Tyranny
After a two week break to watch and rate Dota 2's International 2019, Awkward Mixture returns to reviewing Tyranny. The previous reviews considered the game's setting, choices, combat, and magic. For this final review, Awkward Mixture will analyze Tyranny's history, ending, and how the developers develop a world infused with evil.
The reader might wonder why assess the
history of Terratus, when the previous article already judged the
setting. The first article examined the scant details of Kyros the
Overlord; her plan of global domination and the three year initial
Conquest of the Tiers. The second article did its best to understand
the creation of Archons and their magic. These smaller aspects can't
color the larger picture. If Tyranny were a mosaic, then
these are the most detailed sections, leaving the rest of the
picture, sparse and incomplete
It seems likely some knowledge is
withheld for a specific purpose. The player never learns how Edicts
functions, because it maintains the mystery of Kyros crucial to his
power and his purpose in the story. But the lack of knowledge leads
one to wonder: can he cast beneficial Edicts? Can she cause the rain
to fall, the crops to grow, or to cure disease? And while Kyros
applies his Edicts upon cities and regions, can she focus them to
effect a single person? Most likely the developers conceived limits
to the power of Edicts, or why has Kyros only cast nine Edicts in
over 400 years?
Tyranny's history
isn't sparse because the developers don't know how to incorporate a
compelling backstory. The setting of Pillars of Eternity
hints at a great mystery; the lost ancients of the Engwithans and the
protectors of their ruins, the Glanfathans. While the main plot
diverges at times, it eventually returns to the secret, and the final
revelation reveals the heart of the game. Tyranny includes
many mysteries; the powers of Kyros, the rise of Archons, the
creation of relics, but the most similar to the ruins of the
Engwithans are the Oldwall and Spires.
These two constructions predate Kyros,
and exceed any power he has (unless he can create one with an edict).
They stretch across not only the Tiers, but all of Terratus. The
Spires are immeasurably tall, rising above mountains. The Oldwalls
are not as monumental, but still tower ten times over the local
architecture. Yet the Oldwalls play almost no part in the plot, and
Spires (for all their importance in the plot's conclusion) receive
barely an explanation. The protagonist only enters an Oldwall once,
while chasing a minor enemy through a broken gap. The Oldwall
contains magical monsters called bane, and some treasure, but nothing
to explain its existence.
The Spires fulfill an important
function, are easy to acquire, and mandatory for the story. They
operate like the Caed Nua stronghold in Pillars of Eternity.
The protagonist can upgrade the buildings and hire trainers, but both
the Spire and the Stronghold don't improve the game. The benefits of
the Spires are barely worth considering. But the NPCs of Tyranny
continually comment on the
mystical connection between them and the protagonist. Eventually
they serve a purpose in bringing the plot to its odd ending, but
since nothing is known of their creators, their function,
their purpose, or how they form this connection, they remain a
frustrating enigma.
Tyranny, on many fronts seemed
as if it was spread too thin, because it contained hints of many
great features, but none of them received sufficient treatment. It's
possible Obsidian planned to develop a second game. The lackluster
sales of the this game, and possible difficulties between Obsidian
and publisher Paradox might be two reasons preventing a sequel.
The distinguishing feature of Tyranny
forced the protagonist to align with evil forces. Kyros' employs
brutal Edicts and barbaric Archons as his tools for world domination.
His Edicts threaten his advisers, and her methods murder many
innocent people. Does Kyros believe her works will result in good?
Tunon the Adjudicator upholds order and prevents chaos. His
interpretation of Kyros' will results in Kyros' peace. The previous
rulers of the Tiers allowed slavery, matriarchal and patriarchal
societies, and gross economic inequality. Kyros' rule promises
abolition, equality, and freedom from want, if one submits to the
Overlord's will. Does the developer mean to imply that good can grow
out of evil?
