
Citizen Sleeper
Release Date: May 5, 2022
RPG, cyberpunk, science fiction, elements of strategy, indie games, Game Pass, PS Plus Premium, PS Plus Extra, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Citizen Sleeper is an RPG inspired by tabletop role-playing games. This time the developer of The Other Waters takes us to a fallen space station, where as a corporate employee we try to survive and escape our former employer.
Citizen Sleeper is a cyberpunk RPG from independent one-man studio Jump Over The Age (In Other Waters). After their debut game with artificial intelligence, the team decided to bring us on another trip to the fictional future with Fellow Traveler company. This time we get to an old cyberpunk space station.
Plot
The main character of the game is the Sleeper, a digital personality locked in an artificial body and a former employee of the Essen-Arp corporation. "Former" because the protagonist escaped from the employer and is currently hiding on Erlin's Eye. The station, once a symbol of idealists, has its best days behind it. Anarchist alliances and remnants of factions maintain a semblance of order here.
In this place full of different individuals, the hero hopes to hide from the sight of Erlin's Eye. However, Erlin's Eye will not give up so easily in order to find her property, which she claims to be her employees. As if that weren't enough, Sleeper's employers have ensured that his artificial body won't be able to survive for too long.
So Sleeper must quickly find allies and discover the secrets of Erlin's Eye, a knowledge that may allow the hero to free himself from Essern-Arp's influence once and for all. Above all, however, Sleeper must try to survive the next cycles.
Game mechanics
In terms of game mechanics, Citizen Sleeper draws heavily from tabletop role-playing games. The game is divided into cycles, at the beginning of which we throw dice, and then assign them to a selected action or event ( dice placement; in computer games this solution was used, among others, by Dicey Dungeons). We also have clocks showing the actions of the main character and other residents of the station. The only thing missing is the classic quests: they have been replaced with drives, which also help in developing five skills of our character (Engineer, Interface, Endure, Intuit and Engage).
The main aim of the game is to break free from the influence of the corporation chasing Sleeper, but in each cycle we also have to take care of the character's life. We are looking for a way to earn money and we visit various places on the station such as market, bars, space ports. In these locations we encounter characters, each of which has its own history, goals and skills. It's up to us what we do, who we help and what impact we have on the future of the station in subsequent cycles.
In the meantime, we use Sleeper's hacking skills to gain access to data collected over decades of the station's operation. In this way we discover secrets such as unknown locations, and make our life on the station easier. At the same time, we must constantly repair the protagonist's artificial corporeal shell, which from the beginning is in poor condition and "decays" at an alarming rate.
Technical aspects
Citizen Sleeper has a simple, "sterile" 3D graphics, with a cartoonish portrayal of the characters made by comic book artist Guillaume Singelin (PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). The characters talk a lot, but only in writing, as the game does not include dubbing. The game is accompanied by music composed by Amos Roddy, who also created the soundtracks for the studio's first game Jump Over The Age and The Wild at Heart, Some Distant Memory and Cloud Gardens, among others.
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Videos and Screens
[1:35] Citizen Sleeper PlayStation trailer
[1:34] Citizen Sleeper launch trailer
TheGamer: 5 / 5 by Ben Sledge
I’ll close the curtain on the behind-the-scenes look at games criticism and I won’t spoil any more of Citizen Sleeper, but this review in particular was a joy to write. More specifically, Citizen Sleeper is a joy to play. The Eye is crammed with wonderful stories, and it feels like it’s truly bustling with activity – far more than any Triple-A open world populated with soulless NPCs going about their same daily routines. The simple visuals allow your mind to fill in the gaps like a good book, and it’s a testament to Jump Over the Age’s storytelling that it manages to create such a rich world. I already know that I’ll pop back to the Eye for the rest of the year, maybe longer, just to experience stories I missed, to see how different decisions play out, but mostly just to spend more time there, soaking up the atmosphere in an obsolete body as I absentmindedly peoplewatch over a steaming pot of noodles.
Guardian: 4 / 5 by Lewis Packwood
A decaying cyborg with a human mind struggles to survive aboard a space station in a superbly written, if not exactly original, slice of scuzzy sci-fi
Game Informer: 9 / 10 by Wesley LeBlanc
In the end, though, Citizen Sleeper is less a critique of capitalism itself, which in its defense has been done countless times in the cyberpunk genre, and more an opportunity to showcase how those under its thumb persevere and succeed despite it. Its hopeful and inspiring message is backed by a branching, heartfelt narrative, and a great gameplay loop, making it tough to put down. Add in its enriching visual style and my favorite musical score of 2022 so far, and Citizen Sleeper is a game I'll be thinking about for years to come.
Citizen Sleeper Summary
Game Series: Citizen Sleeper
Platforms:
PC Windows May 5, 2022
PlayStation 4 March 31, 2023
Xbox One May 5, 2022
Nintendo Switch May 5, 2022
PlayStation 5 March 31, 2023
Xbox Series X/S May 5, 2022
Developer: Jump Over The Age
Publisher: Fellow Traveller / Surprise Attack Games
Age restrictions: 12+
Citizen Sleeper System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB GeForce GTX 460 or better, 2 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit

Cyberpunk RPG Citizen Sleeper Launches Today
In a few hours the cyberpunk RPG Citizen Sleeper will debut. The game collects very good reviews and will be available in Game Pass.
video games
Adrian Werner
May 5, 2022