Mi-Clos Studio Announces New Game Releasing In Late 2020

Fans of indie developer Mi-Clos Studio (Out There, Sigma Theory) will be pleased to know that the developers have been working on a new, turn-based game. In their latest offering, Silmaris: Dice Kingdom, you'll be playing as the leader of Thylla, and will be attempting to "restore the lost power of your kingdom". Like their previous offerings, your gameplay can twist and turn in any direction, based on your decisions, so be prepared for the inevitable mulligans you'll be calling for.

In Silmaris, you'll need to pick and choose your advisors based on their skillsets, in the hopes that they'll bring you some advantages, as you attempt to subdue other monarchs in the area and make your claim as the true leader. The game also promises to be filled with interesting features, including the ability to spy on enemies or opt for a peaceful, trading unions, depending on your preferences.

In the announcement, there is also a hint of something bigger at play, suggesting you'll need to ready your empire for a major attack from an unknown being. If Silmaris is anything like their previous releases, this new game is sure to offer up a little something for any PC player, whether that's tactical gameplay or interesting interactions. All-in-all, we definitely recommend keeping this on your radar, ready for the release later this year.

Silmaris: Dice Kingdom key features:

• A dark and merciless universe. Expect to lose your crown in any way possible, but always for good reason!
• Dozens of immersive stories and unexpected twists
• Choose your style. Will you rule with an iron fist, or with peaceful diplomacy? Will you be bold or cunning?
• Recruit advisors, develop their skills, and send them on missions around the valley
• Resist your enemies, besiege their cities and make them your vassals
• Establish trade routes and smuggling rings
• Plot to overthrow opposing monarchs
• Use diplomacy to lead a great alliance
• Explore the world as you search for hidden treasure and forgotten artifacts
• Manage your action dice and use your Fate points with care

First Look: Sigma Theory

     Sigma Theory is the latest offering from the team of Mi-Clos Studios and FibreTigre, also known as the team who brought us the multi-award winning "Out There", and it's every bit as deep and evocative as it's predecessor. To read it's summary often ends with more questions than answers, so I decided that this was something I was going to have to look up once I arrived at PlayExpo.

   I wasn't disappointed. It's a game that doesn't sit too well with descriptions, as it's blurb can attest:

"Sigma Theory is a single-player near-future espionage strategy game that takes place during a new cold war."
    However, once I started playing the preview that was available at the convention, it suddenly became much more clear. Sigma Theory allows you to hire spies- all of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses- and send them out to obtain information. How they get that information is up to you and what you do with it can either lead humanity into a utopia, or to ruin.

        The joy in this game is that there are no bad guys, unless you decide to become one. Your spies have free will and can rebel against you at any time, depending on what you make them do or what type of person they are, and you can cause your spies to be caught and killed in action. Every choice you make will have a knock-on effect for the rest of the game and losing information does not mean that it's Game Over. 

      This is a well thought-out game, that has a rather meaningful origin. When asked what sparked the idea for the game, the creator Michael Peiffert told me "it started with a discussion between me and my friend. We were discussing politics and how it is so easy for everyone to say 'this decision, that the government has made on our behalf, it's so stupid'- but we don't know the whole story. The politicians have so much more information, they have so many secrets and we thought 'what if we can make a game, where we put people in this position?'. So that's what we did"

    It's easy to see how you could lose hours playing Sigma Theory. The game makes a complicated premise really easy to use, and it's a credit to the developers. Most importantly, this game is fun- and I can't wait to play more.