Empire of Sin

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 137
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 137
  3. Negative: 47 out of 137

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  1. quartzelf
    May 25, 2021
    8
    This game has definitely come a long way!!

    There's been a lot of fixes and improvements. I've been happy to watch them come into the game. From what I can see, the game's direction is heavily in favor of the community. There's lots of emphasis on feedback. Although these things take time it's clear to me that there's been A LOT of that put into the upcoming DLCs. I'm excited for the    This game has definitely come a long way!!

    There's been a lot of fixes and improvements. I've been happy to watch them come into the game.

    From what I can see, the game's direction is heavily in favor of the community. There's lots of emphasis on feedback. Although these things take time it's clear to me that there's been A LOT of that put into the upcoming DLCs. I'm excited for the future of Empire of Sin, and my opinion has changed greatly from what it was in December on release. The panels convinced me that this game is going in the right direction, and I think everyone should at least give it a try.    … Expand
  2. pawnshop1977
    May 12, 2021
    8
    This game is so good! I had no idea that a mobster / gangster style game would be so fun, but it's so complex and interesting. Every time I play I learn something new as I start to understand the different screens that manage my empire and relationships. The combat is really great and it's a lot of fun. For useless fights you can even opt out of them by choosing to auto resolve themThis game is so good! I had no idea that a mobster / gangster style game would be so fun, but it's so complex and interesting. Every time I play I learn something new as I start to understand the different screens that manage my empire and relationships. The combat is really great and it's a lot of fun. For useless fights you can even opt out of them by choosing to auto resolve them quickly. Going to war against other factions, making business deals, taking over an opponent's racket and building your empire is such a fun, seamless design - I'm surprised to see how well a turn-based strategy game merged with RPG design with missions and characters would turn out. It's actually amazing, check it out.… Expand
  3. CriticallyMonk
    Feb 24, 2021
    8
    Empire of Sin Review. its here hear for a couple months now and over those 2 months were seen some massive improvements to the game. I had been waiting for this game for over a year! earning itself a 6.5/10 on launch even with its many problems. at the end of the day I'm enjoying myself and that means a lot. The game still missing a little depth. But shows all the signs of being one of theEmpire of Sin Review. its here hear for a couple months now and over those 2 months were seen some massive improvements to the game. I had been waiting for this game for over a year! earning itself a 6.5/10 on launch even with its many problems. at the end of the day I'm enjoying myself and that means a lot. The game still missing a little depth. But shows all the signs of being one of the best gangster games of recent times. With all the improvements they've made and with what's been promised this game now earns 7.5/10 by us at The Critically Clueless Hope you enjoy the game as much as I have… Expand
  4. buzzpuzzle
    Feb 24, 2021
    8
    Since launch this game has had several patches that have fixed exploits and bugs. The latest 1.03 patch included a mini-resolve feature with a full auto resolve coming in 1.04. The game looks slick and is a lot of fun to play now. Recent twitch streamers have also commented on how "really, really good" the game has come in the three months since launch. I think it's a blast and has aSince launch this game has had several patches that have fixed exploits and bugs. The latest 1.03 patch included a mini-resolve feature with a full auto resolve coming in 1.04. The game looks slick and is a lot of fun to play now. Recent twitch streamers have also commented on how "really, really good" the game has come in the three months since launch. I think it's a blast and has a really bright future.… Expand
  5. OrionThedon
    Mar 1, 2021
    10
    Great game I love the art work and combat system the most! Defiantly one of the better games I have played this year!
  6. MEDVE1978
    Dec 25, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not a very bad game, but a lot of wasted good ideas. It looked so fresh, so multidimensional. But sadly, it is just an illusion. At first I tried Angelo Genna at middle difficulty, just to get used to the challenge. I gave it up after a couple of hours, because it was too easy. I chose than the character of Frank Ragen on the boss difficulty. After 3-4 hours you get on a level on which you will be able to get a 3-4 gangster crew and you become unbeatable. You do not even have to use all synergies with your gangsters, a doctor and hired guns are enough. I haven't even tried con artists or demolition experts. I had a pretty easy tactic: got more and more excellent rifles / sniper rifles. With those it is one shot, one kill. Frank Reagen had the homerun special skill, which is a melee ability that kills pretty much everyone or does a KO with very significant damage. In the first couple of games I used it on quite everyone, ran around the houses, and waited for the cooldown to use it again. But after some fights Franks gets better and better. The police never bothered me, I only had to pay them 3-4 times during the game. The FBI and the Buerau of Prohibition is also mentioned, but I never got to fight them.
    There is no real story to every boss, its really a sandbox and unfortunatly that makes it somewhat boring too. After you have beaten 2-3 other bosses, you will have such a big empire that allows you to always have some cash. So you can hire more gangsters and develop them.
    That causes problems I used to encounter in other games like Civilization. It is pretty tough to create a new empire in Civ games, but once you have reached a size - maybe 1,5-2 times as big as the score leader, you will have no more challenges, you can quasi steamroll everyone else. There is no late game challenge, you just have to endure every turn until you conquer everyone or reach scientific victory. With Empire of Sin it is the same, once you have the 3-4 men crew + gang leader you are pretty much unstoppable. To the other aspects of the game:
    1. Graphics are really nice.
    2. The management side is not good. It promises so much with the synergies, ambience and advertising of your speakeasyes / brothels, management of your breweries, but its not worth it. Developing these buildings is really expensive and you do not get the payoff. It's much easier to fight your way to the top by killing the bosses.
    3. Diplomacy and trade. Really bad. You can make mutual benefit trades, which help your rackets, but it does not matter whether you insult your future partners or just try to be kind. Selling booze and other stuff is not really developed either. There were options that the game never used (ask for a favour etc.). It's like a really colorful facade, with nothing usefull behind it.
    4. Technical issues. The game breaks down quite often, I had a lot of these. Twice one of my gangsters simply dissapeared. You could see his character sheet and that he is still employed, but the character wanished and I couldn't find him again. The combat froze multiple times. Once I automatically lost a mission one second after it begun and I couldn't discover why. You can either run to a location or "travel" which is teleport. While running time goes faster, so you can spend days with running. Sometimes "travel" did not work, I clicked and nothing happened.
    5. AI. The AI is dumb. You easily can take out the bosses one by one. They don't ally themselves. While combat, you can have a better chance even with your weaker guards if you go into a room and let them come in while switching to overwatch. They come in like sheep and you can slaughter them. Boss fights are only dangerous with the bosses that have long distance rifles or sniper rifles. But this fades really quickly after you get your own special rifles and sniper rifles.

