 | Digital Release | PC November 26, 2009 – Online |
| Delisting | Between Nov 27, 2022 and Dec 05, 2022 | |
| Developer | Cryptic Comet | |
| Publisher | Cryptic Comet | |
| Available On | None (See Below) | |
| Links | Solium Infernum homepage [Archive] Wikipedia page |
Delisting
Designer and developer Vic Davis of Cryptic Comet announced on January 3rd, 2015 that he would be moving away from digital games. Sales and support of his PC games Armageddon Empires, Solium Infernum, Six Gun Saga, and The Occult Chronicles were promised “for as long as they keep running”.
I’ve been selling computer games for over 7 years and it’s been a great ride. Selling games directly from this website has been an increasingly difficult task. My programming skills are so tied to an aging and abandoned development platform that making even a niche title like my previous games is a dubious proposition at best. So I’m leaving the digital space and moving over to the card board arena where I hope my design skills can shine.
It’s a natural transition since my games have all been very board game like. I hope that has been part of their charm. I will naturally continue to support all my customers with tech support and downloads of lost purchases. And I will continue to sell my digital games and support them as well for as long as they keep running. God Bless windows compatibility mode. 🙂
Vic Davis – January 3rd, 2015
Davis would go on to release Armageddon Empires himself on Steam in April of 2021 adding at the time that The Occult Chronicles may join it in the future. Davis also stated that he would like to adapt Solium Infernum for a Steam release, something that would soon come to light albeit not at his hands.
Thanks! everyone. It was a long time coming. Soren actually convinced me that I could do it on my own. 🙂 I’m going to try and get Occult Chronicles up once I fix a difficulty issue that I can address by changing the data files. I’d like to get Solium Infernum up too, but that looks to be much more difficult. I would have to make some significant changes with my own key system and things get messy for a variety of reasons.
Vic Davis on Quarter to Three forums – April 16th, 2021
On September 22nd, 2022 Davis would publish the last blog post on the Cryptic Comet homepage, announcing that developer League of Geeks would be releasing a Solium Infernum remake on Steam in the future. That version would eventually launch on February 22nd, 2024 and is not considered a relisting.
Can’t tell you how excited I am to finally be able to announce that League of Geeks has been handed the infernal torch. The game couldn’t be in better hands. This reboot is going to take the best aspects and core mechanics of my original design and add the steady professionalism, clever creativity and ambitious talents of League of Geeks. It’s a marriage made in Hell.
Vic Davis – September 22nd, 2022
The Cryptic Comet website would then go offline between November 27th and December 5th, 2022. This meant that Cryptic Comet’s games — including the original release of Armageddon Empires and Solium Infernum, as well as the only versions of Six Gun Saga and The Occult Chronicles — were no longer available to buy. Worse still for those who had previously purchased the games, the ability to re-download them had also reportedly been removed around this time.
According to reader Inaba who submitted the games to the site, they and others like them were unable to download their previously purchased titles through email receipts from BMT Micro. This is the software distribution platform that provided Cryptic Comet’s games and as of June 2024 it lists them as “not available for purchase“. Errors in downloading past purchases reportedly began appearing within “a few days” of the September 2022 announcement.
We’ve reached out to Cryptic Comet for a response on the availability of their games. It is worth noting that demos of the four original titles as well as update files from the Cryptic Comet support page can still be downloaded as of June 2024.
About the Game
The Prince of Darkness has vanished and the Infernal Throne sits empty. A conclave of the Powers and Potentates of Hell will be summoned to Pandemonium to select the next ruler of The Infernal Pit. Do you have what it takes to claim the throne and rule Hell? Solium Infernum is a turn based strategy game set in the profoundest depths of Hell.
Assume the role of an Archfiend and customize your avatar to suit your particular game play strategy. Choose the brute force way of the infernal warlord or tread in the shadows as a deceitful, backstabbing power broker…..or amass wealth and rare treasures to buy the throne.
Each incarnation of Hell is unique and a pocket plane unto itself. Travel far enough in a certain direction and wind up where you started. Confront your fellow pretenders to the throne in all directions.
Control over 30 Places of Power like The City of Dis, The Wood of the Suicides and The Temple of Lust. Places of Power can provide you with different resources including prestige. Earn the most prestige when the conclave is called and claim the throne.
Each turn a unique event card is drawn by the player currently designated as the Regent. This solemn responsibility passes from player to player each turn. The Regent can keep the card to play at a later date, discard it to avoid its effects or play it if it is to his advantage and watch his fellow Archfiends scramble to respond.
Demand Tribute from your minions on earth and use them to fuel your fiendish rituals and increase your own dark powers.
Everything is for sale in Hell. Bid on Legions to expand your territorial holdings.
Hire lesser fiends, known as Praetors, to lead your legions into battle.
Acquire Infernal Artifacts and Unholy Relics to increase your power.
Know your place and observe the protocols of Hell. Declare Vendetta on a rival and wager prestige on how effective you are at making him suffer. Drive him to Blood Feud, crush his legions and banish him to the Abyss.
Deception and Lies can be as great a weapon as a legion of fiends. Frame your opponents for vindictive acts of aggression and watch them tear each others throats out.
Simultaneous turns allow you to place your orders and await the heralds and messengers bringing word of the unfolding events in Hell.Play By E-Mail allows up to six players to compete for the Infernal Throne. AI players can be selected to fill in open slots. Single player games versus AI opponents are also available.
Thanks to Inaba for submitting this game to the site