Solium Infernumis a turn-based strategy game fromLeague of Geeks, the creators ofArmello. The game puts you in the role of an Archfiend of Hell, striving to ascend to the throne of Pandaemonium through a combination of deceit and cunning. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the ever-enthusiastic League of Geeks co-founder Trent Kusters for a chat about the upcoming Hell-based strategy game - a reimagining of Vic Davis’ 2009 game of the same name, and I could tell that Kusters was brimming with excitement to be working on the title.
RELATED:League Of Geeks Reveals Hell-Based Strategy Game Solium Infernum
Before we got into the game, Trent provided me with some background information on how League of Geeks ended up working on Solium Infernum and the studio’s relationship with the creator of the original game. “We were friends with Vic, we played the game in 2009 and loved it," he tells me. “Armello is massively inspired by Solium Infernum so when we were deciding what to do next, we reached out to Vic and he was like ‘Yeah let’s do this’, though he’s not on the game, he’s passed the torch onto us.”
The distinctive source material invariably leads to the question of authorship, and whether it’s a challenge to stamp your own creative control on a game. Trent assured me this was definitely not the case. “No, we’ve known Vic for years. He was like ‘Yeah go for it, I give it my blessing’. We own the IP now so it’s ours and he provided all the materials, we gave him a number of calls and sometimes our game director Tye would get into contact and ask questions.”
We spoke about Davis’ Solium Infernum and its legacy. Trent described the game as “much loved” and despite not having commercial success, it has a cult following which still gets together today to play on Discord.
We jumped into Solium Infernum, which is currently in a very pre-alpha state. I was immediately struck by the impressive visuals. This version of Hell is reminiscent of John Milton’s description of the underworld - less Catholic fiery pits and eternal damnation and more lightless barren landscapes. League of Geeks has crafted an exquisite aesthetic in Solium Infernum. The models of the Archfiends ooze character. Andromalius (below), for instance, is downright beautiful, though he probably doesn’t appear that way to the thieves he’s been tasked to punish.
The visual design of Armello has been preserved in Solium Infernum, as Kusters explained “We’re famous for our animated cards in Armello, so we’ve kept that aesthetic and art. It’s a big thing for us.” Spells, legions, artifacts, everything you can think of has detailed animated art. Aesthetic isn’t the only element preserved from Armello, as composer Michael Allen is once again bringing his self-titled “Mo od Requiem”[Mood?]genre to Solium Infernum, which from what I heard through the din of the venue fit perfectly with the game’s atmosphere.
Once I stopped admiring the artistic flair of the game, we got down to mechanics. How would Solium Infernum differentiate itself from the strategy games already on the market? Put simply, by taking what the original was praised for and widening the appeal. There are a lot of turn-based strategy games where the optimal route to victory is one of aggression, running over your opponents until you’ve captured the whole map. Solium Infernum wants to be a battle of wits, not a battle of might.
“It’s all about Machiavellian politics,” Trent tells me, “There are military tactics where you’re moving units on the board but that’s not how you win the game.” While he was showing me interaction mechanics using Belial, Archfiend of Hell and Prince of Lies, he likened the interaction screen to “Civilization but much, much deeper on the diplomacy side. Make a demand, insult them, vassalage, create contracts, extortion,” and other charmingly sinful possibilities.
All interactions with fellow Archfiends link back to the Infernal Conclave, a parliament-esque legislature that exists within Hell. If you were to insult Belial for example, he would then be presented with the insult in the Conclave during the next turn. He may choose to accept the insult, giving you prestige (amassing a large amount of prestige is one of the victory conditions) or he may refuse, losing you prestige. However, a refusal would be just cause for you to hold a vendetta against Belial, potentially allowing you to declare war. War is something that’s best avoided in Solium Infernum - it’s a big resource drain, so Belial may just have to accept your scathing attack.
To win a game of Solium Infernum, you’ll either have to take Pandaemonium, the capital of Hell, by force or amass enough prestige to win. Trent explained there are other victory conditions, but these are the two primary ways. When war does inevitably brew, Solium Infernum is no slouch when it comes to unit diversity and battle visuals. Most units are legions and are visually displayed as an impressive mass of 100 individual units on the board, with each legion having a ranged, melee and infernal stat. There are three stages of combat: ranged first, melee second, and infernal third. The first two are self-explanatory, while infernal is essentially dark magic. If a battle reaches the infernal stage, the magic usually decides a victor pretty quickly.
Legions can be purchased in the Infernal Bazaar, a sort of hellish auction house where you can bid on legions, praetors (which are like “champion” units), and artifacts that can be used to power rituals. Kusters purchased a legion called the 10,000 Screaming Bastards, an export from the original Solium Infernum. Something noteworthy about the auction house is that bidding is blind; you don’t know who is bidding on what or what the current bid is until the end of the turn when the Bazaar resolves its bids.
This is because, in Solium Infernum, turns are resolved simultaneously. Everything happens at the same time at the end of every turn. This has also allowed League of Geeks to introduce asynchronous multiplayer, meaning you’ll be able to play a game over longer periods rather than in real time. On lunch at work? Do your Solium Infernum turn in a couple of minutes. Once you get home, maybe your friends have finished their turn as well, so everything is resolved, and it’s onto the next turn. It’s an intriguing inclusion and not one you see too often.
Resource management, as ever, is a key aspect of this strategy game. Each turn you’ll have to demand tribute from your minions to amass hellfire, ichor, souls, and darkness. An appropriate lineup for a living nightmare. These resources are then used to purchase legions and perform rituals as well as various other actions. Things get expensive in Hell.
Kusters showed off some other aspects of the game. There are periodic events that either randomly happen or have been set into motion by an Archfiend. One such event is an unholy crusade on Heaven, where each player has to contribute legions or risk facing the ire of the Infernal Conclave. He also showcased some of the political machinations of Solium Infernum in action, showing me how through his prophecy skill, he discovered that Lilith possessed a powerful artifact capable of summoning a mighty titan (a powerful military unit). In response, he set into motion a plan to use a ritual to capture the artifact and summon the Titan for himself. He successfully did so while using military tactics to stave off aggression from Astaroth, who was looking to expand.
Speaking of expansion, Solium Infernum’s board is very fluid. By simply moving legions around the map, you can capture territory. However, you won’t be able to enter the territory of an opposing Archfiend without declaring war first. Turtling is also not a viable strategy as the game’s board loops; leave the board on its south side, and you’ll end up on its north side, and the same goes for east and west. There are a lot of cool innovations in Solium Infernum that separate it from usual games in its genre.
I’m hyped to see what the Australian developers can create here. They have a very good base to work with and judging by Kusters’ enthusiasm, they have the necessary passion as well. Solium Infernum is planned to release sometime in 2023, but they’re not putting a specific date on it just yet.