    So overall it is a mediocre game, but maybe just because I like turned based X com style games. It is really sad, because it teased so much. The AI, the police, the trade mechanics they all could have been fixed to get a better game.    … Expand
  7. TheMediumGamer
    Mar 6, 2021
    9
    The Safehouse changes and combat improvements have made a massive difference in the game since launch. The MVP here is the new auto resolve combat. It's a tremendous quality of life improvement. The devs have been releasing regular updates and I am glad I came back to it! Really enjoying the latest changes.
  8. Bellarmcsb
    Mar 7, 2021
    8
    Now this is the tactical turn-based mob game I was looking for! Just started playing the 1.04 update to Empire of Sin and it’s exactly what I hoped the game would be at launch. In addition to fixing a couple big exploits earlier, they added auto resolve for combat! Finally!
  9. IanSchreiber
    Mar 7, 2021
    9
    This is a unique experience: an Xcom-like combat system but with an empire-building system built on top of that, as well as a bunch of relationships between NPCs that feels like a throwback to the best moments of Jagged Alliance. The devs have been releasing patches since launch so it keeps improving over time - I suspect some of the negative reviews here were looking at the game on dayThis is a unique experience: an Xcom-like combat system but with an empire-building system built on top of that, as well as a bunch of relationships between NPCs that feels like a throwback to the best moments of Jagged Alliance. The devs have been releasing patches since launch so it keeps improving over time - I suspect some of the negative reviews here were looking at the game on day one launch and haven't updated themselves since.… Expand
  10. dynomarriage
    May 12, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After winning my first game as the KING Daniel McKee Jackson I feel like the biggest badass in Chicago. I struggled to beat the other bosses but in the end I made it

    SPOILERS...
    I really loved Daniel’s quest line. I was making so much money I wasn’t even sure what to do with it at one point.... Lol! The more I play Empire Of Sin the more I like it. Guess I’m lucky I wasn’t present on launch because maybe then my opinion would be different... but as it stands I love the game, and am going to go on to playing another game as Angelo Genna.    … Expand
  11. RaysOfGrey
    Jun 14, 2021
    8
    Considering the somewhat mediocre reviews on metacritic...I did not think I would like this game as much as I did. I think I have spend well over 40-45 hours playing this game for 4 days straight.

    I love resource management games, and this game has a little of that with the alcohol distribution system. NOw, I did find...A LOT of bugs and unbalanced issues. But the trying and playing    Considering the somewhat mediocre reviews on metacritic...I did not think I would like this game as much as I did. I think I have spend well over 40-45 hours playing this game for 4 days straight.

