A new year brings dozens of new games and, naturally, a lot of anticipation. Between Manor Lords, Frostpunk 2, Stalker 2, and myriad big hits expected to arrive in 2024, the next 12 months are likely to be stacked. But one of the most exciting games of the coming year might have slipped under your radar. A combination of Civilization 6, Cities Skylines 2, Diablo 4, and Doom, Solium Infernum is a huge remake of the underground strategy game hit of the same name. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s the latest opus from Jumplight Odyssey creator League of Geeks, and has some of the smartest ideas that we’ve seen in the strategy genre in years. A lying, manipulation, and backstabbing simulator, set in the deepest depths of Hell, if you want to play Solium Infernum, we’ve got very good news.
Solium Infernum is a turn-based strategy game, with several twists. First of all, though it borrows from Civilization – and also RTS hits like Age of Empires and Command and Conquer – this isn’t a game about building a society, and spreading your influence across the globe.
Lucifer has vanished. The infernal throne sits vacant. Playing as one of eight archfiends, your goal is to capture Pandaemonium, the underworld’s capital, and become Hell’s new ruler. Raw martial power is an option, but the focus here is on psychology, bureaucracy, and sly, political machinations. Insult your opponents in front of the Conclave. Forge covert allegiances. Stab people in the back. That’s the way to win in Solium Infernum.
We played the Solium Infernum single-player demo last year – and we loved it. Now, Solium Infernum is launching a huge multiplayer trial, and you can sign up to play right now. Everyone chooses an archfiend (I like Andromalius, the beautiful and intensely narcissistic fallen angel, designed around Cabanel’s famous painting, but all eight are available) and jump into a game.
Solium multiplayer is asynchronous, so you can make your choices, input your turn, and then step back to plot, scheme, and ruminate while everyone else does the same. If you have the spare time, however, you can also play games live, and rattle through the rounds quickfire.
If you want to try Solium multiplayer, the trial runs from Thursday, January 11 to Monday, January 14. You can sign up right now, however, and also try the free single-player demo. If you want a classic-style PC strategy sim, with a political and psychological twist, you should definitely give this a go.
Alternatively, you might want to try some of the best RTS games, or maybe the best grand strategy games available right now on PC.
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