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Tyranny

Tyranny is an exercise in depicting humanity’s worst facets, and it does so in a nuanced, interesting way while being an engaging and accessible CRPG.
Tyranny Game Cover
82%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, stability
86% User Score Based on 8,187 reviews
Critic Score 78%Based on 28 reviews

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Tyranny Game Cover

About

Tyranny is a single player open world role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and was released on November 10, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Experience a story-driven RPG where your choices mean all the difference in the world.

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Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
Tyranny screenshot
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86%
Audience ScoreBased on 8,187 reviews
story2.3k positive mentions
grinding149 negative mentions
  • Unique and compelling narrative where evil has already triumphed; players act as an enforcer for a tyrant with morally complex decisions.
  • Strong writing, rich world-building, and meaningful choices that affect the story, factions, and companions with high replayability through multiple paths and endings.
  • Innovative mechanics such as a deep customizable spellcrafting system and faction loyalty/fear systems that shape gameplay and interactions.
  • Combat system is clunky, repetitive, and frustrating due to AI issues, slow-paced real-time with pause mechanics, and occasional difficulty spikes.
  • The game is relatively short for a CRPG and ends abruptly with an underdeveloped final act, leaving many story threads unresolved and sequel unlikely.
  • User interface and bugs negatively impact experience, including inventory management issues, pathfinding problems, and occasional game-breaking quest bugs.
  • story
    6,165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Tyranny features a unique and compelling story where the player acts as the enforcer of an evil overlord, offering a fresh perspective distinct from typical hero-driven RPGs. The narrative is rich, well-written, and highly replayable with multiple branching paths and impactful choices that significantly alter the world and story outcomes. However, the game is relatively short, with a rushed and somewhat incomplete ending, and some players note issues with quest bugs and limited companion development, which slightly diminish the overall storytelling experience.

    • “The game's greatest strength is its core premise, which abandons a simple good-versus-evil system in favor of complex moral choices that have far-reaching and meaningful consequences on the story and the world around you.”
    • “Tyranny is a masterclass in storytelling and choice-driven RPGs. With its rich, branching storylines and morally complex scenarios, Tyranny offers a deep, immersive experience where you truly feel the weight of your decisions.”
    • “The story is brilliantly written, the magic system allows you to tweak your spells, and your choices genuinely feel like they change the world.”
    • “Since there is basically zero chance of a sequel happening now, you are left with a story that feels like a prologue to a game that doesn't exist.”
    • “It turns out that making certain choices in a certain quest just leads you to a state where your main story quest is impossible to complete, and the only way to continue is to load an old save before you made those choices (and if you don't have one you're just screwed).”
    • “The story and setting, at first glance, are bold and daring, offering something more unique than one might expect, playing for the bad guy and within this concept is half of what sets it apart from much of the usual fantasy fare out there. However, as the game progresses, the story becomes more linear and rushed, ending abruptly and leaving many threads unresolved.”
  • gameplay
    1,586 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Tyranny offers solid, classic isometric RPG gameplay reminiscent of Pillars of Eternity and Baldur's Gate, featuring real-time-with-pause combat and a classless, skill-based character progression system. Its standout mechanics include a deep, innovative spell-crafting system, impactful faction reputation dynamics (favor/wrath and loyalty/fear), and meaningful choices that affect narrative and gameplay. However, some find combat repetitive, clunky, or unbalanced, with a sometimes steep learning curve and occasional mechanical roughness, but overall the gameplay effectively supports the game's rich story and world.

    • “The gameplay mechanics of Tyranny blend classic RPG elements with modern innovations, creating a strategic and thoughtful combat system that demands careful planning and adaptation.”
    • “The spell crafting system is probably my favorite game mechanic in Tyranny, which allows you to custom build spells to your liking.”
    • “The loyalty and fear meters are a fresh mechanic, where you get different synergies and passives from your party members depending on their loyalty and fear of you.”
    • “Literally just a long-ass book with a terrible tone of lore from the first seconds and rare episodes of combat with terrible mechanics.”
    • “I am generally just not into the real-time-with-pause combat mechanics as it feels like it makes zero sense, awkward and unclear what to do while the fight happens.”
    • “Very slow story progression and combat is janky, overall boring gameplay for me.”
  • graphics
    634 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Tyranny features a distinctive, hand-painted art style with a bronze/iron age aesthetic that effectively complements its dark, atmospheric setting. While the graphics are generally solid and visually appealing for an isometric CRPG, some find them dated or limited compared to modern standards, though cutscenes and spell effects receive particular praise. Overall, the game's unique and cohesive art direction enhances immersion despite modest technical fidelity and limited character customization options.