    I love resource management games, and this game has a little of that with the alcohol distribution system.
    NOw, I did find...A LOT of bugs and unbalanced issues. But the trying and playing was all the fun.

    I would like to get in touch with the developers though because I think I have a LOT of information on about how to improve the game.

    PRO's:
    1- Fun combat
    2- Enjoyable gameplay
    3- A lot to do
    4-Nice variety of weapons/gear

    CON's:
    1- Not enough variety weapons/gear ;-)
    2- Unbalanced (As of writing this review)
    3- Somewhat stale story telling
    4- Maybe a bit to easy.

    My biggest gripe however is that the AI is just vERY very dull and passive. Once they get to about 15-18 rackets they just STOP expanding. Doing absolutely nothing but wait for their inevitable demise. At no point in any of the difficulty's did I experience an AI that I could not handle.

    Being at war with one of them is more tedious than challanging. You are mostly vastly overpowered compared to them so running around and dealing with their "soldiers" is more of a chore than threat.

    Do give you an example, my rackets run into the DOZENS, up to like 50-60 sometimes even higher.
    So imagine the AI only having 15. You`ll make vastly more amount of money and can thus afford all the best gears and gangsters to give yourself a huge edge. (Even on hardest difficulty)

    Also the "Money making" system is completely busted. Here is how I broke the game:

    I only build brewery's. That's right. NO brothers, NO speakeasy's and NO casino (NEVER build Casino)
    Just BREW bear and sell it straight to the market/minor factions.
    All your gangsters get a part of your income, sometimes as high as 10%. So imagine having 9-10 gangsters who can take upwards of 80-90% of your total profits...thats right....
    BUT...if you sell you alcohol directly to the minor factons, your gangsters won`t see a DIME of that.
    SO I always make sure I have a NEGATIVE income, so that my gangsters take their minimum cut from my profits.

    ANd then I just sell all my alcohol to the factions and make THOUSANDS...
    I.e. 100 wiskey sells for $4.000 so.. With 50-60 rackets you`ll be making around a 1.000 Whiskey or more, you do the math.

    Easy wins.

    Anyways, great game. Would recommend. But highly unbalanced at the moment. DEV`s are working on patches and improvements though. So I doubt this review will remain accurate.    … Expand
  12. jimmyjake
    May 12, 2021
    9
    What a game! I've been waiting to play a modern day mobster game and was surprised to hear the announcement of Empire of Sin back in 2019. I watched all the videos I could over the time they were developing the game, and when it was released I bought it. I didn't have the problems some people had and I've been getting the patches as they were released. The game improved so much with 1.03What a game! I've been waiting to play a modern day mobster game and was surprised to hear the announcement of Empire of Sin back in 2019. I watched all the videos I could over the time they were developing the game, and when it was released I bought it. I didn't have the problems some people had and I've been getting the patches as they were released. The game improved so much with 1.03 that there really isn't anything to complain about - the game is a treat to play. The combat is great, the strategy is great, and I love making alliances and going to war. And every time I play it's different. It's exactly the game I was hoping for.… Expand
  13. piercetheemo
    May 18, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. im a guy who prefers story over anything, so empire of sin's promise of a 1920s chicago world was jus up my alley

    i did my playthrough as mabel ryley. i really found myself enjoying her story, especially with the twist at the end (spoilers, her mother was the one that killed her husband) i have since gone on to play angelo genna and finish his own missions (which largely focus on his brothers)

    honestly my only complaint is that i'd like to see the ai be a bit more agressive bc rn theyre just barely keeping up w me... im playing the new gangster patch so maybe things have changed since    … Expand
  14. MattBoothDev
    Jul 11, 2022
    4
    This game could've been so good, but has the same pitfalls as XCOM. 1 star racket, 4 guards of 55 health each vs my team of 7 heavily armed gangsters, 75% chance of victory? My whole team dies as a result?

