Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound Released, Reviews

Bastard’s Wound, the new expansion for Obsidian Entertainment’s Tyranny is now available on both Steam and GOG for $14.99 or your regional equivalent. The expansion adds a new region to the game that you can explore in parallel with the main campaign, as well as several new companion-specific quests. It also comes with a free patch for the base game that fixes a number of bugs, and adds certain new dialogue options and voice-acted lines. And on top of it all, we also get a release trailer:

Not sure what Bastard’s Wound is all about? Here’s the official description:

Experience a new chapter of Tyranny, the critically-acclaimed role-playing game (RPG), in Bastard’s Wound, a new expansion that builds upon the game’s compelling story. Tyranny, an original RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, invites the player to make their mark on a world conquered by evil, and the Bastard’s Wound expansion opens up a new area of the Tiers where refugees from the war-torn world have established a haven in secret.

Delve deeper into the mysteries of Terratus as you bring Kyros’ justice (or your own version of it) to a new corner of the Tiers. In addition to the new region, Bastard’s Wound gives you a chance to learn more about your party in a trio of companion quests featuring Lantry, Verse, and Barik.

Bastard’s Wound will feature:

• A Refuge from Kyros:
  Players will explore an all-new section of the world, centered around an illegal settlement of those who have fled the devastation of the war. What sentence will you mete out to the refugees?
• Companion Quests:
  Learn more about Verse, Barik, and Lantry in new quests and interactions to earn their loyalty or enmity. What does Barik truly look like under his armor?
• Loyalty and Service:
  Bastard’s Wound will arrive alongside a free update to Tyranny, including new voice-acting, expanded content in the game’s third act, and an all-new path to an unseen ending. What fate awaits those who remain truly loyal to Kyros?

And if you’d like to know more about the expansion before purchasing it, several reviews are already available. Unfortunately, the general impressions are far from stellar, ranging from mildly positive to fairly negative instead:

Wccftech 7.7/10:

Gameplay wise, Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound doesn’t really add much to the game, sadly, as there are no new gameplay mechanics. There are some new dungeons, and new puzzles to solve, of course, but everything doesn’t feel that different from the main campaign. It’s a “more-of-the-same” that will definitely delight those who enjoyed Tyranny but disappoint those who expected something more beyond an intriguing and well-written new story.

As such, it’s quite difficult to give a single, universal, score to Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound. For those who love Tyranny’s world and characters, Bastard’s Wound is a must. For those who expected to see more beyond a new story and additional content, Bastard’s Wound may not really be worthy of their money.

PCGamesN 4/10:

Hoping the bugs were behind me, I set about continuing the adventure, only to realise that my quest log was empty. At first, I assumed I had encountered yet another bug, but I’d actually finished the expansion. There was no fanfare, no closure, no indication that I was done at all. It is an even more abrupt ending than the one in the base game. I had performed a couple of tasks and wandered around an underground maze for a bit, and that was my lot. It certainly wasn’t enough time for me to give a hoot about any of the new characters who crop up, or their ramshackle village.

I sincerely hope this isn’t the last we will see of Tyranny, because – in its current state – it has ended with a whimper, absent of a single fight or NPC who could be characterised as memorable, or quests that would inspire anyone to start the game all over again. Obsidian’s dark RPG deserves a better expansion than Bastard’s Wound.

PCWorld Scoreless:

A common complaint when developers release DLC is “They just cut this out of the main game to sell it to us later.” I’m skeptical of throwing those accusations around, and I won’t do it here either—I don’t think Obsidian intentionally removed the content in Bastard’s Wound from the main game just to formulate an expansion.

I do think it’s likely these were cutting room scraps though, at least to some extent. In contrast to the White March expansions for Pillars of Eternity, which constituted a wholly separate adventure from the main game and told a complete and compelling story, the bits and bobs in Bastard’s Wound are a grab bag. Obsidian’s given no real thought to people who already own or completed the game, none of it’s meaty enough to feel meaningful in its own right, and it has no bearing on Tyranny’s larger story.

Of all the RPGs I’ve played, Tyranny is one of the few that really needed (and deserved) an expansion. Why this tale, though? I have no idea.

Hardcore Gamer 4/5:

Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound is an impressive piece of DLC as it takes the choice-heavy gameplay of Tyranny and seamlessly weaves it into the previously-made choices by the player. Whether or not this content is essential depends on how much someone enjoyed Tyranny and if they want more of it. If it’s a game you’re still playing and want something new added, this content is money well spent. The same can be said if someone was taking a break from Tyranny but wanted an excuse to dust it off and get back into it. This new content won’t convert any naysayers over to Tyranny, but those who appreciated the brilliance of the base game will be pleased to know the additional content is on par with it.