Tyranny- Next Obsidian RPG

[Wrathbone]

I'm assuming you've gone to see Tunon already if you're at Lethian's Crossing? If so, did you...

Spoiler: show

...ask him what's behind his mask? And then keep asking? And when he warns you to stop asking, point out that he didn't answer your question? Then get utterly bollocked and furiously told to leave immediately?

I like Tunon, he seems nice.

[Sly Boots]

No... no I didn't push him quite that far

Incidentally, I read the tool-tip for Sirin, and immediately thought "Nah..."

Seems like the same song system as PoE, which I just didn't really get to grips with at all. Disappointing.

[Sly Boots]

Have to say that I'm genuinely loving this. I've unlocked 3/5 spires if that's any guide to progress.

Such an intriguing world they've created here, and far easier to immerse yourself in than PoE, and combat is much improved too, imo, by both being less prescriptive in what tactics must be employed, and less frequent, so you don't grow tired of it.

And, Wrathbone, if you've not yet turned on gibs in the menu (deselected by default), I heartily recommend doing so. There's something about smooshing mobs with a giant 2h warhammer and seeing them explode is so deliciously moreish...

[Wrathbone]

Had gibs on from the start, got to provide cleaning jobs for the peasants.

I finished the game last night. Without spoilers, the 25 hours I spent playing it were excellent but the ending... wow, the reviews weren't kidding. It's abrupt to say the least. I'd go as far as calling it a storytelling travesty which makes Mass Effect 3's infamous ending seem positively wonderful. Of course what matters is the journey and how much I enjoyed it and I still consider it a very good RPG, but blimey they've produced a stinker of a finale.

Full ending spoilers and brutal deconstruction below:

Spoiler: show

Obsidian have betrayed the principle of Chekhov's Gun: if you introduce a gun in chapter 1, it damn well better be fired by chapter 3. Tyranny introduces Kyros as a demigod, spends the entire game building up this myth around the character, eventually positions you as a possible rival and (in my case at least) ends up sending an army to stop you. This is great, I thought, I'm finally going to have the showdown to end all showdowns, or at the very least a confrontation with Kyros where I can question him/her about what the edicts are, who built the oldwalls, and dozens of other things.

But no. You issue an edict and... that's it. You get a message saying "Kyros sure didn't want to mess with that today! The army's gone home."

What? Are you serious, Tyranny? Are you flipping kidding me? That's like LOTR ending with Sauron discovering Frodo has the ring, calling back his armies and sending a message to Aragorn saying "Sorry guys, this shit's got too real. You can have the ring, I'll just stay in Mordor and be quiet."

I don't understand how this happened. Were Obsidian under extreme time pressures? Did the lead writer suddenly die of a heart attack on the penultimate page, Monty Python-style? It's an abomination of an ending that shames them as storytellers. With a bit more love and care and some resolution of... literally anything, especially your companion's stories (what happened to removing Barik's armour or Sirin's headdress?), it could have been a story rival for Planescape: Torment. It's that good, right up until the point where it fails to follow through.

This needs a special edition urgently.

[Sly Boots]

Won't read the spoilers until I've finished myself (and the game!). Been playing for 21 hours so may not be too far off, although with two spires still to go and whatever finale the game has I daresay I won't be done in 25.

Are you going to replay it mate? Already thinking of going down the casting route next time, but not sure yet whether I'll feel like diving straight back in. Might give it a few weeks before replaying.

[Wrathbone]

I think I will, but not for a while. I'm hoping they take feedback on the ending and do a free redux or special edition to address it, because frankly I'd be amazed if they're content with it. I'm still struggling to think how it's ended up this bad - possibly time pressures?

Again, though, it shouldn't take away much from what is otherwise a top notch RPG.

[Sly Boots]

And finished.

Agree with your thoughts on the ending, Wrathbone. In terms of the overarching story it definitely feels like a sequel is being set up, which unfortunately gives the impression of a game being cut in half. And when that game is 25-30 hours long, it could be argued they could have made it a 40-50 hour RPG and resolved everything satisfactorily and think up some other plotline for a sequel, if there is to be one.

It's the companion stories that it perhaps the most egregious, they set up interesting premises and backstories, and then none of them get resolved. That is a big shame.

Those grievances aside... it is a very good game. I would rate it over Pillars in all honesty, in that I engaged with the story far more, the combat was more interesting, the spell creation system was neat and the loot was better.

It's weird... it's a tighter game rather than a sprawling, epic one... and yet given the solid foundations they set down, it could so easily have been just that, a Torment or Baldur's Gate challenger.

As it is: good, recommended, but not without a few curious issues. 9/10 would oppress again.

[PaladinAl]

I'd like this to have a price drop around Christmas, looks fun and I really enjoyed Pillars of Eternity.

[Wrathbone]

Tyranny expansion announced:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017- ... -announced

No word on when it's out but with any luck it will revise or expand the ending into something worthy of the rest of the game. I'm eager for a replay of this in the next few months and the expansion is the perfect excuse for that.

[Me]

I bought this during the steam sales, it is fucking awesome, but balls to that ending.

Does warrant a reply though as theres loads of scope to change ending. How did everyone else end up?

Spoiler: show

I subjugated Tunon and Ashe, and killed Voices and Bleden. Wanted to subjugate Bleden but I obviously wasn't snarky enough with him. I was actually still trying to work for Kryos right until the end. I had 4 of the 5 spires, didn't get any missions near the one at Lethian's Crossing, so I didn't get the full runic map to activate it. Everyone was loyal to me excapt sirin, she only got to one point. Didn't see many interactions for her during my playthough, which was a bit annoying as I never used Killy but she still had high loyalty.

They need to get a move on with the sequal. Although saying that, this is Paradox and they love adding DLC over the years, they could be planning to expand the game in that direction later on.

Also, the text notes on lore words in the dialogue boxes is the greatest improvement in an RPG in years. No more reading about someone or something and wondering who or what the fuck they're talking about and forgetting to look it up later.

[Wrathbone]

I had a very similar ending.

Spoiler: show

I played from the start with the intention of being pure evil and loyal to Kyros, but about two-thirds of the way in I started to sway. The way it happened as a result of the narrative was compelling and surprising - I found that I couldn't bring myself to do certain things. The key moment was when I had the opportunity to kill a baby (I forget the specifics but I think the baby was an heir who could have caused an upset in the future, but I allowed the mother and baby to escape). Day one Wrathbone would have slaughtered mother, baby and onlookers for good measure in the name of Kyros, but the events leading up to the decision had changed me more than I'd realised. That's the mark of a good story, even if the character development amounts to "homicidal maniac realises murdering babies is bad".

But yeah, the ending is a bag of spanners.

[Me]

Spoiler: show

Baby needed to die for an edict. The edict said the lord of the blade grove must die to end the storms, however after you kill the guy it turns out Ashe's daughter had a baby with the guys son, so now the baby needs to die to end the edict as its now the heir. I found a scroll in the burning library which tells you how to let the baby abdicate which stops the edict without having to kill it.

In contrast to you Wrathy, I tried to be good, by being loyal to the overlord ¬_¬ Not sure there is a way to be actually good in this game, maybe supporting the revolt? Shit, I accidentally scoured the earth shatterers tier for 1000 years by accidentally picking the wrong option...