Citizen Sleeper 2: Stress, Dice, and Space Station Adventures

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Citizen Sleeper is a video game where you play as a character, developed by Jump Over the Edge and launched in 2022. In this role-playing game, you assume the role of an individual who’s been turned into a synthetic being by the Essen-Arp corporation. After managing to break free from forced labor, your character finds themselves stranded on a colossal space station known as the Eye. Facing energy constraints, time limitations, and deteriorating health, you must choose how best to allocate your time on this space station, not just for escape but also for survival.

Citizen Sleeper, with its thought-provoking narrative and board game-style mechanics, was among the most notable games of 2022. It received nominations in the Games for Impact category at The Game Awards and won the Social Impact Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Due to the popularity of Citizen Sleeper, a follow-up is being developed, promising significant enhancements to the original game’s design.

How Citizen Sleeper 2 Changes the Game

The Story So Far

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

In this sequel, players are introduced once more to the science fiction world crafted by creator Gareth Damian Martin. This time, players assume the role of a new character, also known as a Sleeper. The game begins with the Sleeper waking up onboard a spaceship, completely unaware of their past events.

As a fugitive from a powerful corporation and a menacing gang who both aim to exploit the protagonist, the Sleeper must navigate through the Starward Belt. To ensure their survival, they’ll need to enlist the help of allies and accept high-risk, high-reward assignments along the way.

Citizen Sleeper 2’s Setting

In contrast to the original game, Citizen Sleeper 2 will offer a significantly broader area for players to discover. Instead of being confined to a single space station, they’ll now be able to traverse the Starward Belt. This region is depicted as an intricately developed, dilapidated collection of habitats hidden within an asteroid belt teeming with secrets, tales, and characters struggling to survive.

Gameplay Updates

In Citizen Sleeper, players encounter an exclusive gaming experience through its dice-driven resource management system, akin to traditional tabletop role-playing games. Unlike typical gameplay where dice are rolled each time the character attempts an action, players in Citizen Sleeper are provided with a set of pre-determined dice rolls at the start of each in-game cycle within the Eye. These dice rolls represent successes and failures, and they are limited in number. The player must then strategically allocate these dice to the numerous jobs and quests available, compelling them to frequently reconsider their priorities.

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but get thrilled about the upcoming addition to Citizen Sleeper 2. Instead of just immersing us in the game’s storyline, they’re now incorporating an authentic stress system that amplifies the tension and excitement, drawing inspiration from role-playing games like Blades in the Dark, Mothership, and Heart: The City Beneath. In a recent interview with Game Rant, Martin expressed his enthusiasm for this feature, stating, “These systems create such a palpable sense of tension and excitement, and I was determined to introduce that same feeling into a game environment for players who haven’t had the chance to experience it yet.”

Citizen Sleeper 2 will be available at launch on Xbox Game Pass.

Whenever a player doesn’t succeed at an action or experiences an unfavorable roll outcome, they accumulate stress. If their stress level reaches a critical point, there’s a chance one of their dice could break. Losing a die means the player can execute fewer actions during each game cycle. This, in conjunction with the new autosave system – implemented to discourage players from repeatedly saving to dodge failure – heightens the tension in every decision they make.

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2025-01-18 00:07