Empire of Sin usually has everything to enchant: a 1920/1930 atmosphere with tiny onions, colorful characters, and most importantly, a very well-mastered film noir / gangster film atmosphere. Enough to offer a unique and unforgettable atmosphere management game. If that’s true on paper, it’s a little less glorious in-game. Explanations.
Kingdom of sin is a management game set in Chicago during the famous prohibition era in the United States. You have to choose a character from a whole gallery of gangsters right from the start. If some of them are real characters in the picture of Al Capone, others are completely fictional. Each protagonist has their own characteristics and bonuses. So this brave (no) Al Capone makes it possible to cut the production costs of breweries and he has, for example, a diplomatic bonus that allows him to make a name for himself. The aim of the game is pretty exciting as we are assuming almost nothing to become the most respected mafia in town. We feel like we have our own Pope Peaky Blinders. At first nobody really knows who you are, and then when the other gangsters start to fear you, you have a real mafia empire.
“”In Sicily women are more dangerous than gunshots“”
Each start of the game starts differently with a personalized introduction that depends on your character type. Regardless of your choice, however, you have the option of following a fairly complete tutorial that will allow you to grasp the essence of the game’s content. In addition, this tutorial will help you acquire your first facilities and understand the tricks of the trade. The game is divided into two large parts, namely a pure management part and a combat part.
The management part allows you to move freely around the city of Chicago by district. Here you have to increase your influence and earn money, discuss with other gangster families and recruit characters to serve you henchmen for the fight and follow you in your kicks. You have the option of attacking other gangster clan’s locations directly (this is usually the most complicated route), or you can try to set up camps. These are neutral “capture” zones where you can turn yourself into a hotel, brothel or even a casino. Any facility can be upgraded to generate more profit. This could include hiring an orchestra or changing the decoration to make a place more attractive. It is also possible to recruit more guards to improve the security of a place as other families will not hesitate to take over your property.
“”I drank my first husband when you were pissing in bed“”
The city is divided into neighborhoods and the ultimate goal is to have the most impact and why not become the owner of a neighborhood in question. A menu enables you to see which factions are active and thus to know your progress in controlling them. The more reputation you have, the more doors are open to you. That way, you can hire more qualified men to serve you and have access to the best equipment. Be aware, however, that there are some barriers to recruiting and, depending on the current makeup of your group, it may not be possible to recruit just one person. For example, some people will refuse to help you because they don’t get along well with other members of your group. This allows for a small amount of reflection and forces you to do nothing.
In order to guarantee the success of your missions, you can upgrade both your main character and those who accompany you. For this, through the city you have the opportunity to access a black market where you can buy weapons, ammunition and material. Here we welcome the work with a whole arsenal of very realistic times. This can range from the classic Colt 1911 pistol, the Lewis machine gun, to the Mosin-Nagant. There is something for every taste and every situation. Obviously, each weapon has its own “bonus” and attributes. The management part of the game is interesting and we really enjoy moving up the ranks. The surge in power is really palpable and exhilarating. It’s a shame that the fighting part has trouble keeping up.
The art and the fashion
It can be seen from the tutorial that combat won’t be the game’s forte. If the title offers many possibilities, then the image of an Xcom, which remains a model of this kind, is far from its flawless side, rendering and its implementation. For example, while it is possible to establish a coverage or vigilance mode, many bugs hinder their implementation. As such, enemies can sometimes overwrite cover, and it’s not uncommon for your character to cross a piece of landscape or have serious problems with fluidity when moving around.
Overall, the fight lacks dynamism and its staging is not good enough to arouse long-term interest. In an Xcom-like game, the fight comes first and lasts from start to finish. Here we want to end a confrontation in a hurry to get over something else because the game fails to get you addicted.
Kingdom of sin also suffers from deeper problems such as the weird possibility of getting a chief into play very quickly in order to have the all-too-quick opportunity to reclaim his entire empire. It’s hard to know if it’s a bug or a gameplay possibility, but it’s clear that it tends to “break the game”.
Finally Kingdom of sin is of course not bad in itself, but it creates a feeling of incompleteness and you get bored and don’t want to go back.
