Sleeper Hit Gets Even Bigger!

It’s time to wake up again, Sleeper. The Starward Belt needs you, or more, you need it. ‘Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector’ published by Fellow Traveller and developed by Jump Over the Age, is a sequel to 2022’s indie sci-fi “sleeper” hit, ‘Citizen Sleeper’. Citizen Sleeper came out of nowhere and caught me by surprise with its beautifully written narrative, simple tabletop RPG gameplay, and chill lo-fi soundtrack.

So when I learned only recently that a sequel was on the way, I hoped I would get more of the same. Not only does it succeed, but Starward Vector expands on the original in every way imaginable. It’s bigger, way harder, and not afraid to make you question things. Think of the leap between ‘Mass Effect’ and ‘Mass Effect 2’, that comparison will come full circle later.

Like the first game, you play as a Sleeper, an emulated “human” consciousness in a synthetic body. You’re grappling with your new existence, forging your identity, having escaped Essen-Arp, the corporation that created you, all while evading a relentless hunter with his own mysterious goals.

Before starting your journey, you choose from three classes: Operator, Machinist, or Extractor. For my playthrough, I chose the Extractor, and the game took me approximately 30 hours to complete.

The narrative once again takes centre stage. I laughed, gasped, felt anger at twists and turns, and even shed a tear at one point. From start to finish, the story was well crafted, sad but often uplifting. It blends thought-provoking sci-fi and cyberpunk themes with real-world issues, making the experience deeply poignant.

Gareth Damien Martin’s writing is exceptional, leaving me to ponder real philosophical questions about life, the future, and the unstoppable flow of time. If you thought the first game was packed with great lines/quotes, the sequel takes it up a notch, even if there are occasional typos, which I’m sure can and will be patched.

The characters are well-written, with unique personalities and interesting stories. Whether they’re on your side or working against you, each feels real, with motivations tied to the lived in, interconnected world. It’s all the more impressive considering the game’s tabletop RPG format.

The dice-based gameplay makes a return but has been significantly evolved upon. As you explore the stations and locations in the Starward Belt, the RNG-based system for safe, risky, and dangerous outcomes returns. Positive outcomes reward you with cryo chits (the in-game currency) or ship upgrade parts, while dangerous outcomes result in energy loss or a new mechanic to the sequel: stress. The stress system adds tension, as I often found myself strategising how to allocate dice to avoid disaster.

Building up too much stress causes your dice to break one by one. If all your dice break, the consequences depend on the game’s difficulty level. Stress becomes most prominent in the game’s biggest new feature. Contracts.

Contracts function as quests, requiring you to use your dice within five cycles to complete objectives. Failing a contract can lead to significant consequences due to the game’s branching storylines. These contracts are offered by the richly developed characters you meet or through interactions with the world.

Unlike the first game, which was set in a single location, Starward Vector has you travelling across the Starward Belt aboard the Rig, a ship that serves as your home. The Rig requires fuel to reach new destinations, adding another layer of resource management.

When you begin a contract, you select a destination via the map, another new feature to the game then decide which crew members to bring along, akin to Mass Effect 2. Told you we’d come full circle. Your choice of crew affects the outcome since trust levels influence how quests play out, especially in major story beats.

These new and returning mechanics combine to create a simple yet satisfying gameplay loop. Each location offers what you need to succeed as you balance supplies, fuel, and survival.

Graphically, the game is unique. Detailed character art shows their journeys, showing scars and injuries, while the locations are very basic graphics wise yet are distinct, whether it’s a huge cyberpunk city or an abandoned ship floating in the cosmos.

Adding to the experience is a fantastic sci-fi soundtrack, that complements the atmosphere. Then underneath the soundtrack, sound effects add to the scenes; icy asteroids crack, groan and shift beneath lo-fi beats, while abandoned stations churn with metallic cries. These details add to the game’s world.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector builds on everything that made the original great, introducing new features that elevate the experience. Its twisting, turning narrative, refined mechanics, and atmospheric world make it a great standout in the indie sci-fi genre. Returning fans will be delighted, and new players are in for a journey well worth taking.

Written by: Dylan Kocins