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Citizen Sleeper

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Citizen Sleeper
Developer(s)Jump Over The Age
Publisher(s)Fellow Traveller
Engine
Platform(s)macOS
Microsoft Windows
Nintendo Switch
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
ReleaseMay 5, 2022 (2022-05-05)
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Citizen Sleeper is a 2022 role-playing action-adventure video game by Jump Over The Age and published by Fellow Traveller for macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 5, 2022.

Gameplay

In order to progress the plot and survive escaping to the space station, the Eye, the player rolls a number of dice each day in the in-game universe. These dice are then placed into different tasks, where higher numbers generally indicate better outcomes.[1] Lower numbers generally are useful on the data-cloud side of the station, which allow the player to gather intelligence on what different factions are up to.[1] Higher numbers generally lead to better outcomes throughout the rest of the game.[1] The player must constantly work in order to feed themselves and care for their degrading robot body which requires specialized materials to upkeep.[2]

Plot

In Citizen Sleeper, the player character is a "Sleeper," a human whose mind has been digitized and has been put into a robot body to be controlled by the Essen-Arp corporation.[2] The player's Sleeper has escaped indentured servitude on a freighter and has arrived at a space station called the Eye, where they fight for both survival and freedom.[3] The player meets a number of different people who represent different factions and interests.[1] The game features multiple endings depending on the choice of the player.[1]

Development

Citizen Sleeper was created and developed by Gareth Damian Martin, through their one-person game development studio Jump Over The Age.[4] Character artwork was designed by Guillaume Singelin.[5] When Martin first began their work as a developer, they conceived of two games: In Other Waters and a game about being a thief in a fantasy city trying to survive hardships and poverty while getting involved in the political situation there.[6] The latter changed to a sci-fi setting and became the basis for Citizen Sleeper.[6]

During development, Martin was focused on the intimate feeling of people coming together, and their own experiences as a non-binary person struggling to make ends meet in a city through the gig economy.[4] When playing science-fiction games like the Mass Effect series, Martin found themselves drawn to the side characters. "As science fiction stories drag the narrative toward explosive quests, I want to stay with these people living ordinary lives in extraordinary settings."[6] They cited Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor as an example of the kind of story they were aiming towards, which showed how science-fiction could be a great space for slice of life gaming experiences.[6]

Contemporary experiences of Uber and other gig-economy and debt experiences drove the direction of how Martin portrayed capitalism in the game.[6] Martin said, "I wanted to tell a story at capitalism’s periphery, where so many of us have learned how to exist."[6] They also focused on how life can be incredibly precarious for people living at the periphery of capitalism, and they were inspired by Anna Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World among other works.[6][7]

Reception

Citizen Sleeper received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[8][9][10] At its release, Polygon named Citizen Sleeper among the best games of 2022.[16]

Reviewers praised Citizen Sleeper's writing, with a number of reviewers remarking on the well-drawn characters found in the game.[5][1] The Guardian's Lewis Packwood called the writing "gloriously evocative and compelling" and noted that the picture that is painted in the game feels "intriguing and unique."[5] Polygon's Alexis Ong called the game's ability to remove the player from chasing concrete objectives as part of the plot its "greatest strength."[16]

Critics praised the game's streamlined mechanics. Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell described the game's mechanics as creating a "wonderful elegance" in a positive review.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Macgregor, Jody (May 5, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c LeBlanc, Wesley (May 23, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper Review". Game Informer. GameStop Corp. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Tapsell, Chris (May 5, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper review - a gentle, cerebral game of belonging and survival". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Citizen Sleeper Dev Wants To See Cyberpunk Genre Freed From Stagnation". Kotaku. May 20, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Packwood, Lewis (May 4, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper review – an evocative cyberpunk survival sim". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Russell, Laurence. "The Creator of 'Citizen Sleeper' Was Inspired by Our Modern Dystopia". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (May 14, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper Offers Hope In the Midst of a Capitalist Space Hellscape". IGN. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Citizen Sleeper for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Citizen Sleeper for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Citizen Sleeper for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  11. ^ Van Allen, Eric (May 5, 2022). "Review: Citizen Sleeper". Destructoid. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Vogel, Mitch (May 9, 2022). "Mini Review: Citizen Sleeper - A Tabletop RPG-Inspired Gem You Shouldn't Sleep On". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  13. ^ Loades, Jordan (May 25, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Tekaia, Pascal (August 1, 2022). "Citizen Sleeper Review". RPGamer. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  15. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (May 10, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Citizen Sleeper' and 'As Far As The Eye', Plus New Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Mahardy, Mike (March 2, 2022). "The best video games of 2022, so far". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

Further reading

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