    • “Beautiful artstyle and such a cool and unique setting.”
    • “Visually, Tyranny opts for a gritty and atmospheric art style that complements its dark themes.”
    • “The game's art style is distinctive, with detailed character designs, environmental backdrops, and spell effects that contribute to the game's immersive world.”
    • “The visuals, although a bit dated, are decent enough not to detract from the experience but by no means a selling point.”
    • “The art style and voice acting are sub par and are easily the weakest points in the game, and if I have to hear my character say their inventory is full one more time I will lose my mind.”
    • “Using weird 3D models in dialogue looks pretty ugly and I would have rather had portrait artwork.”
  • replayability
    605 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers exceptionally high replayability driven by multiple branching story paths, impactful player choices, and distinct faction alliances that significantly alter quests, storylines, and game outcomes. Its relatively short main campaign encourages multiple playthroughs to explore different perspectives, endings, and character builds, further enhanced by a new game plus mode and permanent unlocks. While some find certain repetitive elements or a lack of a conclusive ending limiting, the overwhelming consensus is that the breadth of meaningful decisions and diverse narratives make it one of the most replayable CRPGs available.

    • “Unlockable items, equipment, and stat points that you permanently acquire just by beating the game can be carried over into the next playthrough, heavily improving replayability and incentivizing exploration.”
    • “Every single decision you make in this game carries weight, from losing loyalty from your companions to shifting the entire world in massive ways and causing huge shifts in the major plot line. There is also a new game+ mode which allows you the flexibility to change everything about your playthrough, but still gives you fair and adequate rewards for the previous one. Along with personal quests for each character that have their own place within the story changing based on every choice that you make, it is one of the top games in regard to choices mattering.”
    • “The strongest aspect of Tyranny is the replay value, having plenty of choices (both minor and major) to change the way the game unfolds. The many choices you make in this game seem to have significant differences, enhancing replayability. It offers four distinct faction campaigns to play through (Disfavored, Scarlet Chorus, Rebels, and Anarchist), making each playthrough unique and encouraging multiple runs.”
    • “Also, I don't know what drugs other people are on or how poor a selection of games they've been through, but the replayability here is quite poor imo; it's all just a tedious grind to get a slightly different outcome doing more or less the same thing over and over again.”
    • “Unfortunately one of the selling points of this game was it being "replayable"; in my honest opinion it isn't all that replayable if you only have 4 true endings.”
    • “For replay value, some of the factions are very, very hard to align with, and you can make choices that don't align with each other in a way that's recognized by the game, which can be very disappointing.”
  • music
    390 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting, atmospheric, and fitting orchestral soundtrack, effectively enhancing the dark, brooding tone and immersion. Composed chiefly by Justin Bell, the score is seen as one of the standout elements, with many appreciating its cinematic quality and emotional depth. However, some critiques note occasional repetitiveness, limited variety, and sparse use during dialogues, yet overall the soundtrack significantly enriches the game's narrative and worldbuilding.

    • “The game’s soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and perfectly complements the game’s dark and brooding atmosphere.”
    • “The music is a major high point too: it's composed like an actual soundtrack, with music ranging from combat music reminiscent of Baldur's Gate 2 to droning atmospheric tracks similar to Cryo Chamber releases.”
    • “The soundtrack by Justin Bell is outstanding and the in-game dialogue/sound effects never let it down.”
    • “Music was OK but repetitive, especially the combat music, same track over and over.”
    • “There is only 1 music track for all battles and the repetition is becoming very annoying.”
    • “Music: 6/10 - I wish this wasn't the score I have to give it in the end but unfortunately, whilst the game has notable good music at spots, it also has music that can feel very droning and tiresome to hear over and over again, making it average.”
  • grinding
    152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in this game is widely viewed as tedious and repetitive, with combat often described as slow, clunky, and uninspired due to poor AI and micromanagement demands. While the story and decision-making are praised, many find the frequent battles, dungeon crawls, and equipment management to become monotonous and detract from overall enjoyment. Although some appreciate limited grinding compared to similar RPGs, the combat-related grind remains a significant letdown for many players.

