Now this is a very cool idea. Solo developer Payne Robinson is dropping Execute onto Steam in November, and while the goal—wiping out the world’s 8 billion people—is pure, dark satire, the interface is what caught my eye.
This game doesn’t just borrow an aesthetic; it’s set entirely on a cursed Win98 Desktop. For me, that’s a massive draw, especially as I played a lot of strategy games on Windows 98, from Sid Meier‘s classic Civilization 2 to Championship Manager 97/98 series.
Execute the perfect interface for a morbid strategy sim
For anyone who loves that old-school desktop metaphor—the one that underpinned early management games and strategy sims—this is brilliant. The Win98 interface is more than just a nostalgic backdrop; it acts as the game’s core control panel. It instantly establishes a lo-fi, command-and-control atmosphere that’s absolutely perfect for a strategy sim where you are tasked with managing the annihilation process.
And of course, there’s the name: Execute. You execute a program; a Windows application relies on a .EXE file, an “executable.” It’s a marvellous collision of wordplay and context and… well, I can’t wait to try this one.
It’s an active incremental gameplay experience, which means you’re not waiting around; you are actively engaging with the simulation. You start your destructive empire with a simple guillotine, but the game is all about that progression curve. You quickly advance to unlock new methods and expand your arsenal, managing your resources to afford mines, contraptions, and large-scale machines that scale with your progress.
You’re essentially managing the logistics of global destruction, and having that command-line, desktop-based interface makes it feel like an old-school ’90s management sim, just with a much more gruesome, satirical objective.
Your annihilation starts now
The developer reassures us that the nuclear warheads never fail to disappoint, which is exactly the kind of morbid joke you want from a game with this premise.
If you’re keen to start managing the end of the world via your retro digital desktop, a free playable demo of Execute is available for download on Steam now (although Steam Deck compatibility is unknown). The full launch is coming in November. If you appreciate a management sim where the aesthetic directly enhances the strategy, make sure to wishlist this one!
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.