Tyranny

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!

Edit: Just finished Tyranny with 100% achievements. 4 playthroughs. A fantastic exploration into what evil is. Highly recommended. Just buy it.
Review update after a second playthrough: Absolutely amazing. Great replayability. What an underrated CRGP. Brilliantly written and developed so each of the 4 paths use the same settings but are completely differently woven. My original review still stands but the drawbacks are pretty minor. A must play.
TL:DR A great setting, story and characters let down by uneven act pacing and a lack of open world adventure. Still highly recommended at full price, and given its age, you’ll likely be able to get it at a deep discount during one of the sales. A pity there likely won’t be a sequel even though the story opens the door to it.
Some review poetry for those who like things that rhyme:
In the land of the Tiers
Where this story unfolds,
You play a fatebinder
Out for conquest and gold
A world rich in detail,
and captivating lore.
A setting like no other
Right to its core
From combat and dialogue
and character development too
This game is had elements
Which are almost perfect through
But not all is great
Uneven pacing and lack of freedom
An opportunity lost
To develop this kingdom
But despite these drawbacks
I can still highly recommend
That you give it a try
For its character and story blend
The longer version:
Tyranny sat in my unplayed Steam stash for years before I got to it. It was definitely worth a playthrough and I am tempted for a second go. This is one game where your choices really do influence the game and I can see a few potential endings and in-game paths. Tyranny sacrifices open world exploration for a tight story but I do feel they could have combined both for a more expansive world. It feels a little on rails with very few actual side quests.
The pacing was also strange. The game is broken down into 3 acts which were each completely different lengths. It was more like an intro, the main bit and a culmination/epilogue. While I was expecting a chunky act 3, it was short it kind of petered out. The story is left at a point where it is evident that they wanted to make a second game but I doubt that will happen, given that it wasn’t such a big commercial success. It’s somewhat of a travesty it’s clear that someone put a lot of love and serious care into the setting, the writing and the characters. Whomever you are, you're an unsung genius.

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.

i cant rightly say tyranny is a bad game, just a massive disappointment.
combat is godawful and exploration is almost nonexistent, so where does that leave us for rpg stuff?
with a story that starts strong and then takes a loooong nap before roaring back to life at the end. problem is, all the awesome shit happening in the last parts of the game hasnt been set up properly by the boring (side)quest railroad for dullards that is the middle. the climax would have been incredible had it been earned by preceding events.
mind you, this is still an obsidian game and even at its worse, the writing is leagues better than most of the trash out there. thats why it hurts me so much to say that they dropped the ball after an incredible first act
.....
and yet, im planning on doing at least one more playthrough to try another route (i hear tell theres four) and get to know a different set of companions (i used three of the six). apparently theres a new game+ option that should help me out slogging through the midgame
i guess i got my moneys worth out of this frustratingly uneven game, so... thumbs up after all?