This isn't the first time that I've said it and I doubt it will be the last: Solium Infernum is the single greatest 4X game on PC right now. While Civilization 7, Stellaris, and Endless Space all provide variations on the genre's traditions, and each experiments with and tries to perfect the formula, Solium Infernum turns the entire concept of 4X upside down. You don't have many military units. You don't make that many choices. You don't build anything. A strategy game set in Hell, Solium isn't about expansion and creating an empire. But everything you do matters. Everything has resonance. And now, a year since it first launched, Solium Infernum has just gotten a huge update.
The new strategy game with new material, bug fixes, and balance changes. "We felt our game and players deserved a celebratory gift," League of Geeks says.
As one of Hell's ambitious archfiends, your goal is to capture the infernal throne after Lucifer suddenly disappears. The simplest way to win in Solium Infernum is to humiliate and embarrass your rivals in front of the Conclave, thus earning the respect of Hell's bureaucracy, who will elect you to power.
Let's say one of your opponents has been getting a bit high and mighty, and has a higher Prestige score than you do. You can choose to publicly insult them. If they accept your degradation, they lose Prestige. If they reject it, however, they can challenge you to a Praetor duel – you choose your mightiest warrior, they choose theirs, and your respective gladiators will battle in the arena for the reputation of their lords.
You can also win by sheer military force, spending the tribute gathered by your minions to bid on the worst (that is, best) of Hell's mercenaries, and using them to capture the capital city of Pandaemonium itself. In my own review, I gave Solium Infernum 9/10. Where the likes of Civilization 7 often get bogged down and bloated by the midgame, and your choices stop mattering, in Solium, from turn one to turn 70, everything still feels consequential.
The anniversary update adds new praetors, new military legions, new rituals that you can cast to weaken your rivals, and new artifacts that boost your various attributes. Another way to gain Prestige in front of the Conclave is to publicly announce and then complete a Scheme – you tell parliament you are going to capture a monument, or successfully complete an obscure ritual, and if you do it, you earn their favor. The update adds 13 new Schemes, and also rebalances various diplomacy combat mechanics and in-game events.
Essentially, if you've never played Solium Infernum before, now is definitely the time. You can get it on Steam for $39.99 / £33.50. Just go here.
Otherwise, maybe try some of the best RTS games on PC.
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