Review of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

When I dove into Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, the notion of a ‘whale fall’ lingered in my thoughts. Imagine it: when a whale dies, its immense body descends to the ocean floor, becoming a vital food source for countless deep-sea organisms. That’s the world of Citizen Sleeper—reeled from the downfall of the mighty Solheim corporation. What’s left is a gritty new existence, with everyone eking out a living from its remnants. The story of the Sleeper is just one of many, all thriving on the remains of this corporate behemoth.

I was a huge admirer of the first Citizen Sleeper and originally thought it didn’t need a follow-up. It felt so whole. What more was there to unearth in this universe? Apparently, a lot! The sequel swiftly drew me back into its bleak yet captivating transhumanist realm. As the credits rolled, I genuinely felt a pang of sadness. Citizen Sleeper 2 mirrors its predecessor—it’s contemplative, unexpected, and completely engrossing.

In this game, you take on the role of another Sleeper, a human consciousness housed in a body made of wires, skeletal framework, and synthetic flesh. You awaken without recent memories, though your long-term ones remain. After a chaotic escape, you’re on the run again. This time from a supposedly friendly figure who has become a formidable adversary. Turns out, space mobsters aren’t thrilled when someone pursues self-governance.

Life as a fugitive means scraping by with gig work and a roll of the dice. The story unfolds through vivid text as the Sleeper describes every sight, smell, and sound. Visually, you see only the exteriors of locations, clicking on map markers to delve into events. The RPG system relies on dice. At the start of each cycle, you roll five dice and use the outcomes to progress through tasks, aiming ultimately to complete objectives. High rolls lead to success, with energy and money as top priorities, making gig work essential.

In the first game, the entire plot unraveled on a single space station. Familiarity bloomed—you knew where to find regular jobs, the best food stalls, and a few friendly faces. None of that security exists in Citizen Sleeper 2. Now, staying in place too long risks exposure, forcing you to dart between stations and satellites in The Belt.

This constant movement introduces a palpable tension, the principal shift from the first to the second game. There’s a delightful pressure. While it was possible to reach a comfortable state quickly in the first version, here that comfort is elusive. Your Sleeper just can’t catch a break, and neither can you.

The sequel is more intense, bringing exhilarating new mechanics. One standout feature is Contracts—missions with high stakes and potentially huge rewards. You must gather a crew, each member offering unique skills and dice at your disposal. But be wary: fail too often and your crew accumulates stress, possibly exiting the mission. Should your Sleeper falter, their dice may become unusable—a significant setback. Failed checks can also ignite crisis events requiring immediate resolution.

These Contracts are a nail-biting experience, juggling stress counters, event crises, and looming deadlines. The strategic deployment of your crew’s abilities, teetering on the edge of risky moves, feels like tinkering with a volatile machine. The thrill kept me pushing boundaries, far beyond what I dared in the first game.

Choosing a capable crew is crucial. Your Sleeper has upgradeable skills, though never all-encompassing, necessitating reliance on others to cover weaknesses. Facing a challenge lacking matching skills in your team spells trouble. These characters may initially seem like tools, but they evolve into comrades, each with their own rich stories. Your ship becomes a sanctuary as diverse personalities join, forming an odd yet close-knit family.

In your travels, you might even encounter some familiar faces. While your Sleeper differs from the original game, meeting old acquaintances offers a bittersweet comfort. The passage of time has altered them, toughened and less innocent, a stark reminder of how life in a corporately oppressive world can reshape individuals.

The writing in Citizen Sleeper 2 is as vivid and powerful as its predecessor. Gareth Damian Martin crafts bustling cities and breathes soul into machines with masterful strokes, delivering unforgettable prose. I preserved many lines in my screenshots, like beloved passages in a treasured book.

Even when mishaps occur, the story pivots thrillingly. Citizen Sleeper 2’s decision-making scenarios hinge on your present skills, ensuring unpredictable outcomes each time. From drilling into frozen asteroids to building colonies, every adventure is a wild ride.

One story aspect I can’t overlook involves the character Serafin. He greets you upon waking, revealing a shared past obliterated by amnesia. This loss is deeply moving, as both he and your Sleeper navigate the pain of severed bonds. Their journey toward rebuilding captures the game’s core theme: change as a continuum, not an end.

The narratives of Citizen Sleeper 2 are wonderfully grounded in the fabric of ordinary lives battling extraordinary odds. No fanciful heroes, no epic battles—just real people striving to persist amidst the cosmic scrapyard. This slice-of-life storytelling is a refreshing take on sci-fi, overshadowing any glitzy fantasy world. Citizen Sleeper 2 is precisely what I crave—down-to-earth tales of survival. What an exceptional start to 2025 the arrival of Citizen Sleeper 2 promises, landing on PC, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5 on January 31. I had the pleasure of engaging with the game via PC, thanks to a review code from the publisher.