Tyranny

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.

A party-based game with in-depth dialog and immersive strategy game play. Graphics fit the game well and mechanics are fun to adventure with. One of the best games of this genre I have ever played...big thumbs up!

Original, compelling, and conceptually different in so many awesome ways. Frees you from some of the more tropey "Save the world / You're the chosen one / The power of friendship and love overcomes all" stuff in RPGs. If you like playing RPGs that truly allow you to be your own character rather than railroading you toward 4 or 5 versions of the same character, this is it. Obsidian, PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER GAME SET IN THIS UNIVERSE!!!!!

After around 35 hours, I can confidently say Tyranny is one of the most unique CRPGs I’ve ever played. Instead of the usual "you’re the chosen one, now go save the world" narrative, you play as a Fatebinder—essentially a magical lawyer—in service of an empire that’s already conquered most of the known world. You’re not here to stop evil. You are the evil. Or at least, you're working for it. And that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.
Ever wanted to pit two allied factions against each other just to make your own position more secure? You can totally do that.
Want to torch a massive ancient library with the scholars still inside? The game hands you the matches.
Feel like tossing a smug NPC off a cliff and turning them into red paste? You can, and if you're feeling extra efficient, you can even strap a letter to their body for your allies to pick up down below.
What about infanticide? Would you kill a baby so that order may be instilled in the land? because Yes, the game even gives you the option to kill a baby for the sake of “law and order.”
The writing is easily the best part. The world is dark, politically messy, and full of genuinely great characters. And your choices actually matter. I don’t mean just a few different dialogues. I mean entire quests, zones, and even companions can change depending on what you do. It’s the kind of game that makes you want to start a second playthrough right away to see how else things could play out.
There’s also a reputation system. You build loyalty and fear with your companions, and favor or wrath with factions. These affect not just how people talk to you, but also unlock special dialogue options, interactions, and even abilities.
But one of the most unique things in the game is the magic system. You don’t just learn preset spells. Instead, you collect sigils (like fire, illusion, lightning, etc.) and expressions (like AoE, single target, chain). Then you mix and match to build your own spells.
Want a lightning spell that jumps between enemies, causes bleeding, and lowers their lightning resistance? Done.
A fireball that also freezes people? Weird, but yes.
You're only limited by your Lore stat, and it’s honestly one of the most fun systems I’ve seen in an RPG.
That said, Tyranny isn't without its flaws.
The ending is kind of a let down. After all the great writing and build-up, the last act feels super rushed. Plot threads just get tied up in minutes, and instead of a real finale, you get a basic slideshow wrap-up which I’d be fine with but even those feel more like placeholder slides. Not terrible, but definitely underwhelming.
The combat is okay. It’s real-time with pause, and it works, but it gets repetitive pretty quickly. The build variety is kind of limited, so once you settle into your strategy, fights start to feel samey. and enemy variety isn’t great either—you’ll fight the same few types of enemies over and over, with only minor variations. After a while, battles start to blend together. It’s definitely not the game’s strong point.
And lastly, it’s a bit short. I played pretty thoroughly and still hit the end credits at 35 hours. It felt like the story was just ramping up when it suddenly stopped.
Still, even with those flaws, Tyranny is absolutely worth playing—especially if you love story-driven RPGs and want something different from the usual hero’s journey. The whole “servant of a tyrant” setup is pleasantly refreshing, and the game really lets you lean into being a clever manipulator, a brutal enforcer, or a defiant rebel. Your choices matter, and the world reacts to them.
Highly recommended if you’re into CRPGs and looking for something a little darker and more original.

I just completed my first playthrough and I have to say that this is one of the most amazingly written RPGs I have ever played. The premise alone is unique but the pacing and overall execution bring it to life properly, creating an unforgettable experience.

Word of warning, this one's a little grittier than quite a few other fantasy RPGs. This is a war story, a war story well told, and war stories can be pretty rattling. Still, it balances the grim and the dark well against other elements and masterfully avoids the pitfalls of preachiness, cheap edginess or shallow fanfic angst. It doesn't sacrifice storytelling in the name of good taste, nor does it pile on putrid shock value unnecessarily. I found the occasional humor woven into the storytelling very enjoyable, a little dark and irreverent but never completely lapsing into crude for the sake of crude.

The voice acting is solid and in conjunction with writing, it made the companions and certain other characters quite memorable. And no, I'm sorry, you can't f... uh, romance your companions. That said, I never found myself missing the option and if anything,... it's somewhat refreshing in 2025.

The visuals, although a bit dated, are decent enough not to detract from the experience but by no means a selling point. Still, I did very much appreciate the art style in the cutscenes. It does a good job of solidifying the game's unique character.

I enjoyed the combat and the spellcrafting system - real time tactical combat with pauses is something that I fondly remember from other, slightly older games. If you're a turn-based tactical or action RPG player, it might take a tiny bit of getting used to but the learning curve isn't too steep.

Tyranny is absolutely worth a playthrough or three (and you bet I'll do at least two more).

Tyranny is a game I am a bit mixed about. Easily one of the better RPGs I have played but has issues with game length.
The prologue starts you off as an adjudicator to an evil God, in a world that is in the midst of an iron age revolution, crushing the last region of free religion and society not under your God's rule. With the completion of the divine edict you were given, good has lost. It becomes a choice between order or chaos, which is where you will spend a majority of the game spreading influence. That is not to say you can't try to be good but as you were one of the leaders that crushed the region and surround yourself with others of the same God or those who have been "subjugated", you will be looked at like you grew another head.
The game offers the player many choices on how they want to play and what manner, explaining (most of) the options with some few being hidden secrets. The most obvious is the Disfavored (order), a dishonored legion from another region that joined the evil God after defeat vs the Scarlet Chorus (chaos), an army made up of slaves, criminals, and other ne'er do wells. This game is not black and white, but a collage of grays as you see people try their best to survive. Choices you make in game are rewarded/punished and the game has a great many possibilities as to how the story will unfold. Add a new game+ feature and I have played through this game many times.
The magic system in this game is one of the best I have ever used in an RPG. You can given different sigils and glyphs to tune and change spells as you want them. I wish more RPGs had a similar spell system.
The main issue to me is that the game is fairly short. I have played through it 5-6 times now and am still below 80 hours. It is a shame too, because what is here is great. Part of it is that it was(is?) a Paradox game; 1/3 game released, 2/3s will be DLC, except those 2/3s never came. So you have a story that is decently self contained but didn't live up to what the website was showing for a far greater map nor does it really expand beyond the region you start in. Given its been almost 10 years since this game came out, I am doubtful of a sequel.
The game is great if a bit short and knowing that the story will likely never finish. Would absolutely recommend on sale or cheap

Conceptually very compelling: basically it’s like “what if Baldur’s Gate 2 / Pillars of Eternity, except you are working for the bad guys from The Black Company (or Bungie’s Myth if you prefer).” I got kind of over it mechanically fairly quickly, but the dialogue trees are pretty well executed and the game has a surprising amount of plot reactivity to user choices. Be aware that the amount of actual game here is basically the first ~60% of what you’d expect and the game kind of ends abruptly. But it’s still worth it for the somewhat novel worldbuilding and unusual commitment to “you are a medium-level bureaucrat in an evil army.”