I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m terrible at Soulslike games. It took me over 80 tries to beat the Cleric Beast in Bloodborne — that’s right, the first boss — making me the butt of jokes in my friend group to this day. Frustratingly, the dark and haunting worlds typically seen in these titles appeal greatly to me, leaving me continuously bitter and disappointed at my own lack of skill and gumption. Tyrant’s Realm has proven to be the perfect remedy to my failings, numbing the pain of standard Soulslike combat by injecting the game with an addictive and atmospheric roguelite gameplay loop. Death isn’t to be feared, but welcomed, as it opens the door to new and better equipment and upgrades that give the game’s protagonist a better chance to thrive and survive.
Players step into the shoes (or lack thereof) of an unlucky prisoner tasked with defeating the Tyrant, a supreme being attempting to take control of the entire universe. The world has fallen into darkness and decay, with the dingy prison at the game’s start setting the stage for the environments to come, including the aptly named Torture Pit and the trap-ridden Royal Hunting Grounds.
The blending of genres in Tyrant’s Realm would be a novel enough approach, but there’s another draw that is made abundantly clear from the moment you boot up the game. The developers at Team Tyrant managed to craft a title that could have been a PS1 mega-hit three decades ago, even including a CRT filter and a Box-TV mode for those eager to relive their younger years. The vibes are immaculate, and the gameplay is easy to learn, but difficult to master.
Tyrant’s Realm is Hard to Put Down
The first time I turned on Tyrant’s Realm, I played for almost six hours without noticing how much time had passed. “One more,” I kept saying to myself, promising that I’d give it a rest after the next run and get to the chores that needed doing. Admittedly, I was concerned about my poor track record with Soulslikes, with my horrific failures in recent games like Lies of P and Black Myth: Wukong fresh in my mind and treading on my already diminished confidence. My worries were misplaced, because every moment I’ve spent with Tyrant’s Realm has been a blast–even when the Game Over screen popped up for the 20th time, the 30th time, and the 40th time.
The game’s tutorial is short and sweet, only taking around five minutes to complete. Players can attack, guard, and roll, though they must have enough stamina to accomplish any of these actions. This is what took the most time to get used to and what got me killed the most often during early runs. Focused entirely on staying alive, I neglected to keep an eye on my stamina meter, depleting it without realizing it and immediately getting killed because I didn’t have the strength to hold up my shield or expertly roll out of danger. You’ll occasionally discover Runes as you explore, which can boost your HP, attack power, and defense, making it easier to reach the next stage.
Treasure chests dot the game’s different maps, along with barrels that can be broken to occasionally reveal gold and loot. During my time with the title, I actually found more powerful weapons and tougher armor in nondescript barrels, with chests only sometimes revealing a worthwhile upgrade. Eager to kill enemies more quickly, stronger weapons are always welcome, though I tend to focus less on armor strength. Tyrant’s Realm is, after all, a Soulslike, and the key to victory is knowing when to dodge incoming attacks. Standing your ground isn’t the play, and while being able to withstand an extra hit can come in clutch during a particularly demanding fight, the best option is simply to keep moving. Weapon and armor blueprints can occasionally be found, offering even more formidable options, but again, these just feel like bonuses. One thing worth seeking out, however, are items with special effects, as these can make or break a playthrough. Being able to add poison to my weapon helped me make short work of the title’s first boss, and equipping a shield that boosts stamina regeneration is never a bad idea.
One of the more satisfying mechanics is Tyrant’s Realm‘s executions, a way to insta-kill enemies. Unfortunately, this is incredibly risky, as players must first build up their execution meter to max before perfectly parrying an incoming attack to trigger the move. Timing a parry is extremely precise and difficult to achieve, and failing to do so will often get you killed. Regardless, with each run, I became more desperate to hit that perfect timing, triggering a particularly satisfying animation of my character bringing his sword down on an enemy’s neck as pixelated blood covers the screen. The risk was worth it–after all, another run was always on the horizon.
In Tyrant’s Realm, each area is separated by a Merchant’s Lounge and, fittingly, a dramatic boss fight. When entering the Merchant’s Lounge, players are forced to spend every penny they have before the door to the boss room opens, either on weapons and armor or an upgrade. If you can’t afford anything, the game will still let you put your money towards it, and each time you reach the safe room, you can keep pouring your gold into the item or boost of your choice until it’s yours. This is true across playthroughs as well, so if you end up getting killed, your coins remain where you placed them. Early on, I decided to prioritize upgrades over equipment, with my first successful purchase being that of an additional health potion. This has saved me more times than I can count, and at 600 gold, it was a steal.
Tyrant’s Realm Takes Inspiration From Old-School Games
Wandering through the procedurally generated biomes of Tyrant’s Realm, I found myself gobsmacked at the culmination of classic and modern inspirations. The title feels somewhat like Nightmare Creatures, Evil Dead, and Koudelka had a baby, with a bit of fast-paced Dead Cells roguelike gameplay thrown in for good measure. It also brings some much-needed simplicity into a market currently saturated with demanding and lengthy story-driven romps punctuated with realistic graphics and unimaginable budgets. Tyrant’s Realm really does feel like a product of a different era, and it’s a game that respects the player’s time. Whether you have 20 minutes to play or an entire Sunday afternoon, it can find a way to slot into your schedule, offering either a quick respite or a lengthy grind, depending on what the player is looking for.
The default settings in Tyrant’s Realm inject it with plenty of nostalgia right off the bat, but that wasn’t enough for developer Team Tyrant. Navigating to the game’s settings, I was greeted with a number of unique toggles, including a low-resolution retro mode, a CRT Filter, and even a Box-TV mode to emulate the television found in your childhood bedroom. Though I largely chose to stick to the game’s highest quality setting (Cinematic) and utilized an ultra-wide monitor, the option to occasionally embark on a run using more rudimentary and retro visuals kept things fresh, and made the game stand out for all the right reasons.
My largest complaint centers around the game’s controls, particularly when wielding more unique weapons like scythes or spears rather than standard-issue swords. While not a constant problem, these weapons sometimes struggled to connect with the monster or item I was trying to attack. At one point, I stood directly in front of a barrel with a scythe, and it still took me four swings to make contact. With that being said, the overall gameplay feels smooth and receptive, with only this one gripe. The length of the game and number of enemy types didn’t cause me any grief, though the lore-hungry part of me wished that Tyrant’s Realm offered more flavor text, perhaps in the form of notes found around its varied landscapes. Its atmospheric world is one I’d love to know more about, but for now, much of it is left to my imagination.
Tyrant’s Realm is clearly a passion project made by people who were molded by both the PS1 era and FromSoftware’s magnum opus. As mentioned at the start, I’m not a fan of Soulslike titles, but this one managed to win me over in record time. Affordable and stylish, it offers a fair amount of challenge without being overwhelming to newcomers, and its roguelite elements serve as carrots on a stick to make even the most discerning player prep for “just one more run.”
Tyrant’s Realm is a roguelite action-adventure inspired by classic PS1 visuals. Explore procedurally generated dark fantasy worlds, battling through dangers that evolve with each run. Death is not the end, as the night is still young.
- Released
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January 16, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Team Tyrant
- Publisher(s)
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Skystone Games
- Satisfying roguelite gameplay loop
- Familiar Soulslike combat
- Nostalgic PS1-style graphics
- Quick and helpful tutorial
- Certain weapon controls feel off
- Lack of flavor text
Tyrant’s Reign releases on January 16, 2025 for PC with a demo currently available. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.