Solium Infernum Hands-On Preview: If Civilization Was Set in Hell...
They say it's better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. Well, "they," in this case, happens to be a guy who literally calls himself the Prince of Lies, so we may want to take that with a grain of salt. But from the time I've spent with Solium Infernum so far, I think he may be right. As a refreshed and reimagined update to a 2009 4X cult classic, it's sort of like Civilization set in the bowels of Hades – but with a greater emphasis on politics and, of course, betrayal.
Where Civ puts us in the boots of figures like Teddy Roosevelt or Montezuma, Solium Infernum features a devilishly-rendered cast of archfiends, from the straightforwardly malevolent warlord Astaroth to a nightmarish Beelzebub monstrosity. Each of the models shows off a certain wicked imagination, which allows their personalities to really come across when you're cutting deals or scheming against them. The dialogue lines are even recorded in Enochian, a language created by occultists under the pretense of being the spoken language of angels, which is a neat touch.
Solium Infernum's version of Hell isn't the fire and brimstone you may be imagining, though. Heavily inspired by Jonathan Milton's Paradise Lost, it's a cold and ashen place run by an intractable bureaucracy that doesn't so much reflect childhood nightmares, like being attacked by shadow monsters, but more adult ones, like having to deal with the DMV.
Not that it's lacking at all in dark fantasy imagery, of course. The Places of Power you need to capture to secure victory each represent some kind of creative torment for sinners or equally disturbing point-of-interest. These amazing unit cards for each of the dozens of recruitable legions of Hell provide scintillating tidbits of lore, along with
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