Inferno
- Players
- 1-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 3 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 120 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 3.6 / 5
- Year
- 2024
About the game
Inferno reimagines Dante's descent through the nine circles of Hell as a soul management game set against the political intrigue of early 14th-century Florence. Each turn, players guide a soul deeper through the underworld for Infamy Points while also maneuvering in Florence: recruiting street urchins, building towers, or exposing sinners to send them to their doom. As the registry of supplied souls fills, Dante draws ever closer to his descent into Purgatory, driving the game toward its end. The player with the most Infamy Points when Dante departs is crowned, fittingly, the most untrustworthy of all.
Hobbli's Notes
Inferno's Divine Comedy theming is unusually rich for a worker-placement/market euro, layering a thematic soul-guiding mechanism onto more familiar economic systems. Choosing when to advance your own agenda in Florence versus pushing sinners toward Hell creates a compelling moral tension baked into the mechanics. As a newer, fairly heavy release, we haven't had extensive plays to fully vouch for its long-term balance and replayability. Recommended for groups drawn to dark, literary themes paired with substantial euro-game weight.
What we like
- Divine Comedy theme brings unusually strong literary flavor to a euro game.
- Dual-board structure of Hell and Florence adds layered strategic choices.
- Soul-guiding mechanism ties theme and mechanics together thoughtfully.
- Solo mode extends its appeal beyond full-table play.
Keep in mind
- High complexity and long playtime demand an experienced group.
- As a newer release, long-term replay value is still uncertain.
- Some mechanisms may need multiple plays to fully click.
Who it's for
Best for experienced gamers aged 14+ who enjoy heavy, thematic euro games with strong narrative flavor, in groups of 1-4.
