The story takes place in a brutal fantasy world called Tiers. Long ago, a dark godlike creature known as Kyros defeated the armies of mortals, killed their heroes and took control of the entire world as a tyrant. The triumph of evil was absolute and final, so nothing the players do can change it. The main protagonist of the game is someone who takes advantage of the situation. The player takes on the role of an officer in Kyros' army, serving as judge and jury for the common people and ensuring that the tyrant's will goes unchallenged.

But this does not mean that we have to take on the role of a psychopath who takes pleasure in killing innocents. We can provide the obedience that Kyros expects from him and at the same time not be a tyrant. Such character development is also possible. In addition, the high social status of our hero allows even small decisions to greatly influence the state of the world. The player can shape the future of the game world and its thousands of inhabitants.

Tyranny starts with character creation. We choose not only the characteristics of the protagonist, but also the course of the war that ends in the defeat of the forces of good. These decisions will have a huge impact on the state of the kingdom during the campaign, so you can choose things like how big the damage to the world is and what the balance of power between the various organizations looks like at the very beginning.

During the game the player mostly explores the world, completes quests and fights. The combat takes place in real time and includes an active pause. Many companions will join the player during the adventure. The relationships with these companions will influence not only the story of the game, but also the combat. The combo mechanic allows the player to create attack combos involving multiple characters. The better the relationships with the party members, the stronger they will be in battle.

Like any other good RPG, Tyranny offers a character progression system. Skills similar to those found in The Elder Scrolls series are developed by using them in the game. Experience points earned are used to gain new levels, thus increasing the character's base stats. The game offers an average of 30 hours of gameplay with additional packs. In addition, after the game ends, you can transfer your existing save to a new game and start the game from that level.

Tyranny is one of the first CRPGs I have played. The first one I have beaten. I’m not sure if it’s a perfect beginner CRPG though it’s a good start.
One of the main drawing points of the game is that you play for the conquerors here. We are the evil Empire, while the game takes place in the last part of the world that hasn’t been broken and defeated. You are a Fatebinder which the games explain in detail, but for brevity, you go and declare what needs to be done and, in your case, find a way for it to be completed. If you have played a CRPG or know what to expect from the genre, you have a lot of choices on how the game’s story can play out, Tyranny being no exception. Each path you take is different enough to warrant multiple playthroughs. The world and lore are captivating making you feel like there is so much beyond the places you are allowed to go. The story is interesting, albeit the ending sadly leaves on a cliffhanger, and it looks like there won’t be a sequel anytime soon.
The characters and companions that you see through the game range from very interesting to mostly bland. My favorite characters were the Voices of Nerat (an Archon, that has stolen hundreds of souls throughout the centuries, making him just a bit unstable) Lantry, a companion in the game, and Verse. Some of your companions have a quest attached to them, but sadly not all which makes some more interesting than others. The voice acting, when present, also helps the characters a lot, and the banter between them makes conversations fun.
The combat system is decent, but I wouldn’t say it’s fantastic. At the start, it’s challenging making it fun, but when the pathfinding of the characters screws up it can become frustrating very fast. You get combo abilities with your companions, which makes combat a bit more fun although, at around 2/3 of the game, you become a train and smash through every combat encounter. Though I was playing on normal difficulty, so on higher difficulties, this may be different. I didn’t play around with the magic system though it was intriguing, and from what I have read, it can be very broken, so if you like to play mage characters, this will be the game for you.
All in all, I enjoyed Tyranny a lot. Story, world, and lore make the whole place feel alive and fun to explore. The cliffhanger ending is a big letdown, but the story up to that point was great. The combat could have been better. It’s an underappreciated game that hopefully, gets a sequel at some point, though I doubt that.