made with @nex3's grid generator
It took me a minute to pinpoint the feeling I'd played Empire of Sin before and then it hit me. Republic: The Revolution; what a storied game.
Developed by wunderkind Demis Hassabis; you know, the creator of DeepMind! The Johnathan Blow of their era, this simulation game was hyped as one of the "most realistic games ever," but after years of delays it was panned for its limited scope.
The sour reception quickly lead to Hassabis' studio shuttering, coining maybe the first ever "risk averse publishing climate."
Republic was even recently delisted from GOG over legal concerns, as Eidos changed owners.
I am so old