70%Xbox Series X/S

Smart little RPG about the exploitative nature of capitalism and coporatism. Makes intelligent use of light tabletop-style mechanics and deft writing to create tricky situations with no clear outcome, keeping you guessing and engaged throughout its intriguing story (despite the upgrade system making the mid-game a little easy).

85%PC

Citizen Sleeper is a powerful story about unbridled capitalism, mixed with philosophical undertakings about freedom, hope and survival in a immersive sci-fi world where all three seem impossible to obtain. It is a grim game, with the main character immediately starting essentially as a crippled person forced to survive and overcome their shortcomings. In terms of storytelling, it truly is a one-of-a-kind game. However, criticism must be levied at the sometimes tedious and unenjoyable dice rolls needed to farm currency, and the constant upkeep you must do to keep your character alive. While I could see what the mechanic is trying to convey in terms of enhancing the story, it served to make me more annoyed at the game rather than gaining compassion and empathy for our main protagonist. Overall, it still manages to transcend its genre (tabletop) for all who wish to engage in a story about an unfair and harsh universe.

100%PC

Citizen Sleeper has one of the best stories of any videogame I've experienced in recent memory. The game starts with you ending up on the Eye as someone practically rejected by the world and having no real identity. From there you meet the various characters living there and find your place in the world and yourself. The story of Citizen Sleeper consists of these interwoven character stories which you navigate.
The characters are well-written and memorable, and the way you interact with their lives feels like building genuine connections with them. There were certain decisions and events that made me feel very emotional and a few even made me tear up a bit. A highlight is the questline of Lem and Mina, and choosing whether to go or stay on the Eye. Ultimately I ended up staying on the Eye, as it truly felt like I had found my place there, and to my delight Lem and Mina decided to stay with me. Citizen Sleeper is filled with moments like this and decisions that affect you, the people around you, and The Eye. The update content also progresses these stories in a very satisfying way that really makes it feel like the world is alive, even regardless of your actions.
The Eye is also alive in its own way and is home to a hidden world of programs and machinery that you as an android tap into, or even escape into. The Eye could arguably be called the most important character of the game because of that.
Citizen Sleeper has an excellent soundtrack, that does a lot to create and communicate an atmosphere and feelings of loneliness, the vastness of space, and ultimately the meaning of all the small connections you build during the game. The game touches on themes such as humanity, relationships, helplessness, the fragility of existence, and the beauty of life. Citizen Sleeper made me think a lot about all these things.
The gameplay is innovative in the way it takes tabletop RPG dice rolls and applies them to every action you take. This helps to create a feeling of uncertainty and fear that things might go wrong and there is nothing you can do about it. The idea is great and in the beginning works well, but I very quickly got to a point where I had enough resources to do everything and only a couple of things went wrong during my playthrough.
Citizen Sleeper also looks great, with the only thing you see is the part of the Eye you're currently at and beautifully drawn portraits of the characters you interact with. This also helps in creating the feeling that the game is telling the story of the Eye, not just you.
Citizen Sleeper is an absolute masterpiece that reassured me that stories can still make me feel and connect with them, instead of just leaving me with a piece of media to look at from an analytical angle. I think anybody interested in videogames as a form of art should play and experience Citizen Sleeper. I know, that for me, there would be some additional endings and choices to see in Citizen Sleeper, but my experience felt personal in a way that makes me want treasure and preserve it as is.

100%PC

Sweet and immersive story with multiple "good" endings. I really cared.

90%PC

Un jeu narratif calme, palpitant et poignant qui se dévore comme un bon livre chaque soir.
J'y avais joué une première fois il y a deux ans en 2022 où j'avais fait un playthrough "engineer" first way out go. En une 40aine de cycles pour atteindre les crédits le jeu m'avait déjà touché dans son propos et marqué par son écriture et ses illustrations de personnage.
Quelle bonne idée de l'avoir refait cette fois-ci en allant le plus loin possible et avec les DLC de fin. Le jeu est tout aussi bon et tellement meilleur que dans mes souvenirs.
J'ai été assez étonné de découvrir à mon 2e playthough que les missions n'étaient pas incompatibles et que quasi tous les drives pouvaient s'effectuer jusqu'au bout dans la même run. Je pense que j'aurais préféré plus de choix à ce niveau là, ressentir le fait que l'on n'a pas le temps de tout faire.

