Empire of Sin, the strategy game from Romero Games & Paradox Interactive, puts you at the heart of the ruthless criminal underworld of 1920s Prohibition-era Chicago. It’s up to you to hustle, charm and intimidate your way to the top of the pile and do whatever it takes to stay there. This character-driven game puts players smack dab in the glitz and glamor of roaring 20s all while having them work behind the scenes in the gritty underbelly of organized crime.

“Gangster” games are a rare breed. The last game I played was Mafia 3 and it didn’t exactly hit the spot. The Mafia series was pretty great and the first one is probably my favorite gangster game, ever made. The last one was very disappointing in my opinion and left a hole which hopefully, Empire of Sin, will probably fill.

You can build and manage your empire with the help of your crew. This reminds me a bit of The Godfather, but with a bit of luck it will be much better. There are also few more things like customization, dialogue choices, crew drama and more.

The combat looks very similar to XCOM and that’s great. XCOM 2 was phenomenal and I am very pleased with Romero Games, trying to implement the XCOM combat system. They are also a couple of new things like executions, which look awesome, though some animations look a bit weird. With any luck everything will be polished until the launch day.

Build A Crime Empire: Raise your criminal empire from the ground up by establishing rackets in your neighborhood (be it speakeasies, breweries, brothels, union skimming, protection rackets, or casinos) and recruiting a team of loyal mobsters to make your mark on the streets. Once you make a name for yourself, expand your influence by taking over rival territory and adding more ventures to your repertoire.

Explore a Living, Breathing City: Take to the streets of vibrant 1920s Chicago and its distinct neighborhoods, such as Little Italy or West Loop, with real historical landmarks and events. Interact with a full cast of over 60 living, breathing characters with backgrounds that inform how they react to what you or other characters do. Each recruitable character has traits and relationships that significantly affect gameplay and vice versa. Schmooze, coerce, seduce, threaten, or kill them to get your way.

Defend and Expand Territory: If it comes to blows, hypothetically of course, and your posse needs to send a message, face off in brutal turn-based combat. Recruit your goons strategically to build a strong chemistry within your crew to maximize combat damage and help secure your hold on the city.

Wield Your Influence: Make and break alliances, bribe cops, and trade on the black market to gain an edge and expand the influence of your crime family. But always keep your enemies close and ensure you have a mole on the inside and eyes everywhere.

Dominate the Neighborhood: Whether you make it to the top with violence, business smarts, or city-wide notoriety, there are a number of ways to become King or Queen of Chicago. With various starting conditions and constantly changing crew dynamics, no two playthroughs will ever be the same.

Here is an interview with the game director, in case you missed it.

Empire of Sin will be released next year. There is no official date yet.

Thanks Rock Paper Shotgun & GamerHubTV

Chris Kountouras

Chris was born in the early 80’s along with the very birth of home gaming. After spending many maaany drachmas on arcades, his father decided to buy him a PC instead of going bankrupt. He lived through the advancing and development of the gaming industry, having played TONS of games on all platforms. He is always honest and will never hesitate to give his true opinion on a game no matter what. Loves stealth games and dislikes microtsansactions, DLC and pre-ordering…who doesn’t after all?!
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