Greetings, peons! We have excellent news from Kyros the Overlord about the world of Tyranny: The filthy heroes of this world have fallen. For those of you not familiar with the evil-centric game, here’s 5 reasons you should jump in line and prepare yourself to play right now.
1. Obsidian Is Your RPG Savior
The developer that managed to make an excellent South Park video game has earned the attention and respect of gamers everywhere. Obsidian has had a strong track record in the last decade or so, turning out hits such as Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and their expansive RPG hit Pillars of Eternity.
All of this lends to a truth of life: When Obsidian makes an RPG, you’d best pay attention and prepare for a comprehensive, engaging experience.
2. Evil Is the New Good
All too often, RPGs are willing to stop progressing once the great evil is banished and the heroes are slapping each other on the backs for a job well done. Tyranny is chucking those sanctimonious do-gooders out the window and creating a world where evil not only won the battle, but the war.
RPGs usually don’t bother themselves with developing worlds that are recovering from devastation, let alone giving players access to a world where the bad guy is now in charge and running the show. There are chances aplenty to circumvent standard role-playing tropes, and Tyranny looks to invert how players look at what good and evil means in a war-torn realm.
3. Choices Matter – Unlike Tortured Peasants
While choice isn’t anything new in RPGs, Tyranny is looking to make the player’s choice have consequences that shake the landscape. Playing as a Fatebinder in the Overlord’s army, you command forces and sway the politics of the land whichever way you see fit.
Whether you want to stay loyal to the Overlord, inspire people to an uprising, or just scare the crap out of the general populous, all choices lay at your feet for the taking.
4. Tactical Real-Time Combat Returns to PC
Tyranny features a tactical combat engine with a focus on party mechanics, all wrapped in a modern-presentation. RPGs of this sort are in short supply these days, with the last one of note being Obsidian’s previous title, Pillars of Eternity.
Anyone looking to min-max their statistics to the nth degree will feel right at home, but a Fallout-esque talents system made up of six unique skill trees will provide a massive amount of character customization.
5. A Rich, Lore-Filled World… Ready to Be Crushed
The world of Tyranny is a broken mess, but that doesn’t mean the environments and cities under Kyros’ control aren’t interesting. Obsidian has created a rich backstory and history for each location, which includes in-depth background information such as the life expectancy and literacy rates of the world’s cities.
The world-building involved invokes memories of Planescape: Torment, another dark and grimy title that managed to create a rich tapestry of history for its cities and characters.
Ready to dive in? Tyranny is available on Steam right now for PC, Mac, and Linux users.
Visit the Tyranny Wiki on Gamepedia for more information on the world and game systems.