    Total ****

    The RNG is terrible. The consrols are needlessly difficulty in consoles. Load times are still
  15. Thyreli23
    Mar 15, 2021
    10
    Truly appreciate this title for what it is: A passion project for a small studio that's excited to push boundaries, combine genres, and tell interesting stories. I did not play the game at launch so I can't speak to that experience, but now, a few patches in, the game runs smoothly, and offers so much value across the board - the combat abilities are interesting, the stories deep &Truly appreciate this title for what it is: A passion project for a small studio that's excited to push boundaries, combine genres, and tell interesting stories. I did not play the game at launch so I can't speak to that experience, but now, a few patches in, the game runs smoothly, and offers so much value across the board - the combat abilities are interesting, the stories deep & intriguing, and both the environment, feel, and music make the world of Empire of Sin come alive. I can only recommend this title to anyone who enjoys Mafia-themed games, empire management, as well as RPG elements sprinkled into the mix. Also, turn-based combat is always fun in my book.… Expand
  16. fluffypandacake
    Mar 17, 2021
    8
    I was a bit nervous to get the game after such a rocky release but it absolutely has improved since. New updates have added loads of new stuff like auto-resolve. I’m happy to have picked it up and I think there is lots more for this game in the future. Going to be following it’s updates !!! :P i would give it a go if you’re into RPG and strategy games
  17. bpeterson
    May 4, 2021
    9
    I got this game on GamePass and didn't know what to expect. It didn't specifically target one genre as it has RPG elements and missions, but it also has combat like one of my favorite games, XCOM2. So, I wasn't sure what to expect, but omg am I glad I installed it. To put it simply, it's so refreshing to find a game that can combine elements of several genres and do it so well.

    I    I got this game on GamePass and didn't know what to expect. It didn't specifically target one genre as it has RPG elements and missions, but it also has combat like one of my favorite games, XCOM2. So, I wasn't sure what to expect, but omg am I glad I installed it. To put it simply, it's so refreshing to find a game that can combine elements of several genres and do it so well.

    I wondered why I hadn't heard about the game before so I looked at MC and some other sites and I can't believe what I'm playing is what was written about this game. The recent patches must have fixed things because it is so much fun, and I feel there's still so much I have to learn about the way the different parts work with each other. Just amazing. I hope this is the future of strategy games!    … Expand
  18. BenCooper
    May 18, 2021
    10
    I love old mafia movies and classic shows, and I was surprised when i found this game on Game Pass. I decided to try it out and was pleasantly surprised – it scratched my mobster itch and made me laugh because the dialogue and violence was so casual. Lots of strategy with XCOM fighting and tons of characters means I'm going to be spending a long time figuring this one out.
  19. fireblazing
    May 27, 2021
    6
    I have really been enjoying Empire of Sin so far. The setting, music and story is deeply immersive. The missions are my favorite part. I really like managing my own empire but I still feel like the game should have more AI strength. I think that they should expand more aggressively. Having said that there have been changes (that I have noticed) especially in the newest patch that improvedI have really been enjoying Empire of Sin so far. The setting, music and story is deeply immersive. The missions are my favorite part. I really like managing my own empire but I still feel like the game should have more AI strength. I think that they should expand more aggressively. Having said that there have been changes (that I have noticed) especially in the newest patch that improved the AI significantly... Just still a ways to go until I'd consider it buffed out.

    Regardless Empire of Sin is definitely a game I've found myself enjoying currently.    … Expand
  20. starssun
    May 28, 2021
    7
    Alright game . Just got on Gamepass.

    Would like to see more content , missions and music .
  21. SzczepanWos
    Jun 25, 2021
    8
    Great game. 40 euro is a bit expensive for me tho. I would say you to get this one on sale. Bc while it's fun, it definitely still needs some work with balancing.
  22. RecordCollect
    Jul 5, 2021
    8
    Good stuff, I've had a fun time with this game so far.

    One thing I'd like to focus on: I love the RPG side of each gangster with unique backstories and personalities. It feels like every time I boot up Empire of Sin, there's always going to be some crazy stuff going on with my gangsters. I think it's fair to say that one of the 'high selling points' of this game is the randomness of it.    Good stuff, I've had a fun time with this game so far.

    One thing I'd like to focus on: I love the RPG side of each gangster with unique backstories and personalities. It feels like every time I boot up Empire of Sin, there's always going to be some crazy stuff going on with my gangsters. I think it's fair to say that one of the 'high selling points' of this game is the randomness of it. Your gangsters can fall in love, send you on missions and develop their own traits. It's all very high level and one of my favorite parts easily.

    The combat as well is great. Turn based with intense music and gory executions make for an enjoyable, almost goofy experience.

    Love it.

    [ 8/10 ]    … Expand
  23. naughtywolf3
    Jul 9, 2021
    8
    I got Empire of Sin on sale. I watched a lot of videos on it when it released. Hence why I waited as long as I did to get it.

    This is a review of the game's current state: BUGS: I found no major bugs during my playthrough aside from stupid AI. The rival gangs just don't seem to expand in a way that makes much sense, it's as if they just stop at some point and the play gets a bit    I got Empire of Sin on sale. I watched a lot of videos on it when it released. Hence why I waited as long as I did to get it.