90%Nintendo Switch

One of the best cyberpunk(idk if it's actually cyberpunk but it's got the same vibes) I've ever played

95%Xbox Series X/S

Not for everyone but i loved this game amazing story multipath endings it just got me in. Great soundtrack made me think about lots on all my decisions. Bring on the 2nd game

95%PC

steampy上1元收到的游戏，5个小时就已经通关了，像是一部中长篇科幻小说，很对我自己的胃口，就是不能自己存个档，成就感觉要重开个档来刷 没有和园丁走，也没有上飞船，留在了这里，后面还有挺多内容的 8.5h最终选择了留下，在游戏中我是一个没有来处没有归处的人，自己之前选择当了梦游体，所以可能连人都算不上了。在最后选择是走是留，只感觉到了这个太空站和自己是一样孤独的。

75%PC

When I was a teen, I used to browse the aisles at EB Games or Babbage’s, often buying games based solely on the cover art, blurbs, and images on the back. A lot of those games ended up being disappointing, but ironically, they'd be worth a lot of money now if I’d kept them. Lately, I’ve been treating my massive Steam backlog the same way—picking games based on their cover imagery and descriptions.

Citizen Sleeper was next on that list, and I have to say it was enjoyable, though it was nothing like I expected. The game plays out as a mix between a visual novel and a tabletop RPG, with an engrossing story set on a far-future space station. You play as the titular Citizen Sleeper, a character who gave up (or cloned) their mortal body to become what is essentially an android. You wake up on the station without any memory of why you’re there. Over the next 10 hours, you make friends (and enemies) as you explore various possible endings.

However, the more you play, the more some flaws become apparent. I wish player choices had more impact, as most of the decisions only change the dialogue rather than affecting the story in meaningful ways. Games like this shine when player choice has real weight, not just different flavor text.

I hope the sequel leans harder into the TTRPG elements. In Citizen Sleeper, there's a day cycle where you're given a set number of dice rolls (determined by your health and energy) to complete tasks around the station. This system works great! There’s some solid risk versus reward in a lot of these tasks. For example, even if you’re not skilled in engineering, you can still use a high roll to beat the odds and make faster progress. It would’ve been amazing if this kind of risk-reward mechanic also influenced the overall story and the choices you make.

One random thought that kept coming up while playing: living on a space station without weather or temperature changes sounds... horrible. I live in a place with four distinct seasons, and the idea of every day being the same, temperature-wise, is kind of terrifying. Would they even lower the temperature at night? Or just keep it at whatever’s most comfortable? It’s a random thought, I know, but it stuck with me throughout my time with the game.

As for the music? It fits the world perfectly. One track that plays when you encounter a ship-based AI early on absolutely screams "space" and "sci-fi." It's awesome, and I love the soundtrack. It’s probably the thing I’m most excited for in the sequel.

90%PC

I loved the opening 2 hours for the focus on survival, getting your feet under you, and soaking in the atmosphere of the space station. I loved the next 2 hours because the game began to open up and I got to focus on things which seemed interesting over immediate survival. I learned more and more about the world I was living in. And the last 2 hours I finished all the little story lines that the developers had laid out. I ended up loving both the mechanics behind the gameplay and the visual novel elements. It was short and sweet and didn't overstay its welcome, beautiful little game.

100%PC

Different. Fun, great sound design.

95%PC

This was a great game, great soundtrack, great writing etc. my only problem with it is that you run out of things to do towards the end. Will definitely play the sequel.

85%PC

Such a beautifully detailed world woven from such brief, but impactful bits of writing. Some of the actual mechanics could use some tweaking for two, but I loved having to make do with whatever dice I rolled for a day, it made each decision impactful.

I also cried, so seal of approval for that. Definitely want to replay this at some point before 2 hits because there were so many breadcrumbs I didn't get to fully explore.

95%PC

This is a narrative masterpiece. The gameplay is interesting and got me hooked extremely quickly. As the game continues, the mechanics become more predictable and without challenge, but at the same time the story starts handling such a wide array of social and philosophical subjects in such a delicate and personal way that I'm honestly astounded. The design of this game is very minimalist, but at crucial points the music kicks in and it becomes a true reflection on living and doing so in a world as complex as ours.

The free DLC is essential to the game and features the best writing in the game, culminating in a beautiful and satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a story about the hardships of life and the power of determination and community.

I played it on Steam Deck and it runs perfectly.

70%PC

I do not think the story and the characters are that good, could be the reason that I found the English writing was a bit hard for me as a non-native English speaker.

