthday party. Some parts feel rushed, like me trying to catch the last tube home. But you know what? It's still bloody brilliant.
The voice acting's top notch – proper actors, not like my cousin Robert who once did a school play. And the companions? There's this one called Verse who's absolutely mental, and Barik who's basically trapped in his armor like me in skinny jeans after Christmas dinner.
Look, I'll tell it to you straight: It’s still a shining gem in the treasure chest of RPGs. Could it be better? Yeah. Could it have more content? Sure. But it's got bigger balls than any other RPG out there. While other games are asking you to pet dogs and help old ladies cross the street, Tyranny's asking if you want to burn down an entire civilization or just subjugate it.
And that's what makes it special, you know? It's like that friend who always says the wrong thing at parties but somehow makes everyone laugh anyway. Absolute masterpiece of "I don't give a f***" gaming.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play another round where I make everyone's lives miserable. Because I can.

It's patently unfinished, and the combat sucks and the inventory management is somehow even worse, but they managed to crash this bad boy. To be bought on sale and played on a lower difficulty, where you can enjoy the incredible story and world without having to engage with its pretty mediocre gameplay systems.

Tyranny does some very interesting things, most of which stem from its core premise: you, the player, begin in a position of significant power, and with that comes respect and authority. This power only grows as the game progresses, which is reflected both narratively and mechanically.
The narrative is, overall, very well done. The world is fascinating, the characters feel realistic and complex, and the way that the player is regarded by other characters reflects their authority at all times.
Notably, it supports a variety of playstyles along the "evil" spectrum, so if you wanted to you could be a raving murdering lunatic, or you could play a more "realistic" evil of seeing the insurmountable might of the Overlord and seeing rebellion against their order as futile and destructive. Without spoiling anything, there are numerous moments that have the player make awful decisions or cause extreme destruction, which can only be accomplished in a setting like Tyranny's - so it's good that the developers made use of that.
That's not to say the narrative is flawless; some parts definitely fall flat where they should have shone, and other parts feel rushed, incomplete, or otherwise in need of more explanation and attention, but these negatives are firmly outweighed by the well-executed instances as well as the setting in general being unique and interesting.
The gameplay and combat are serviceable; the pathfinding is occasionally irritating and you'll end up fighting most combats the same formulaic way, but it does the job. RPG elements (leveling up, perk selection, skill increases etc.) are generally simplistic and weak.
I didn't really use the magic spell creation system (just as a byproduct of party composition), but it'll be attractive if you like combining spell parts to create 'custom' spells.
I feel like only about two skills, maybe three, got used; I can't even name the other ones. Training also trivializes any of your skill increases from other places, which is an issue that's exacerbated by the poor in-game economy and item selection / distribution.
It's a real shame that Paradox owns the IP here, as the disparity between Paradox and Obsidian (in conjunction with the generally niche popularity of Tyranny) means that this IP is unlikely to ever see the light of day again, which is the strongest point of Tyranny. With a different format (ex. turn-based) or a bigger budget and marketing, a sequel to Tyranny could do some absolutely fascinating and unique things.
TL:DR, the narrative, world, and writing are great. Gameplay and combat are serviceable. Skills / skill use, perks, items / economy are weak. Overall worth playing just to see the unique parts of Tyranny's setting.

If there was ever a game that deserved to be brought back from the dead, it's Tyranny. The absolute lack of any marketing killed what may well have been the best Isometric RPG of it's time. The setting is a fun Nobledark world where you are the Higher Authority of a Totalitarian State. What that actually means is left completely in your hands.
The Magic System also deserves special attention as one of very few games that allow you to make some pretty legit combos without either remembering a Fighting Game Button Sequence or making it absolutely suck to use. Sure, the "Optimal" way is still weapons, but casting Chain Icicle Explosion is pretty fun too.
It's a game with a LOT of replayability, that sadly ends at it's absolute peak and is currently in Legal Limbo as the people who own the IP use it like a gold coin in a Dragon's Hoard (that is to say, not at all, and they have no intention of ever making a sequel or selling the IP to the people who would)
Totally worth playing though... and playing a second time, and a third time, and maybe even a fourth!

The most underrated RPG I've played. While the combat is passable, the story and setting make the entire experience worth it. The premise of the world is interesting enough that I would have read this in novel form, but being interactive fiction allowed for some really interesting decisions required by the player. If you like slow narrative based RPGS and can stomach mediocre gameplay, this might be something you'll enjoy. It's a shame we'll never get a sequel.

One of the top five in the genre. Seriously underrated for some reason. The story is top shelf and if you wanna go magic as a primary, it has a fantastic magic system where you build all your spells how you want. A must own really.

Tyranny is a CRPG about power and how power destroys.
Taking place in a dark fantasy setting where Kyros the Overlord has conquered nearly everything, you play as one of Kyros' lieutenants, sent to a far corner of the land to oversee Kyros' conquest and enforce the Overlord's law. Very quickly, you realize that the conquest is led by two dysfunctional armies - the Disfavored, a disciplined and regimented army of prideful elitists; and the Scarlet Chorus, a disorganized mob held together by little more than violence - and your ostensible job of getting things back into shape before Kyros' sorcery slaughters the entire realm is impossible. As you travel the land, awakening ancient relics forbidden by Kyros, *you* become a rising power yourself, and ultimately end up with no choice but to destroy one or both of Kyros' armies.
Tyranny's strength is its storytelling. The game starts with a montage of actions you can have taken during the early years of the conquest, and your choices will influence events once the game properly starts. During the main game you recruit several characters from a variety of backgrounds, each adding their own different viewpoints on Kyros' conquest, as well as your own actions. Depending on what you say and do, you companions can like or fear you, gaining them more abilities and unlocking sidequests that explore each character's personality and past. Each of the game's several factions also has a like-dislike scale, with different storylines available to you depending on who you side with, and against, throughout the game. No matter which storylines you explore, the game's theme of power always runs in the forefront. Each faction is hopelessly, destructively corrupt in its own way, and power is the only solution. Once your character begins playing the game of power as well, you have no choice but to keep taking more and more - make no mistake, you're playing a Bad Guy no matter how noble you think your character is, and a lot of what makes Tyranny worth playing is the exploration of what evil is that comes from how you choose to go about your own conquest. Are you a would-be antihero who tries to be as even-handed as possible? A violent thug who enjoys lording Kyros' laws over the weak? An opportunist who would happily befriend and backstab allies for just a little more power?
As for Tyranny's gameplay, it's...serviceable. You'll learn very quickly that magic snaps the game in two, which fits with the game's allegory of magic as power, but makes it rather dull to play. You can build your own spells out of several components, which is neat, but once you've found the better components certain magic spells just break the game and a party of four well-built mages steamrolls almost everything. The one armor-focused character can't even wear armor unless you do their DLC quest, in case you had any doubts about how Obsidian wants you to play. Combat isn't truly boring, but it is fairly repetitive and not terribly interesting. There are also skills that let you do things out of combat, like opening passages or taking different approaches in conversations - you might be able to lie your way past an enemy, or humiliate an uppity soldier by tripping him in front of his buddies. The most important skill is Lore, used for a lot of information gathering...and is also the skill that lets you use more magic. Not exactly subtle there, game.
Overall Tyranny is a flawed but enjoyable game if you're into dark fantasy and political storytelling. The lows are low and the rough edges stand out, but the game's strong points shine.
Praise be to Kyros.