    This is a review of the game's current state:

    BUGS: I found no major bugs during my playthrough aside from stupid AI. The rival gangs just don't seem to expand in a way that makes much sense, it's as if they just stop at some point and the play gets a bit predictable atp. In the sense of LITERAL bugs though; Really, the worst that I saw on launch is *mostly gone - I think that Romero Games has managed to stabilize it fairly well over the months so if you're concerned about crashes, don't be. I think though there's a precinct update coming so this review (and critique of AI) could be completely different depending on how much that overhauls the current systems.

    STORY: Really fun. There's a lot of missions and stuff to do around the city. Boss missions are different depending on who you play. There's 13 bosses so I can't really see you running out of things to do.

    MUSIC: Probably the best part of the game.

    It's good, but there is the possibility for one amazing game here. With a bit of push, balancing and depth, I can see the current systems becoming all the more enjoyable. 8/10.    … Expand
  24. techfrizzy
    May 28, 2021
    8
    Big Paradox fan here!

    I'm surprised to see so many negative reviews. I was curious why when I came here to review, and found that most, if not all of them are from the launch period of this game. :( Unlucky. Now, if I can hold your attention for just a moment... And maybe convince you to give this a go... Allow me. Empire of Sin definitely was a struggling title for a while. I    Big Paradox fan here!

    I'm surprised to see so many negative reviews. I was curious why when I came here to review, and found that most, if not all of them are from the launch period of this game. :( Unlucky.

    Now, if I can hold your attention for just a moment... And maybe convince you to give this a go... Allow me.

    Empire of Sin definitely was a struggling title for a while. I think some people even avoided it because of the cred it built in December. It was buggy, unrealised and a nightmare with its UI. Seemed like everything was on fire for a bit for both Paradox and Romero Games. I couldn't even play the switch version for a while since it was so choppy...

    Though things were handled it seems. The game has been out for a few months now and over those months we've seen patches 1.03, 1.04, 1.05 and got a future content announcement at PDXCon. I've been playing along the way and found that the largest improvements were:

    1. Changes to safehouses (you now have to discover them instead of them being revealed)
    2. AI changes
    3. Mission fixes
    4. Auto-resolve
    5. New thug models

    Those are just some of my favourites. There's been a lot of depth put into the game though and I especially have to applaud this game's visuals on Switch these days. They have really improved in so many ways since launch.

    All in all I think that I'll keep waiting for more content. I have high hopes for this game and am quite sure that its going in the right direction. I think you should give it a go if you haven't.    … Expand
  25. AlGil_meta
    Dec 2, 2020
    0
    America 30th with woman and afroamericans in gansters? Game destroying real hystory.
  26. dyingdynamite
    May 25, 2021
    10
    New player here! The devs gave such a good performance at PDXCon that I was inclined to play EoS soon after, lol.

    EoS is great. Open world, missions and empire management! I've been convincing my friends to play since I've been having so much fun lately. Can't wait for the DLC!
  27. maxoff124
    Feb 25, 2021
    10
    Love the era, love the characters, and love the music!

    It seems there were early bugs, but there have been a lot of updates and I only just started playing it so I haven't hit any of them.
  28. Sniper524
    Feb 23, 2021
    9
    On launch, the game definitely had issues. The most recent update fixed my biggest gripes with the game. Safehouse exploit closed and biggest significant issues addressed. Playing on PC. I've actually been enjoying the game a lot.
  29. jminton
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    Empire of Sin is terrific. I started playing after the last patch and have not had a single issue. The turn based combat is a blast, The world is gorgeous. The theme is perfectly executed - including terrific missions and characters. It is clear the the game is super deep, but I'm don't have to dive into everything at once which I appreciate. Highly recommended!
  30. peaches12
    May 13, 2021
    7
    it's good but needs more to it. too shallow of playthrough ... it is fun but it feels like it needs more
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Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 49
  3. Negative: 5 out of 49
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2021
    70
    Set in atmospheric Chicago in 1920s, Empire of Sin puts you in a role of a crime boss aiming to become the biggest fish in the underworld. It borrows from many genres and all its intertwined gameplay mechanics (business management, RPG elements, turn-based combat that bears a striking resemblance to the XCOM series) are deep enough to create an engaging experience that requires constant attention. Apart from shallow diplomacy and unsophisticated enemy AI, Empire of Sin’s problem is that while it was skillfully put together from tried-and-true components, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. [02/2021, p.56]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 12, 2021
    40
    All around a very mediocre gangster strategy game. Its greatest strengths are its greatest problems crowned with way too much repetition and unbalanced difficulty. [Issue#309]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Feb 17, 2021
    79
    John and Brenda proved that they still have the skills to make a passable game, but with a duet like that, we’ve expected a lot more creativity. [Issue#251, p.60]
See all critic reviews »