Laws of Civilization

Laws of Civilization is a turn-based political simulator where players take control of a political party in one of 15 real-world nations like the US, Russia, or South Korea, campaigning with promises to voters, winning elections, and then navigating parliament to approve or abolish over 100 laws, manage lawmakers’ experience, popularity, and loyalty, bribe rivals, build alliances, and appoint the president to shape the nation’s destiny.

Laws of Civilization: Review

Introduction

In an era where video games increasingly grapple with the complexities of power, governance, and moral ambiguity, Laws of Civilization emerges as a stark, unflinching mirror to real-world politics. Released initially as a mobile title in 2018 by indie developer SomniumSoft, this turn-based political simulator distills the cutthroat machinations of parliamentary democracy into a compact, addictive framework. Players don’t wield swords or build empires in the vein of Sid Meier’s Civilization—instead, they navigate elections, broken promises, bribes, and backroom deals to shape a nation’s fate. As a game historian, I’ve pored over its sparse but telling documentation, from MobyGames entries to developer forums, revealing a title born from passion rather than polish. My thesis: Laws of Civilization is a pioneering indie gem that punches above its weight, offering profound satirical insight into political cynicism while laying the groundwork for its more ambitious sequel, Lawgivers II, cementing its place as an underappreciated cornerstone of the managerial simulation genre.

Development History & Context

Laws of Civilization was the brainchild of Damian Bernardi, operating under the banner of SomniumSoft, a one-person (or very small-team) indie outfit. Development traces back to at least 2016, when Bernardi first teased the project on platforms like IndieDB as a “political simulator” actively iterated since the prior year. Conceived as a “mini game” for mobile, it leveraged the Unity engine—ideal for cross-platform ports amid the 2018 mobile gaming explosion, where touch-based sims like Plague Inc. and Game of War dominated app stores.

The timeline reflects bootstrapped grit: An iOS beta in May 2018 followed a failed Kickstarter campaign in January, yet Bernardi pushed forward, launching on iPhone (November 15, 2018), Android, and iPad that year. Desktop adaptations hit Steam for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh in 2019, complete with a demo to entice wary PC players. Updates like 0.9.75 (June 2017) and 0.9.61 (April 2017) iterated on AI, new nations (e.g., United Kingdom), and core mechanics, showcasing responsive dev logs on IndieDB.

Contextually, 2018’s gaming landscape was ripe for political sims amid global elections and populism’s rise—think Brexit, Trump-era polarization. Yet, the genre was niche, overshadowed by 4X giants like Civilization VI (2016). Technological constraints favored Unity’s efficiency: fixed/flip-screen visuals suited mobile touch inputs, while no in-app purchases, DLC, or virtual currency aligned with ethical indie ethos post-Star Wars Battlefront II loot box backlash. Bernardi’s vision—simulating “illegal/unmoral activities like corruption or assassinations”—targeted realism over spectacle, positioning it as a counterpoint to bloated AAA titles. Over 30,000 mobile copies sold validated this, funding desktop ports despite no major publisher backing.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Laws of Civilization eschews traditional narrative arcs for emergent storytelling through simulation, a hallmark of managerial games like Democracy 3. There’s no protagonist or voiced characters; instead, you’re the faceless puppetmaster of a political party in one of 15 nations (US, Russia, South Korea, and others). The “plot” unfolds in phases: pre-election interviews where you tailor promises to voter blocs (e.g., gun control, minimum wage, pollution), electoral campaigns promising utopia, and post-victory parliamentary intrigue.

Themes cut deep into political realism. Cynicism vs. Idealism dominates: Promise healthcare reforms to win votes, then betray them for power—mirroring realpolitik where rhetoric trumps results. Corruption’s Seduction shines via “black money” for bribes, loyalty boosts, or assassinations, editable constitutional rules allowing systemic perversion (e.g., abolishing term limits). Laws—over 100 ordinary and constitutional—affect multifaceted metrics: happiness, safety, environment, healthcare. Approve pollution controls? Environment thrives, but industry suffers. Science advances (38 total) add progression, unlocking policy depth.

