Tiranny 📽 Through the Lens

And we are back to our RPG roots. 😁 Who can resist them? More specifically we're back with arguably the best, and if not the best then the most consistent, RPG developer - Obsidian.

After the success of Pillars of Eternity the boys were feeling themselves a bit. 😄 Deciding to make another CRPG set in a totally different world with totally different rules. This was gutsy, and you know I like them guts, but they might've bit off more than they can chew. 🤢

That's a pretty questionable might've, since I think they did a bang up job with the product they made. Maybe... the way they made it hurt them a little. 😇

Therefore❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be looking at Obsidian's 'how to be a villain simulator' from 2016: Tiranny, Roll it! 📽

This along with Pillars of Eternity are one of the rare CRPGs that not only I play, but finish. I was nipping at the butt (is that a phrase? meh) after my playthrough of PoE (Pillars, not Path of Exile) for more Obsidian storytelling. 🙌 They obliged with this game coming out soon after. Maybe too soon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYhj6LRoJxo

I enjoyed Tiranny a bunch. The gameplay aspect of the game is def better than Pillars IMHO. And while I think the story is weaker, it can still holds its own against anyone. 💪 // this is code for it's an amazing story but my personal taste prefers Pillars.

And ye, the comparisons with PoE are inevitable. This game's release was in direct response to PoE's success the prior year.

So Obsidian was real happy about PoE's reception. I am sure that development of Tiranny was started before the end of PoE's. I can't confirm that, of course. But the release between the two games was waaaaay too short. 🙂

At any rate they went all Mistborn on us (shout-out to Brandon Sanderson) and decided they were going to FORCE US 😛 to play as the bad guy. And it's glorious!

The conceit alone is great, it's execution is even better.

First of all, we have to talk about the Conquest. After the character creation (which just for reference, is much less vast than PoE's, however Tiranny makes up for this later in-game (we'll talka bout that no worriess guuurrrrllll)) you get to play in the Conquest mode. 😮 You can skip it, or greatly shorten it. But I feel you'll be robbing yourself of one of the game's great features.

This mode is your character's backstory. How you chose to interact here will determine how other major players interact with you in the future. Mainly the two sides of the armies you are "judging."

It's an amazing lead up to the start of the game, introducing you to the main players, the conflict, plot, lore all in one satisfying bite-sized chunk. (it can take you upwards of 20 minutes to finish, but that's still a bite in my books! 📚).

Only natural that we talk about what this all entails:

In Tiranny you play as one of a Fatebinder. Basically a judge/jury/executioner for the grand-overlord, big baddy: Kyros. No, Kyros is a G, and has conquered the entire world - Terratus. All of it, except for a small land called the Tiers. He has made a decree (and Kyros is such a baller that his decrees take effect, like that of a God) that if the Tiers aren't conquered by said date, they will be wiped out by some catastrophic event. 😱

You are the harbinger of these bad news. As an Fatebinder that is your duty, and you perform it in-game in front of the two factions' leaders. What factions? I'm glad you asked!

A rebellion is at foot because of infighting between Kyros's two main forces: the elitem disciplined, and stuck up Disfavored healmed by Graven Ashe, Archon of War; and the chaotic, barbarian and super cool Scarlet Chorus led by the Voices of Nerat, Archon of Secrets.

The Conquest mode will lend you favors or spite from either. And it is your choice which you end up supporting at the end. (You can support neither, but the Scarlet Chorus is def the way to go 😉).

The story has plenty of twist and turns which i won't spoil here for anyone interested in giving this game a shot. Let's just say it's very well made, and its twists come out of nowhere and pack a Tyson-like punch. 🥊

Dialogue and texts are all amazingly written as per usual of Obsidian's work. I don't like that there is a lot lesser voice acting, but that shiz is expensive. 😁 So I understand.

Obsidian added several difficulty options in Tiranny. It's a lot more customizable for the people that complained about PoE's difficulty. // a bunch of wusses if you ask me. 🤷‍♂

So from a CRPG expert's perspective (I am no such expert as I already elaborated in my PoE article, we're talking about hardcore CRPG nerds 🤓 here) Tiranny is a lot more balanced and fair than its predecessor. The combat is much more fluid and tactical.

As an aside, the writing here is also a lot tighter than PoE. I still believe PoE's story is better constructed, and better in general. But Tiranny's narrower focus definitely shows. 💯

As I previously mentioned, the combat in this game rules. 👑 One of the main reasons why is you can create your own spells. 😮

Trust me, it's way more complicated than you think. 😄 Most times, complicated systems in games like this are needless. Not here though. Learning how to create a spell takes time, but once you get the hang of it it's process is satisfying af. You truly feel like an archmage creating your next incantation (unlike SOME games - looking at you Oblivion).

How you achieve this is through items called Sigils. I won't go into detail here because it will be boring for everyone involved. 😁 Suffice to say, the feeling of actually making a powerful spell, then using it in combat and it obliterating your enemies, is special. I would say this feature alone is worth the price of entry.

So what's the problem? Story's the bomb, gameplay is great, visuals are captivating. Why isn't this game a CRPG classic? Well, it is actually, just not a mainstream one. It being in a totally new world also didn't help it. People at the time were already invested in Pillars of Eternity, and that was a hefty read if you know what I mean. Asking your audience to commit to an all new world and setting in such a short time is a tall ask. 😬

For mainstream audiences at least, Tiranny is still one of the best modern CRPG games. The premise and setting alone carry it to heights few titles reach. And I've loaded it up several times over the years. That Conquest mode is always fun.

If you are a fan of this genre and somehow haven't heard of Tiranny yet. (I dunno how that's possible to be honest) then most certainty give it a try. 💪 You'll have to do your own reading though, 😅 as it has a lot less voice acting than Pillars of Eternity.

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

I know I already used this emoji theme for Doom, but it fit, sue me. 😝

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Have a great week everyone! 🙌

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