With a new found sense of tension, and showpiece Contract missions, Citizen Sleeper is transformed.
This follow-up has improved the RPG formula in every way.
There’s a moment a few hours intoCitizen Sleeper 2where I’m on the back foot and failing.
Timers tick down before I can do anything about them.
Enemies I’m running from catch up with me and beat me down and break me.
Simultaneously I realise: I love it.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector review
Citizen Sleeper 2 isn’t afraid to let you fail.
A whole new suite of mechanics is designed to pile the pressure on and put you in uncomfortable situations.
Under tension, the series is transformed.
At the heart of it all is the game’s new set-up: a ship and crew.
This ship and crew set-up opens up the game enormously.
Each of these places looks and feels like somewhere else, and has a personality of its own.
The ship brings something else vitally important too: companionship.
Can you help someone out?
They’ll make it worth your while.
Maybe they can hop on and join you?
And what this allows the game to do is take stories on the move with you.
It works much better this way.
There’s also something of value out here to salvage too.
The dice-rolling system of the first game returns here.
But there’s a price: Stress.
Similarly, if a companion’s stress maxes out,theywill be temporarily taken out of the game.
Already tight missions become orders of magnitude harder.
Bowl into a mission blase, under the assumption you’ll do everything, and you will come undone.
The game’s newfound energy doesn’t all come from mechanics.
A forgotten archive encased in an asteroid, storing knowledge thousands of years old: tell me more.
A prison-like mining planet ready to mutiny: let me at ‘em.
Deceptive crewmates: bring it on.
This craft is evident right down to the delivery of the writing itself.
There’s very little wastage - I’ve always loved this about Citizen Sleeper.
Short sharp chunks: that’s how it’s delivered.
You see this, you do this, and someone says that.
There’s a motoring sense of momentum to it.
Click to interact to receive another dollop.
It never swamps you.
And it’s so important, this writing, because it’s the engine of the game.
The writing powers it all.
One or two a night feels like a nice pace to play the game at.
I’m glad for many reasons, not least because I don’t know how you’d follow this.
But I am really splitting hairs.
Citizen Sleeper 2 is terrific.
A copy of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector was provided for review by Fellow Traveller.
