Solium Infernum by Vic "Armageddon Empires" Davis

I am so excited for this game, I can’t even tell you.

But you just did!

That’s an interesting setting. Kudos for not falling into the default feudal medieval fantasy world.

Would you consider it an M rated game when everything is said and done?

what I love about these titles is the nice art. Good games behind them too, but it is refreshing that they are not terrible to look at, like some indie strat games.

Hear hear! This sounds really intriguing. Should I sign my pre-order check in blood?

I won’t be getting an ESRB rating but no I don’t think so. Certainly not the mechanics… souls are one type of resource but it’s very abstracted. The art is all very tasteful I think. My 10 year old has seen it all and didn’t think it was anything beyond some D & D art. Probably the freakiest piece is a parchment of human skin with the face sort of visible (used for announcements by the Infernal Conclave). My primary inspiration is that line from Milton’s Paradise Lost:

“To reign is worth ambition, though in hell. Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”

I’ve tried to have some fun though with some careful tribute nods to other visions of hell, Dante, Bosch, and even MST3k :)

It looks great Vic, Im excited!

Looks very cool, Vic. Good luck!

(have to say, though, Brimstone is the better name…)

Listen to this man.

I kinda agree - Solium might get a bit “sol” :. “spacey”… but it does look fun.

Any chance of a fixed multiplayer demo so we can all try it out for a little? :)

You’re still taking an awful risk with that theme, I’m afraid. Unless you have solid numbers indicating that Christians and more mature people are severely underrepresented in your target demographic, you’re probably shooting yourself in the foot.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that your demons are not adversaries to vanquish as in D&D, or in service of a moral punchline, as in the classic authors. Instead, your demons are supposed to be allies or even player characters. They should evoke sympathy, but the art style you have chosen, inspired by a tradition with the opposite intention, counteracts this purpose.

For what it’s worth, I don’t consider myself particularly squeamish when it comes to morally questionable themes in games, but playing a blood-dripping demon trying to become the Satan is where I would draw the line.

Man, Christians are going to spoil everyone’s fun.

Since I’m posting: There’s some more art and some bits and bobs about features not mentioned on the website* over on RPS.

EDIT: And by “More mature” you actually mean “Older”, yes?

KG

*Design your archfiend! Earn experience! Am I a wrathful demon or a decietful one?

I don’t know anyone who would have a problem with the theme I reckon…

Yeah, I’m going to have to draw a line here too…unless my demons can be dripping something else, then maybe I’m in. Or maybe if my goal of becoming Satan could be a trick and I could instead become a fuzzy wuzzy cuddly bear.

Seriously though, have you hugged your blood-dripping demon today? If not, please do so, he’s have a really hard time with this whole struggle to become Satan.

Hey guys, Nezz voiced his concerns in the most polite and constructive terms possible. Let’s expect those of an opposing viewpoint to be able to achieve the same. Otherwise, where will their credibility be? Or does this run counter to board policy? In that is the case, ridicule away. From a distinctly disadvantaged position, though.

With all the backstabbing that will probably be going on, let’s not expect all that much sympathy.

Hey, wouldn’t it be good if a Christian rose to rule Hell? You could make some sweeping policy changes… Sacrificing your soul and a part of your integrity to save others sounds like a decent thing to do.

I find the suggestion that this is crossing any lines a bit odd. I hate to be overly obvious, but, well, it’s pretend. Isn’t it?

I get the feeling that the sorts of Christians who would boycott a product en masse because of this content are more than likely to take issue with any fantasy setting, since I’ve been repeatedly assured by the likes of Jack Chick that it all leads to Satanism and eternal misery anyway.

As a Christian, and a gamer (and indeed a hoary games journalist), I find that I’m perfectly capable of enjoying fantasy settings of any nature without my sensibilities catching on fire. Playing a demon trying to take over Hell… well first, the Bible has a whole story about the same happening in Heaven. And secondly, the reverse is theologically nonsensical. I cannot immediately see a perspective where such an imaginary topic is an affront to Christianity.

If the idea of simulating actively pursuing becoming the controller of Hell - something which presumably most Christians aren’t aiming toward - is the problem, doesn’t this imply a hypocrisy? Surely if enacting that which is offensive in a game is the problem, then any game asking you to shoot anyone, or steal from anyone, or insult anyone, is equally offensive? Which brings me back to my first suggestion: that if this game were a problem for someone, most games likely would be too.

I’m absolutely sure that the game will be condemned by Christian groups (naturally the least representative bodies of Christians imaginable). I’m not sure listening to such reactionary, fear-based organisations is any way to go about one’s life.

Well, as a player who very much puts himself into the world of a game, roleplaying to some degree all the time, I can see where someone would not want to even pretend to be something reprehensible to them.

Exactly this has kept me from playing the GTA games, Scarface and their ilk (Mafia was quite okay, though, just to contradict myself). Don’t even mention Manhunter, Condemned or Postal.

That’s the reason I’ve not been able to enjoy GTA III, VC or SA. However, I played GTA IV from start to finish, which astonished me. The writing makes Niko a fascinating character, and one for whom I felt sympathy (if not empathy). As you say, Mafia doesn’t evoke the same moral reprehensibility, and GTA IV seems to work the same way in my brain.

Er, more on topic: I can see how the suggestion of playing Satan, or his replacement, might be an issue in a game based around destroying human’s lives. However, in a game of back-stabbing other equally evil companions, it strikes me as something else entirely.

Sounds like a cool idea, Mr. Vic. I bet you can’t make it as scary as the issues that have been raised in this thread against playing it. But, I guess if you can believe in an omniscient, omnipotent invisible super combatant, you can believe in demons too.

Botherer, that’s really good to hear. I had already gathered from people’s impressions that GTA IV could finally be an episode of the series I might enjoy, and it’s great to receive direct confirmation of that from a fellow-minded player.

It’s funny that we see eye-to-eye to such a degree on playing bad guys, and still we arrive at such opposite views about Solium Infernum vis-a-vis one Christian’s thoughts. Mayhaps this is such a button-pushing issue to believers it colours thinking about it? Not that we necessarily should arrive at similar conclusions, of course. Your two statements just feel inconsistent to me.

Anyway, were I a Christian, I’d wait to see the game before passing judgement about it. I’m sure it would have been impossible to discern the different shades of make-believe evil-doing represented by Mafia and Scarface before seeing the final products.