Hello friends and gamers, welcome back to the Game Gush zone! Do you want to experience 1920s jazz music, taking a gamble on casinos, strutting your stuff as a gangster, ruling an empire starting from the bottom, and my personal favorite, unleashing mayhem on disobedient thugs with a golden Tommy gun? Sweet! You can find all of those ideas in Empire of Sin.
Empire of Sin is rated 6/10 on Steam and 63% on Metacritic, and that’s exactly why the gaming community can be damaged. Although Empire of Sin is not for everyone, I thoroughly enjoy the game. I’m glad I didn’t let reviews stop me from trying it out. Of course, I have Game Pass to thank because I never heard of Empire of Sin until it was added to the list. Empire of Sin was released on December 1, 2020, for all platforms. Developed by Romero Games and published by Paradox Interactive.
What is Empire of Sin?
Empire of Sin is a 1920s mafia-inspired empire management video game that takes place during the Prohibition era. It was released on December 1, 2020, for all platforms and supported empire-building with tactical turn-based combat, resource management, trade smarts, and leadership abilities to rise to the top of your neighborhood.
Empire of Sin Crime Family Leader
Hit the streets with 14 different mob bosses that you can play as; all with a separate storyline to sprinkle a bit of flavor to the game’s replayability.
Daniel McKee Jackson
Generous and empathetic. Politically ambitious for change. Secretly operates one of the most profitable casinos in all of Chicago.
Mabel Ryley
Simultaneously vicious and kind. Mabel gained control of the Alley Cats from her deceased husband and aims her sights on taking control over the rest of Chicago.
Joseph Saltis
Controlling the power of the community, Joseph operates on bootlegging prowess and diplomacy. Seeks to graduate from bar owner to business magnate and eventually the owner of the city.
Frankie Donovan
Hailing all the way from Ireland, Frankie is a five-time marksman, fearless in combat, and incredibly cool under pressure. He has nothing to lose and only cares about making a name for himself.
Salazar Reyna
Immigrating from Oaxaca, Mexico, Salazar comes to Chicago wanting two things: money and glory. Brutal and unstoppable, Salazar will destroy and conquer anyone in his path to rise to the top of Chicago.
Goldie Garneau
Goldie runs the most exotic and popular speakeasy in town. She’s a popular woman, appearing to be stupidly social and an easy target. Behind her visage, Goldie calculates everything with an acute eye and follows up on her plans to rule the city.
Frank Ragen
Frank is all about dirty money and bribery. Paying politicians, policemen, and city staff, all that’s left for Frank is to earn respect. Once the integrity of mob boss is filled, he’ll be able to run Chicago with an iron fist and paid votes.
Sai Wing Mock
Bold, prideful, and unwavering, Sai Wing Mock plans to turn Chicago into his kiddie pool and control all the city has to offer.
Angelo Genna
Born as a middle brother to the crime family, Angelo is versed in gangster politics and smuggling operations. Ruthless and dominating, Bloody Angelo stops at nothing until his enemies are begging on their knees
Maggie Dyer
Master of intimidation and persuasion, Maggie gets what she wants, when she wants. After managing the circus for years, she is ready for the next level of profits and taking over Chicago.
Stephanie St. Clair
Card Sharks from New York, Stephanie’s family are ferocious and fearless leaders that are not to be trifled with. Similar to the Genna family, Stephanie is just as ruthless and will conquer anyone in her path.
Alphonse Capone
The notorious alpha gang leader, Al Capone. Mastermind of the criminal world, Al Capone came to win. He’ll use anything at his disposal to get rid of his competition.
Elvira Duarte
Elvira uses her brilliant mind to sway members to her side, provoking a fierce loyalty to those that follow her. Known as a queen among empires, Elvira will outwit her opponents rather than use brute force.
Dion O’Banion
Owner of a flower shop, Dion uses powerful international connections as a front to gain loyalty and weapons. He’ll sell his enemies lilacs and then trade them for pockets full of posies.
Additional Game Gush Games on Game Gush Gamer
Empire of Sin Respected Gameplay Elements
Gunfire Sound Effects!
This might sound a little sus in ASMR territory, so forgive me, but I really love the gunfire sound effects for each weapon! Most games add typical automatic rifle sounds which focus on the velocity and trajectory of a bullet, but Empire of Sin incorporates the powerful impact of a rifle bolt or shotgun slug. When I see an enemy fly against the wall and slouch to the ground during a tactical turn-based combat segment, I honestly believe I’m firing a 1920’s shotgun because it sounds powerful and authentic! The ragdoll physics of the enemy react correctly (most of the time) to where they are hit and then fall differently depending on the environment. I know, I enjoy weird things lol.
Crew Relationships
The relationships between loyal gang members were such a cool idea for the devs to add too. If one of your crew members is in love with someone in another crime family, sometimes they will literally opt-out of combat that involves their lover. On the other hand, maybe you are interested in hiring a sophisticated hitman, but the one you want hates your gunman’s guts. Well, you’ll have to choose between the two because they won’t work together. This system adds another level of strategy you can implement when taking over rackets and neighborhoods.
Short and Long Playthroughs
I learned my lesson for long playthroughs, so if you do play Empire of Sin, start with the smallest number of family opponents and neighborhoods. It’s not that it’s more difficult with more families and neighborhoods, but it just takes a LOOOOOONG time to successfully complete a game from start to finish when you do. You are able to save your game manually, which helps to complete the longer playthroughs after a few days, and the game autosaves periodically for a backup.
I’m a gamer dad and need smaller playthroughs in case I have to leave or find my daughter getting into something she shouldn’t (crazy kids). I’m not too sure what I was thinking when starting a strategy game with the maximum ten neighborhoods and max capacity of crime families. Yeah, so there’s your warning to start with only 3 neighborhoods and fewer crime families if you’re looking for a fun and casual match to complete in less than 24 hours. Seriously, if I didn’t have a backlog of like 1,000 video games to play, I would be playing Empire of Sin a lot more!