60%PC

Citizen Sleeper
• First time playing
• Looking for a good text-based game.
• Yeah, this is pretty good. It basically takes the life-sim part from Persona and combines it with the text-based gameplay from Disco Elysium.
• It’s nowhere near as good as either of those games, but it does the job in a pinch.
• For some reason, the art and music remind me of The Fermi’s Paradox game, even if the only real thing those two games have in common is outer space.

100%Nintendo Switch

Really enjoyed this game!

90%PC

Terminé une deuxième fois le 07/06/2024
DLC fini le 16/06/2024

80%Xbox One

Diet Disco Elysium

70%Nintendo Switch

The first few hours of the game are pretty great, but in the endgame, everything feels so...pointless? Probably because you're not struggling to survive anymore. The writing is pretty good, but I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters that much. The character art is spectacular though, and I would love to see more from the artist.

90%PC

Citizen Sleeper is an astonishing game.

The writing in a game had never made me think like that before.
The overall theme of the game is really deep and the lore seems huge compared to the title, clearly looking forward for the sequel.

I saw some people critizise the gameplay of Citizen Sleeper because of his lacks of renewal, I understand that but for me, it was perfect during the whole game. Was really hard at the very beginning and tends to become easier while you advance.

On point art style aswell
Will do all the ending one day

65%PC

2.8/5

80%PC

addicting gameplay loop; somehow made a visual novel compelling with dice rolling gameplay and an interesting universe

85%PC

What a clever little game.

Written with the perfect bittersweet note to make me shed a little tear on the endings that resonated the most with me. The right game at the right time for me.

Gameplay wise, the idea of "strategizing your dices usage" over the course of the turn is very clever, and a unique take (to my knowledge) on the dice mechanic in any rpg I played or heard of.
Furthermore, especially in early game where your options and survivability are limited, you feel like you have to survive within a complex world that does not care not revolve entirely around you, swarming with people and interest points.

Unfortunately, passed the mid game, this feeling is reduced as you master the game system and have an understanding on how to leverage your options and possibilities better. By the endgame, you really can stomp the game without much difficulty thanks to clever resource management. For instance, the final part of the DLC is supposed to be quite hard, but I finished it with nearly half of the clock ticking... Other example, vial for survival are supposed to be rare and a difficult resource to acquire, but with the game finished, I still had 2 and could have 2 more without issue (and a full condition bar).

Another point is the story. Each character is well written and touching. But the game falls a bit short in term of the consequences of your "decisions". The illusion of having choice works well, but once you realise that choices do not matter that much, and that you can do everything with a bit of strategy, it removes a bit of the magic. But as what matters (at least to me) is more the emotions and themes this game conveys, it did not bother me that much.

TLDR: the difficulty curve is a bit broken, which is a bit of a shame in such an elegantly crafted title, and a bit of an irony for a title where the base speech is to survive.

HOWEVER, I still HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT for its unique take on the genre, and the writing that just touches your heart at the perfect place.

100%Xbox Series X/S

masterpiece!!!!

90%PC

The first 4 hours were amazing, just for that you should play it, it is a beautiful game, especially the sounds ! The last hour was a bit long, i'll try to do all the endings to see every glimpse of the story though.

100%PC

Perfect, no remarks. One of the best text-based choose your own adventures. Amazing writing, great art work, lovely background music. Touches on a lot of sci-fi hallmarks, but manages to rise above the rest in execution.

85%PC

Wow, what a hidden gem! I don't remember how I heard about it, but it was certainly not in the spotlight around me. But to me, it was one of the best discoveries Steam had ever handed me. I finished my 7.5 hours in basically a single sitting. I didn't get everything but the game is forgiving with the endings: you can't savescum but you can reload and keep playing after credits have rolled; so I saw quite a few different endings.

I think the best way to define this game is ""mini Disco Elysium"". It has a very similar vibe, good writing, and captivating story with many interesting subplots -- but, of course, it's much smaller, has no voice acting etc. Mechanically it's pretty simple, and also quite easy: you won't have any problem surviving or even thriving after a couple of hours. At this point, survival fades to the background and the game becomes purely about the stories -- and yeah, it was fascinating to live through the stories of the Eye. I wholeheartedly recommend the game, and have high hopes for the sequel and for ""In Other Waters"".

100%PC

More than just an unique game, this is an experience with a powerful message, one that I will likely never forget.

80%Nintendo Switch

No cutscenes. Not one word of spoken dialog. Barely any animation. But none of that was needed to tell a compelling, emotional story with simple yet satisfying gameplay. The setting and atmosphere, sound, music, and plot created something that was like Blade Runner meets the Expanse. Citizen Sleeper is just a great game. This is why indie developers are so important. I highly recommend!

