This game was sold to me as a cyberpunk disco elysium where you played as a fugitive on a corporate space station doing anything to survive. Although the comparison is apt, as both games are TTRPG style narrative experiences from burgeoning indie developers and containing a strong anti-capitalist and pro-community message, and this game has taken inspiration from the former in some ways, I feel the comparison ultimately did a disservice to the game, as I came expecting a fun, funny experience full of hijinks.

Instead I got Citizen Sleeper, a much more earnest tale which forgoes' Elysium's humorous cynicism and instead builds a wholesome but realistic and stress inducing experience which sets it apart from contemporaries.

Along the way it also manages to weave in seamlessly the lives of many fantastically illustrated (in both meanings of the word) characters which force an emotional attachment onto the player that makes our player character's decisions feel completely in tune with the players own feelings. There is no need for infinite pathways and dialogue options when you have writers who are simply able to make you want to do what you are allowed to do within the framework of their game.

Mechanically this is more of a game than Disco Elysium, as Citizen Sleeper's carefully designed dice system interacts with the story in such a way as to make you feel the pressure of your situation with every step of the way.

I cannot stress enough how every aspect of this game feels like it's guiding me into personal growth, into my feelings on The Eye and its inhabitants changing in tune with the game's progress as if i was another carefully planned part of the world.

I cannot wait to see what the team at Jump Over The Age has in store for the sequel set in this galaxy that's ripe for further exploration.

addicting ass game that got me to play for a much longer time than i expected.

there were some design annoyances in the form of repetitive missions, constant pressure to go on to the next objective without giving you some time to chill and just fish and run the restaurant, and the need to constantly introduce whole new mechanics that will only be used once instead of building upon the established tools (i mean c'mon, they introduced a new mechanic HALF-WAY INTO THE FINAL BOSS) but overall it never made me wanna play it less because the core gameplay loop is so addictive and the vibes are great (except for some unfunny fatphobic jokes occasionally).