Tyranny

For some reason, Tyranny was pretty much unnoticed when it came out which is a shame because it is one of the finest and most innovative rpgs I played in recent memory.
Being known as the game in which you are the bad guy, Tyranny's premise is not only refreshing in a genre full of cliches and generic plotlines but is also way more nuanced than many give it credit for being. You play as a Fatebinder, a role best described as Judge Dredd working for Sauron but that doesnt immediately make you a mustache twirling villain. You can actually play as a fairly decent and morally upstanding guy (at least for a world that's pretty short on morals) and even end up on a more generic chosen one path..or you can be an absolute d***head, devoid of any morals and in it only for bloodshed. The choice is yours and your choice will shape the world around you but you will also suffer the consequences because Tyranny handles choice and consequence exceptionally well. Tyranny is also a more compact experience built for replayability instead of providing a hundred hours long journey. It is still quite decent in lenght but quite short when compared to most other crpgs. The shorter lenght works in the game's favor however because there are truly a lot of ways to experience Tyranny and I doubt any two playthroughs will end up feeling same.
Obsidian once again delivers excellent writing and worldbuilding. The lore is fascinating, story is unique and characters are well developed and relatable despite the lack of clear good guys. Everyone in Tyranny is morally grey and even the big bad guy, whose presence is felt througout the game, isn't a generic one dimensional villain.
I must also mention the character creator which had me on board immediately. Everything from class choice to backstory plays a role in the main narrative to some extent (mostly for skill/speech checks) but the best part comes with conquest, a multiple stage choice driven mode that builds not only your character's backstory but also sets the state of the world you are about to play in. It is an absolutely genious feature of the game and should be used in all roleplaying games as far as I'm concerned.
Tyranny uses classic real time with pause combat system which admitedly I was never a huge fan of. However, combat did grow on me thanks to some pretty great features. First, the game has pretty cool magic system due to it's fantastic spell creation feature. Second, the combo abilities between you and your companions which are unlocked by their growing loyalty to you. And finally, a faction reputation system which not only plays a huge role storywise but also unlocks new abilities for you to use depending on your standing with various factions.
Now, it's clear I absolutely love this game and it is definitely one of the best rpgs I played. It does, however, have some big problems. It's weakest aspect is in my opinion enemy variety which is almost nonexistent. While it does make sense narratively, fighting the samey dudes in different colored armor does become unexciting. The game's more fantastical enemies don't fare any better since they are pretty generic with zero variety as well.
Another issue that isn't a guarantee is the possibility of quests bugging out, which is no surprise due to the huge amount of different choices the game handles. I, personally, haven't run into anything game breaking and thanks to the game not being too long and it's generous autosave system it isn't that big of a deal.
While game handles choice and consequence quite well for the most part, some inconsistencies did start to show up during the final act of the game. There seemed to be a lack of certain options during the last few quests which kinda took me into a direction I wasn't necessarily taking up to that point. It's unclear to me if this is by design or a genuine mistake by the devs. It can lead to final act, and by extension the entire game, feeling a bit unfinished. I still think everything was more or less wraped up nicely, thankfully.
And that is Tyranny..an overlooked gem and an absolute top quality rpg that way more fans of the genre should immediately play. Sadly, due to Paradox owning the game and Obsidian now being under Microsoft, it's pretty clear we will probably never see a sequel or another entry in this phenomenal world.

I don't understand how Pillars of Eternity got 2 games and several DLCs but no one even mentions this game. Story is amazing, lore is amazing, even the magic system on its own should make this game GOTY.
Finished the game twice and I'm sure I will probably play it several more times. This game is definitely in my Top 3 RPGs of all time 10/10

Where is our sequel???

This... game... is... criminally... underrated.

Tyranny is an action-packed role-playing game that truly immerses players in a dark and intriguing world. As someone who loves RPGs, I was immediately drawn to this game, and it did not disappoint.
The story takes place in a world where evil has already won, and the player takes on the role of a Fatebinder, a powerful enforcer of the Overlord's law. From the very beginning, players are thrust into a morally ambiguous world where choices have consequences, and no decision is truly black or white. The game's rich lore and complex characters kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the game.
One of the things I appreciated most about Tyranny was the depth of the world-building. The game's developers, Obsidian Entertainment, did an incredible job of creating a believable and compelling world that felt alive and immersive. The attention to detail in the game's environments and the writing of the characters made the experience feel real.
The combat in Tyranny is another highlight of the game. The game's real-time-with-pause combat system is similar to that of other RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Pillars of Eternity, but it's streamlined and intuitive. The combat is challenging but fair, and it rewards players who take the time to strategize and plan out their attacks.
While I haven't played it myself for a long time, I'm toying with the idea of finishing it in the near future. The game's replayability is high, thanks to the multiple branching paths and decisions that can be made. It's exciting to think about how different the game could be on a subsequent playthrough, depending on the choices made.
In conclusion, Tyranny is an exceptional RPG that is not to be missed. From the captivating story to the immersive world and complex characters, there's so much to love about this game. If you're a fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to give Tyranny a try.
I would be happy if you follow our AWG Curator

Good game. If you look for classical yet solid rpg - this is your game. Works flawlessly on Linux.

Oh how I wish we could get a Tyranny 2 in a modern cRPG engine like Pathfinder WotR... one of the best cRPGs out there for those of us who wish to play an evil path that isn't (necessarily) just murder hobo, where your choices can actually lead to extreme consequences and where you can actually gain meaningful power.