Common Sense Media Review
By Angelica Guarino
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence and language key to challenging mob strategy game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Empire of Sin
What's It About?
In EMPIRE OF SIN, players enter the seedy criminal landscape of prohibition-era Chicago as one of thirteen mob bosses, each with a set of skills and abilities exclusive to them. The main strategy to grow one's empire in acquiring and managing rackets in the forms of casinos, speakeasies, brothels, and breweries. Players will also need to develop a combat strategy by hiring and developing underlings, and leverage relationships with other bosses to determine the correct time to take over their operations. Beyond this, each character has their own set of personal missions and side quests, meaning that everything outside of the main strategic elements is different every time. Using charm to control others may be key to one gangster's strategy, while others may excel at instilling fear in others or simply relying on pure muscle to get what they want. While some are driven by a desire for notoriety, others are entangled in complicated family histories or existing on basic survival instincts. Regardless of their differences, every boss wants the same thing -- to be the last one standing. This makes for thirteen possible storylines instead of one, all blended together by turn-based gunfights, turf wars, and administrative strategies.
Is It Any Good?
While there are many strengths to this impressive strategy/roleplaying/city building combination, its control issues and bugs have the potential to ruin the player's immersion. For instance, one wrong move or failed skill check during a mission for your henchment in Empire of Sin can throw an entire run off course, so saving frequently is a must, which occasionally feels like a distraction. In combat, it's too easy to mis-click an unwanted action or accidentally place a character outside of their allotted movement range. These small missteps add up rather quickly and have a tangible effect on tasks that are dependent on the proper pacing and player focus.
This being said, hardcore strategy game lovers will find it worth the hassle. The most notable accomplishment of Empire of Sin is that it doesn't back down from what it wants to be. Pushing boundaries in games, in this case by including so many moving pieces, will always be risky, but it's better in the long run rather than playing it safe. Empire of Sin could have been much simpler by only including one or even two tasks to focus on, but simpler isn't always better. Setting the bar higher also means that there's more opportunities for patches and bug fixes that may lead to this title fulfilling its full potential, even if it's not there on release day. Warnings regarding flaws aside, the most important takeaway from Empire of Sin is that it's a lot of fun. When you're on a run where everything's coming together, players definitely get the feeling that they are unstoppable. Taking risks and surviving another day always makes hearts skip a beat, and if draws such as aiming to refine battle strategy won't make players come back for more, the goals of finishing an intriguing quest storyline or managing the most profitable casino will.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Empire of Sin affected by the amount of blood spilled in the game? Would the action have the same effect if there wasn't realistic blood or violence included?Though the characters are not objectively branded as "good" or "bad", what effect can playing through violent situations potentially have on people?
Empire of Sin presents impressions of real people in a recreated Chicago mixed with fully fabricated characters, backstories, and quests, but how can you keep facts separate from sensationalized fiction while still enjoying the game?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Paradox Interactive
- Release date : December 1, 2020
- Genre : Strategy
- Topics : Adventures , History
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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