Solium Infernum Next Fest Hands-On: Hell is a place on Earth

We recently got the chance to play Solium Infernum at Gamescom, but ahead of Steam Next Fest in a couple of days, we got another, updated look at this strategy game like no other. I'll try to steer clear of the points I made in my previous preview, but if you're looking to try a strategy game this Next Fest, Solium Infernum is a stand-out hit.

Now, if you're not a strategy fan, but you look at the admittedly gorgeous style and brilliantly devilish art of Solium Infernum and think you want in, it's worth mentioning this game does take a minute to get to grips with. I'm no strategy aficionado, but I've put plenty of hours into Civilisation V and Total War so I would say I've got a decent amount of experience in the genre. Even so, I had to put on my thinking cap for Solium Infernum to get to grips with what it has on offer.

You play as an Archfiend, a lord of Hell, who is looking to claim the ultimate prize of Pandemonium after the Devil goes missing. To be honest, I'm not sure why anyone would want to take over Hell, with all the backstabbing and political machinations going on behind the scenes, but I'm not a power-hungry devil, so I don't need to worry about that.

If you're stepping into this game, seeing all the lovely and dread-inspiring art for the units and thinking you're in for one giant battle to decide the lord of Hell, well, sorry to say but Solium Infernum is not that. There is some combat, and it comes with some slick little animations, but mostly you're playing the shadowy game of politics. You can't even enter another player's territory without valid reason, so it really is about what goes on behind the scenes.

This is where I can really imagine Solium Infernum's PvP shining, as beyond the options you get in the regular game, you'll also be able to use your silver tongue to convince allies to betray one another, and make other players seem like public enemy no.1 while you grow to be the greatest threat in the game. The options you get for single-player are solid, too. Rituals, demands, and more are available in order to get ahead of your opponents, bolstering your own position as much as you can so that when war does come, you're as prepared as you can be.

As mentioned before, Solium Infernum does take some getting used to. There's a lot of different systems, and only being able to make two orders in a turn can feel quite limiting. You really have to prioritise your actions, rather than just doing everything you want to in one turns. It's the chess of strategy, really, as you're thinking two to three steps ahead, hoping that your opponents don't screw with your master plan. They will, of course, but that's half the fun in itself. A hefty tutorial does help you get to grips with everything that's going on, but even so it's easy to slip up after you've been taught the basics.

Strategy masters will spend hours honing their tactics to take over hell, and Solium Infernum encourages you to spend a long time on each game. Thanfully, I don't mind spending time in Hell. As mentioned, the visuals here are impressive, especially in the art of the loading screens, unit cards, and the appearances of the Archfiends. Hell itself is rather drab, grey and uninviting but also quite beautiful in its own dreadful way. It's alluring in a way that it shouldn't be, which feels perfect for the atmosphere Solium Infernum wants to create. Really, no one should want to play this great game of devilish politics, but if they don't play, they can't win.

As someone who's always fascinated with Hell as a setting, Solium Infernum does a great job at creating this sense of horrid bureaucracy that feels almost too real for it to just belong in Hell. This doesn't mean the game is boring, mind you. It's anxiety-inducing to press next turn, as you wait to see what moves your opponent has made, and hope they're not better than yours. When we get to play more, we'll see if it can impress over the course of multiple games, but as of two short sessions, it's looking like a unique strategy game for fans of the genre seeking something different.