    • “It's not tedious; you can do combos with your companions, which is a nice feature.”
    • “Its combat system isn't tedious.”
    • “No grinding.”
    • “Even grinding activity and dialogue become purposeless and circular here; you get to have the same tree of dialogue with multiple characters over and over and it still doesn't change the possible options of what to do next!”
    • “In the end what we get are ridiculously short runs filled with super grindy encounters.”
    • “The world development and much of the writing is top tier crpg greatness, but the combat mechanics and magic-favoring level up development are a grindy mess and pale in comparison to other crpgs except for the neat spell creation system.”
  • atmosphere
    125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, gritty, and immersive design, enhanced by a haunting soundtrack and well-crafted worldbuilding that perfectly complements its morally complex and brooding narrative. While some note minor flaws like occasional excessive roleplay text or repetitive ambient sounds, the overall atmospheric experience is considered a standout feature, deeply engaging players and enriching the storytelling. This unique, mature, and emotionally resonant atmosphere sets the game apart in the CRPG genre.

    • “With its strong narrative, well-crafted characters, and atmospheric design, Tyranny is a must-play for fans of deep, choice-driven RPGs who don't mind embracing the darker side of fantasy storytelling.”
    • “Probably has the best worldbuilding I've ever seen in a game, paired with an amazing soundtrack and a distinct, beautiful art style, both of which help shape the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The atmosphere, the story, the characters, the influence you have on the world and its people and oh god, the stellar soundtrack.”
    • “Almost all dialog in the game has lines such as 'we have no problem binder' followed by roleplay-type descriptions like *she tosses her blade in the air, catching it with a smile*. This second part is completely unnecessary, doesn't add immersion or atmosphere, just wastes time and elongates the dialog by 30% to 50%. For example, reading *the guard places her hand by her belt, gripping the hilt of her sword* adds nothing since you already know guards are alert and do their job.”
    • “Gameplay is still pretty average and buggy, a bit too easy, and the atmosphere didn't really make a mark on me (maps too small, dungeons were terrible, etc.).”
    • “Almost everything is, in my opinion, worse. The atmosphere is worse; there are female soldiers everywhere due to 'modern feels'; combat is simplified garbage compared to Pillars of Eternity and much easier, with no need to micromanage anything except your main character.”
  • stability
    97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from numerous bugs, glitches, and stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and problematic AI/pathfinding that hinder gameplay and quest progression. While some players report relatively stable experiences, many highlight unfinished content and buggy DLCs, making the game feel incomplete and frustrating at times. Overall, stability is a significant concern, with persistent issues negatively impacting the enjoyment despite the strong story and setting.

    • “Rock-solid, bug-free experience.”
    • “Good story, replayable and bug-free.”
    • “No bugs, no glitches, no crashes.”
    • “I really tried hard to like this game but the bugs that have been present since release in 2016 and the unfinished state of the entire game and story are unacceptable, even for a publisher like Paradox that is known for rushing and releasing incomplete games and then pumping out buggy incomplete DLC that's overpriced.”
    • “- the game is still (even such a long time after launch) very buggy, some quests can literally be unfinishable if you do things in the wrong order (and the only way to know is to read a walkthrough or try a bunch of times).”
    • “This game is a horrible, buggy, broken mess and Obsidian should feel ashamed.”
  • character development
    84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its rich lore, compelling party dynamics, and impactful player choices, offering meaningful narrative and character growth. However, some reviews note inconsistencies, limited progression for certain companions, and a streamlined or sometimes simplistic skill system that may not satisfy players seeking deep mechanical complexity. Overall, the character development is considered engaging and a strong point, though it could benefit from further depth and consistency to match top-tier RPG standards.