Dialogue is minimalist: Interview soundbites and law debates via text pop-ups, evoking sterile parliamentary logs. No deep characters, but lawmakers have stats (experience, popularity, loyalty), humanizing the machine—neglect them, and defections erode your majority. Satirically, it skewers democracy’s facade: Build party relations, appoint presidents, yet true power lies in majority votes and shadows. Forum praise (e.g., alternatehistory.com) highlights “important real-life issues,” underscoring its thematic bite—gun rights vs. safety, echoing US debates—without preachiness, inviting player complicity in moral grayness.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Laws of Civilization is a tight turn-based loop of electioneering → governance → reelection, deconstructing politics into accessible systems. Pre-election: Select a party, poll voters, craft promises via sliders (e.g., “raise minimum wage?”). Campaigning sways seats through tailored populism.

Parliament phase innovates: Manage a roster of lawmakers, each with experience (voting efficacy), popularity (voter appeal), and loyalty (defection risk). Propose/abolish laws via plenary votes—secure majority through bribes (black money drain), alliances, or presidential appointment. UI is clean, touch-optimized: Fixed-screen parliament overview shows seats, meters for national stats (happiness, economy), and law lists. Flip-screen aids mobile portrait mode.

Progression blends simulation depth: 38 science advances gate policies; black money funds dirty tricks (corruption scandals tank rivals). Flaws emerge—AI parties can be predictable, lacking Crusader Kings-level scheming; UI clunkiness on desktop (per PCGamingWiki stubs) hampers widescreen. Yet innovations shine: Editable constitution lets you rewrite rules mid-game, turning democracies autocratic. No combat, but “assassinations” add tension. Pacing rewards short sessions (mobile roots), with high replayability across nations—Russia’s autocracy vs. US federalism alters dynamics.

Lists of strengths:
– Accessible Depth: Promises → votes → laws loop in 30-60 minutes.
– Moral Choices: Fulfill pledges for loyalty, or betray for short-term wins.
Weaknesses:
– Repetitive mid-game without war/resource mods (teased for sequel).
– Minimal feedback loops; crashes rare but unpatched (Unity quirks).

Overall, mechanics evoke Democracy meets Papers, Please, flawed but brilliantly focused.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The “world” is abstract parliamentarianism across 15 nations, each with tailored electorates, parties, and issues—US gun debates, Russian strongman vibes. No sprawling maps; fixed/flip-screen zooms on chambers, evoking C-SPAN tedium turned thriller. Atmosphere builds via escalating crises: Happiness plummets from ignored laws, sparking unrest.

Visuals are utilitarian Unity fare—clean 2D icons, meters, portraits. Mobile-first design prioritizes readability: Vibrant party colors, law cards with icons (e.g., factory for pollution). Desktop ports scale adequately, though ultra-widescreen lacks support. Art direction: Stark, diagrammatic—parliament as chessboard, reinforcing thematic detachment.

Sound design is sparse (royalty-free assumed): Subtle chimes for votes, ambient murmurs simulating plenary. No orchestral swells; focus on tactile feedback—coin clinks for bribes heighten corruption’s thrill. These elements amplify immersion: Visual simplicity spotlights systems, sound’s minimalism underscores political silence (broken promises unspoken).

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was muted—no MobyGames or Metacritic critic scores, zero player reviews there. Niche buzz prevailed: 30,000+ mobile sales (per Steam blurb) signaled grassroots success; alternatehistory.com hailed it “impressive” for visuals and issues like “gun control, pollution.” Forums praised free Lite edition; Steam sales hovered low ($1.74-$6.99), but demo encouraged trials.

Commercially modest—collected by 2 MobyGames users—yet enduring: Part of Lawgivers series, directly spawning Lawgivers II (2023) with ministers, wars, world maps. Influences subtle: Prefigures Political Animals-style sims, echoes Civilization‘s policy trees in parliament focus. In indie history, it exemplifies mobile-to-PC pivots amid Unity’s rise, anti-monetization stance. Reputation evolved from obscurity to cult curiosity, cited in databases like Gamesense.co for “politics” tags.

Conclusion

Laws of Civilization distills democracy’s dark heart into a masterful, if unpolished, sim—its election-to-enactment loop, corruption mechanics, and nation-spanning variety offering replayable satire absent in flashier titles. SomniumSoft’s journey from failed Kickstarter to 30k sales underscores indie resilience, while its Unity bones and mobile roots democratize political gaming. Flaws like AI repetition pale against innovations in editable constitutions and black-money intrigue. Verdict: An essential historical artifact, scoring 8.5/10 for niche mastery. Essential for strategy fans; its legacy endures in Lawgivers II, proving small visions reshape genres. Play it—then reflect on your own ballot.