This is where Steam's binary Yes/No review really falls flat for me. Because would I recommend this game to most people? No, probably not. However, it also really does not deserve the abysmal rating it has. Let me explain.

What you have with Empire of Sin is two very different genres in one. On the one hand you have a Management Simulator like Tropico with some typical Paradox War-Game elements sprinkled in. And on the other you have an XCOM-like RPG. The problem is, that neither of these parts can stand on their own two feet and you really have to be a fan of both genres to properly enjoy this game.

And even then, to be completely honest, there is already a game very much like this on the market, it's called Omerta: City of Gangsters, and in my humble opinion, that one's just better. Or simply: More refined (Especially with the Japanese Incentive DLC)

HOWEVER! This game is, what I always wish Omerta had: A sand-box like campaign. For those who don't know, Omerta is structured in short (relatively weakly linked) scenario missions within a longer campaign and their endless mode is really not up to snuff. This is where Empire of Sin really shines and why I actually can still recommend it to people who enjoyed Omerta!

And another big thing: This is a Paradox game. Paradox often release "bad" games and it takes some time (=Beta Testing from the Community) until they are good. So we might be in here for the long run, because if they manage to make the Mid-Game more interesting with more stuff to do and less repetition, this might turn out to be a really great game on par with Stellaris and the like. The potential is definetly there! And since there is still an expansion standing out, I am at least confident in the binary "Yes", Steam wants to hear from me. I'll update this review once the expansion drops.

P.S: Please, for the love of god give us a button to speed up the progression of time.