    • “Its complex narrative, rich character development, and strategic combat combine to offer a deeply satisfying experience for fans of the genre.”
    • “The character development and party dynamics are well-executed, with a diverse cast of companions, each with their own beliefs, motivations, and backgrounds.”
    • “The game's deep storytelling, morally grey decisions, and intricate character development immerse players in a rich and compelling narrative.”
    • “There is almost no character development that I could see.”
    • “The loot, the character development all feels inferior/less balanced to other such games (Baldur's Gate, Planescape).”
    • “Poor character development (for companions and yourself).”
  • humor
    80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is generally well-received, characterized by dark, irreverent, and sometimes crude dialogue that balances comedic and impactful moments. Companions and character interactions provide much of the humor through witty banter, sarcastic remarks, and amusing scenarios, offering laugh-out-loud moments amid the serious, dystopian setting. While some find the humor occasionally uneven or overshadowed by bugs and gameplay issues, it remains a highlight that enhances replayability and engagement.

    • “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 writing is particularly good, as the game manages the difficult feat of using profanity well and often humorously, while also occasionally being surprisingly impactful as well.”
    • “I'll say it again, the writing is great, very funny at times - especially the well-developed interactions with and between your companions - and very gripping at other times, clearly the writers at Obsidian know what they're doing.”
  • emotional
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game elicits a strong range of emotions, with standout voice acting and music enhancing key moments and immersion. Many players felt emotionally invested in difficult choices, moral dilemmas, and character arcs, often likening their experience to classic RPGs with meaningful narrative impact. However, some found the story and characters emotionally flat or artificial, leading to a disconnect that diminished engagement for them. Overall, the emotional depth is praised but can vary widely based on player connection to the characters and plot.

    • “Voice acting is generally strong, bringing emotional weight to key moments and helping to breathe life into the complex cast of characters.”
    • “The voice acting and the music really immersed me within the world and made me feel for the characters.”
    • “While deciding in quests and dialogs - I was scared for my opinion and my life, I was in many dilemmas, and finally, I laughed, I cried, I felt relief and anger, so great, that in one time I actually cried of relief.”
    • “Super over bloated and boring storytelling.”
    • “You should read a good book, play a game book or something like Baldur's Gate, but I recommend skipping this one unless you really love boring stories told while staring at a table, with no real ending and missing immersion from the core.”
    • “Unoriginal and really boring story.”
  • optimization
    69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization receives mixed feedback, with many users reporting poor performance, including inconsistent frame rates, long loading times, and occasional CPU issues, even on high-end PCs. However, some players experience smooth gameplay without major issues, suggesting optimization varies by system and game area. Overall, while the game runs well for some, it suffers from noticeable performance problems that detract from the experience for others.

    • “This is one of the better optimized games that has released this year.”
    • “No issues here with load time or performance, it runs like a dream and plays like it, too.”
    • “About the performance, a common fear these days, the game just runs fine, without any fps drops, no crashes, there's no bugs... so everything is ok.”
    • “I've played this in the past when it first launched, and I forgot why I quit back then, but I think I remember now - it was probably the poorly optimized code that turns it into a slideshow (notably in combat).”
    • “I like the game, but I am giving it a thumbs down because the game is poorly optimized where the loading screens are so slow that I could not get past 27 hours of play without wanting to tear my hair out.”
    • “So, in my initial review, I said this game was unplayable - it had some major optimization problems that caused my CPU to overheat and shut down before the game could really even get going.”
  • monetization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Monetization in the game has been widely criticized for misleading advertising and overpriced, bug-ridden DLCs that offer little content. Many users feel the game failed to deliver on promised player choice, perceiving it as a potential cash grab rather than a genuine experience. Additionally, some express frustration over perceived political agendas and intrusive sponsorships impacting the game's authenticity.

    • “They then released a couple of horrible cash grab DLCs riddled with bugs, broken, and very little content for a very high price (just look at their reviews/ratings).”
    • “Instead, I feel like I was conned by the advertisements and big reviewers.”
    • “I hope this wasn't a quick cash grab due to the previous successes, but it felt like the developers either ran out of ideas or were just trying to make money fast.”
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78%Critics’ scoreBased on 28 critic reviews
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25h Median play time
28h Average play time
20h Main story
51h Completionist
12-40h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 86 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Tyranny is a open world role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes.

Tyranny is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, Linux and others.

The main story can be completed in around 20 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 51 hours to finish. On average players spend around 28 hours playing Tyranny.

Tyranny was released on November 10, 2016.

Tyranny was developed by Obsidian Entertainment.

Tyranny has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Tyranny is a single player game.

Similar games include Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Expeditions: Viking, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Pathfinder: Kingmaker — Enhanced Plus Edition and others.