Citizen Sleeper took me by surprise. I hadn’t even heard about this game until I saw it pop up in some lists prior to its release. Even closer to its release, I played Jump Over The Age (the team behind Citizen Sleeper) their previous release ‘In Other Waters’ and liked it a lot, so getting Citizen Sleeper was a no-brainer at that point. The game grabbed my attention all the way through with its simple yet captivating TTRPG gameplay mechanics, all the unique characters and their fascinating stories, and the beautiful art that portrays those characters.
At the start of the game it can be a bit overwhelming with all the information it throws at you, explaining how all its systems and the resource management work. But once the game settles and you start to learn about the world and its characters, it becomes hard to put down.
All the characters have their own unique stories that stand on their own and sometimes intertwine with each other but ultimately their purpose is to grow your own character. It all flows so well and the game is filled with amazing moments that made me happy, sad, and angry. The characters are so well written with their own motivations and relationships and it made me want to explore all their stories.
(Slight spoilers ahead)
The more critical questlines all have their own ending for the game, which usually is a decision between leaving the Eye or staying behind. My only complaint with the game is within those decisions. There isn’t really an ending for when you choose to stay, or the equivalent of that decision, in each questline. You can keep going through cycles and doing tasks, but without a purpose. It would’ve been nice to get some sort of ending for this with some explanation about what happened to the characters that left. It’s a minor complaint because everything else ties up nicely and maybe this is just me being greedy and wanting even more from the game. I’m sure I’ll be visiting this game again in the near future!
Jump Over The Age has won me over with both of their games now and proven they put out the slickest looking games with some of the best narratives and so instantly becoming one of my favourite developers out there. If you’re a fan of narrative focussed games do yourself a favour and try this game, and while you’re at it also give In Other Waters a shot.
Beaten: 14/05/2022
Platform: Nintendo Switch
At the start of the game it can be a bit overwhelming with all the information it throws at you, explaining how all its systems and the resource management work. But once the game settles and you start to learn about the world and its characters, it becomes hard to put down.
All the characters have their own unique stories that stand on their own and sometimes intertwine with each other but ultimately their purpose is to grow your own character. It all flows so well and the game is filled with amazing moments that made me happy, sad, and angry. The characters are so well written with their own motivations and relationships and it made me want to explore all their stories.
(Slight spoilers ahead)
The more critical questlines all have their own ending for the game, which usually is a decision between leaving the Eye or staying behind. My only complaint with the game is within those decisions. There isn’t really an ending for when you choose to stay, or the equivalent of that decision, in each questline. You can keep going through cycles and doing tasks, but without a purpose. It would’ve been nice to get some sort of ending for this with some explanation about what happened to the characters that left. It’s a minor complaint because everything else ties up nicely and maybe this is just me being greedy and wanting even more from the game. I’m sure I’ll be visiting this game again in the near future!
Jump Over The Age has won me over with both of their games now and proven they put out the slickest looking games with some of the best narratives and so instantly becoming one of my favourite developers out there. If you’re a fan of narrative focussed games do yourself a favour and try this game, and while you’re at it also give In Other Waters a shot.
Beaten: 14/05/2022
Platform: Nintendo Switch