Tyranny breaks the RPG trope of casting you as the plucky young hero, but explictly begins with you as the villian, part of a conquering empire imposing its will in the manner that gives the game its title; your decisions all live within that framework. Many role playing games attempt to offer a moral choice or claim that your decisions impact the world, but often those promises turn out to be disappointing, where dialog choices seem to be one of: "I'm as pure as the driven snow", "I'm snarky and don't care about anything", or "I eat live kittens for breakfast muhahaha!"

This game, in contrast, is one of the few I've played where your choices were not as clear cut, where decisions were rarely simple. Every decision will change how characters and factions view you, with your choices moving them towards loyalty or fear, favor or wrath. You are often forced to choose between the lesser of two unappealing options; there's no black and white in Tyranny, only various shades of grey. The dialog choices felt natural, with all choices being realistic options. And as in life, seemingly small things you do or say can have large impacts later on.

Of course, the game still has a script, and your choices fit into Tyranny's narrative; you may be the protagonist in the story, but you are also a servent of Kyros, constantly subject to the will and manipulations of the Overlord. As a result, the structure is well justified in the narrative, and this may be the most clever part of the consistently good writing. The game has an excellent story to tell, and ultimately your decisions color a larger, well-constructed narrative that I found quite engaging. My desire to know more about the place and its people after I finished the game is a testement to the worldbuilding the developers accomplished.

Combat was serviceable, but despite the wealth of stats, damage types, etc. it wasn't terribly challenging tactically. I did enjoy the spell creation system, and overall thought the mechanics of the game were well done. The art and music were both excellent throughout, each helping you get into the setting.

I enjoyed my time as a Fatebinder, exploring the mysteries of the Tiers, learning its history and helping shape its future. I recommend Tyranny to anyone that enjoys story-heavy western RPGs, especially fans of the Baldur's Gate series or Planescape: Torment.