The Dishonored and Scarlet Chorus offer
two variations on the same theme. A Germanic like people, the North
men believe in peace through war and the purity of their race. The
latter leads to deadly xenophobia. Though they embody an orderly
elite army, they offer no mercy to the weak, and only accept those of
Northern blood. The Chorus's chaotic egalitarian ethos contrasts
with the Dishonored's orderly elitism. Though they fight as a mass,
under-equipped and ill-ordered, they accept the service of any who
surrender. Any man or woman, regardless of previous occupation or
race, can rise through the ranks with skill.
Though Tyranny initially displays the
Dishonored's best qualities (honor, courage, bravery, duty, etc),
every player will eventfully recognize them as the worst aspects of
Nazis, Stalinists, White Nationalists, Religious Fanatics, and
Imperialists assembled into one predestined gang of mass murderers.
While their leader, Graven Ashe, can usually be persuaded to avoid
genocide, it isn't always possible. In a later mission, some of his
loyal minions decide to eliminate a pesky rebellion by devastating an
entire region for a millennium. The player can't talk Ashe out of
this decision. If Tyranny is commenting on evil, it might be
saying, “If you work with murderous, racists, barbarians, you'll be
forced to do murderous, racist, barbarities.”
But across the span of thirty-one
hours, Tyranny doesn't have much to say about its core
storytelling aspect. Evil people do good things occasionally, people
do evil which leads to good occasionally, and working with atrocious
people is a bad idea, aren't noteworthy ideas. Nor are they a focus
of Tyranny. They seem like rare, accidental incidents. Tyranny
doesn't try to compile a convincing argument for the goodness,
efficiency, or effectiveness of Kyros' rule. Spec
Ops: The Line, or Gods
Will Be Watching are both games more willing to engage with
subtleties of evil actions, and the choices available to characters
in no win situations. The most disappointing aspect of evil in
Tyranny, is that the game seems unconcerned about, or at least
is willing to let the player feel it was all justified in the end.
It's always difficult to follow a great
act. Pillars of Eternity certainly contained flaws, but
Tyranny suffers additional scrutiny because there is a
previous game to compare it to. Awkward Mixture complimented
the two
endings of Pillars; the resolution of the plot and the
conclusion delivered by a series of slides, which reflected on the
player's choices and achievements. Sadly, Tyranny
under-performed on both counts. The resolution of Tyranny
rushes and ends in a jarringly incomplete cliffhanger. After
spending years subduing the Tiers, the protagonist needs only days to
command the loyalty of the Archons. Bringing the Tiers to heal
required about twenty-eight hours, while the Archons only resisted
for three or four hours. The immensely powerful Archons of War,
Secrets, Shadows, and Justice surrendered without a fight (though
defending one's choices against Tunon's inquisition was well done).
The unresolved standoff between the protagonist and Kyros ends the
game abruptly, with no second season on the horizon.
The ending slides couldn't compare to
those in Pillars of Eternity. What was satisfactory before
seemed insufficient now. The visual effect looked good, but the
slides lacked synergy. Each one was based upon a single independent
choice, without any interlocking parts. They were predictable and
therefore, dull.
There's a lot more Tyranny worth
poking fun at or discussing like:
Its fixation on throwing dying NPCS in
front of the protagonist so they can relate a crucial bit of
information before expiring (they can't be healed).
Its small areas (compared to Pillars)
with its commitment to story instead of exploration.
And its failure to remove used plot
items from the protagonist's inventory.
In conclusion Tyranny is a more
centered product than Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity. It
focuses on the story, but while its uniqueness revolves around
serving an evil Overlord, it fails to grapple with the issue. Nor
does it want to do the world building necessary for a complicated
history which began over four hundred years ago. Maybe the
developers didn't want to think about the inherent whys. Maybe they
thought there would be a sequel. Tyranny contains many
innovating plot parts, but without the proper detail and development
necessary for their success. There are a couple other problems with
an odd variety (or lack of) of choices, and a strange desire to
punish any player who doesn't explore with a lack of spells. It
features the hints of a good setting, and for player's who can
overlook some of its more significant flaws, a ton of replayability
with four possible factions.
But I thought working with one vile,
atrocious, group of legionaries was enough.
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