Solium Infernum Review – Hell Is Other People
Solium Infernum is a flavorful, expertly designed, digital board game. That should come as no surprise, given that it’s from League of Geeks, the developers behind the equally excellent Armello. While Solium takes a much different approach from its predecessor in both theme and gameplay, it’s a treat for strategy fans of a competitive bent.
Solium Infernum – Latin for the throne of Hell – is about a demonic struggle for supremacy. The ruler of Hell, the Dark Majesty, has disappeared, leaving the titular throne vacant for anyone diabolical enough to take it. Players compete for Prestige by completing objectives, winning battles, and humiliating their opponents. When the game’s fifty turns are up, the Conclave gathers to elect a new Dark Majesty, based solely on who has the most Prestige when voting concludes five turns later.
You can also seize the seat of the Conclave, the city of Pandaemonium, to win without having the most Prestige. Doing so marks you as fair game for the other players to attack, but if an opponent is too far ahead to catch up then desperate measures like this can let you pull out a win.
The map is a much smaller hex grid than those in most games. Players are forced to rush key objectives early, and conflicts are strongly encouraged. The map also loops in all directions; Hell is infinite and disorienting, after all. Armies move slowly, which plays into the central question that the game asks players each turn; what do you absolutely need to make happen in order to win?
Players only get two actions each turn, with a third available after some pricey unlocks. This means that everything you could possibly do – gathering resources, fighting battles, sending diplomatic proposals, bidding on auction items, and leveling up – comes at the expense of not being able to do something else. Prioritizing and playing to your strengths are the name of the game.
Like all the best strategy games, Solium Infernum puts economy and diplomacy on equal, or even greater, footing than warfare. Players have four resources with which to buy new upgrades; Souls, Ichor, Hellfire, and Darkness. They take the form of coins stamped with their value in each currency, which can’t be split up. This means it’s common to overpay because you have to pay with the coins you have, and devils don’t make change.
You can, however, permanently merge coins at the cost of a precious action. This is necessary to make large purchases, since you must use eight coins or fewer in a transaction, but puts you at risk of losing high-value coins to thieving opponents or random events.
Diplomacy in Solium Infernum is a game of chicken. You can demand tribute from other players, earning yourself a justification to go to war if they refuse. Alternately, you can insult them, forcing them to give you prestige or declare a vendetta to avenge their honor. Knowing when a player can’t afford a conflict is a great way to earn extra Prestige this way.
Even wars are refreshingly different. When you have an excuse to call a vendetta, you proclaim what you’re going to do to the enemy; seize their lands, destroy their armies, or claim their Places of Power. You then wager Prestige and set a turn limit in which you plan to accomplish the feat. If you succeed, you get all your Prestige back and then some; if not, you’re out of luck. All the defender has to do is prevent you from accomplishing your stated goal.
All of Solium Infernum’s moving parts come together to create an infernal machine that’s perfect for multiplayer, and that’s how it’s meant to be played. It even includes an asynchronous mode that lets players plan, scheme, and optimize each turn at length, playing out the war for the throne in dribs and drabs over days and weeks. With a full board of human opponents, the potential for secret DMs with handshake agreements and stunning betrayals puts gameplay on another level entirely.
That said, the game’s singleplayer pales in comparison. AI players aren’t quite smart enough to outwit a human, and Solium Infernum is so well-balanced that the usual strategy of just giving AI players buffs to increase the difficulty doesn’t work. The scenarios, one of which I previewed last week, add challenge by forcing players into specific victory conditions or starting the AI players off at an advantage, but if you’re looking to enjoy the core gameplay then multiplayer is absolutely the way to go.
Ultimately, while Solium Infernum is a niche game, players that fill the niche are likely to have the time of their lives with it. If, like me, you’re the sort of board game enthusiast who can’t get your friends to try your latest purchase because you turn into a ruthless Machiavel on game night, finding some online opponents in the pits of Hell is sure to be a devilishly fun time.
Solium Infernum
Reviewed on PC.
- Perfectly-balanced risk and reward gameplay.
- Flavorful setting straight out of Dante.
- Asynchronous multiplayer for busy schedules.
- Playing with others online is the only way to get the full experience.
Read original article here: www.thegamer.com
News Summary:
- Solium Infernum Review – Hell Is Other People
- Check all news and articles from the latest GAME REVIEWS updates.
- Please Subscribe us at Google News.
