Solium Infernum is the coolest new strategy game I’ve seen in years

pcgamesn.com:

Solium Infernum has the best gimmick I’ve seen in a strategy sim in years. Set in Hell, Satan has suddenly disappeared, leaving the Infernal Throne suddenly vacant. Playing as one of several archfiends, the objective is to marshall the forces of the damned and defeat your rivals to become the new ruler of the underworld. But this isn’t all about military might, building armies, and plundering resources. Facing competition from the likes of Civilization 7, Ara History Untold, Millennia from the publisher behind Cities Skylines 2, and Total War Pharaoh, Solium Infernum has a unique take on videogame strategy – it’s all about politics, charm, manipulation, and psychology. And it’s just revealed its newest playable character.

A triple-A remake of the underground strategy game hit from 2009, in Solium Infernum, political cunning and bureaucratic double-dealing are just as – if not more – important than raw military power. Every time you meet with Hell’s enclave, and debate and trade barbs with the other archfiends, you have the opportunity to insult them, side with them, or stab them in the back.

The best example comes from a skill you can select at the start of the game called ‘Power Behind the Throne.’ No one knows you’ve got it, but if you buddy up with another archfiend and swear allegiance to them, when they win the game, you suddenly overthrow them and become the winner yourself. Make them your friend. Do their bidding. Then murder them at the last moment. It’s a brilliant game of psychological trickery.

We’ve already seen Andromalius, the beautiful and vain fallen angel who uses their charm and swagger to lull opponents into a false sense of security. But now, in a PCGamesN exclusive, developer League of Geeks