80%Xbox One

Pros

* The characters and world are super interesting. For the short amount of time you have with most of them it's easy to get some level of attachment to your favorites.

* Very good atmosphere, the audio and art teams both did a good job when designing this game.

Negatives

* The game really starts to drag it's feet towards the end, especially with the expansions. A game that should've been 8~ hours gets another 3-4 hours tacked on for no reason.

* The gameplay loop gets pretty boring pretty fast.

* The illusion of choice is strong with this game. It starts you out making you think your choices matter but that quickly goes out the window as you go on.

* The RPG elements of the game feel really superficial. Most of the "perks" are either in the camp of being useless or things that should just be standard gameplay features

* The need to "repair" yourself gets old very quickly and isn't a fun resource to manage especially later into the game.

* The canonical final endings all kind of suck. They feel like the writers just got as tired as me with the end of the game and wanted it over and done with.

Overall I enjoyed the game but found myself checked out towards the end. The characters and world are interesting but found myself unable to have any real meaningful interactions with the majority of them. Certain mechanics just aren't fun to play with or around and the loop of the game does eventually become quite tedious. I enjoyed the game but hope the devs can take some of this feedback into consideration with the 2nd game.

100%PC

incredible game. sped through it in less than 24 hours. reminds me a lot of halt and catch fire, especially in the endings of each. can't wait for 2

100%Xbox Series X/S

Beautiful and moving game with no real flaws for what it sets out to achieve.

+ Perfect and consistent soundtrack
+ Role play decisions and mechanics are engaging and feel like real choices
+ Writing is precise and interesting without being florid or pretentious
+ Hand-drawn characters and the 3D station somehow mesh really well together in a rough-reality vs. clinical-technology juxtaposition
+ Any time limits are forgiving, it feels like you're just living a life aboard the station

- DLC was slightly more linear but still great
- Not much endgame or replayability - there are multiple endings, however

90%PlayStation 5

Incrível.
Comecei a jogar sem fazer ideia sobre o que era/como funcionava e é daqueles jogos que tu se perde entre os ciclos e quando vê, já são 03am e tu tá desesperado porque precisa trabalhar amanhã.

A arte do jogo é maravilhosa, a trilha sonora é incrível e todas as histórias são super bem escritas.
A variação do que acontece quando você escolhe diferentes opções nos diálogos também é bem grande e faz diferença no andamento da história.

Acabei demorando um pouquinho pra entender o sistema de energia/condição, mas depois que entende o jogo ficar super fluido.
Vale a pena demais.

90%PC

A well paced, atmospheric visual novel with light tints of RPG. You are thrown out into chaos without much explanation and that build up a great feeling of isolation and being lost, but the characters you find in your journey help you feel how you build a community and manage to live a new life in the Eye. Citizen Sleeper had all that I wished Disco Elyseum had in it's characters and story, a nice balance between exploration, decision making and story segments, while having a simple gameplay and a stress free way of playing. I also like the fact that you can't save scum outcomes as the game comes with a built-in autosave feature, which is great because you can feel the weight of important outcomes.

70%PC

As a non fluent english speaker I find the story difficult to catch up, but that's just me. The gameplay is fine, kinda hard to understand completely at the beginning of the game but you'll find out how to manage the resources. The art style is great and the soundtrack was really good too. I think it's a 7/10 for me.

70%Nintendo Switch

Lem + Mina ending.

90%PC

Weird mix of a visual-novel with adventure and resource management but it works so so well. The melancholic atmosphere makes you feel lonely and like you belong at the same time. The characters are very well thought-out and feel like real people with their own ambitions and history. The gameplay loop, although simple, can really suck you in into the one-more cycle syndrome. Just a gorgeous game. I just wish it didn't end when it did because I couldn't finish all the stories I started but perhaps it makes it even better. Not every story must have an ending.

60%PC

Steam Deck

80%Xbox Series X/S

I really enjoyed this game. Its world is instantly interesting and mysterious and its characters are nuanced. The dice rolls system to determine success for actions whilst not being novel, works very well. Combined with the choice given to the player to complete each cycle doing whatever they wish makes for a very immersive experience The huge number of different actions and people to find is staggering for a game of such small scope. Its a shame then that this was stripped away in the DLC chapters for a narrowed, more linear experience, even if they story was still interesting, the choice felt like it was taken away somewhat.
Main game: 9/10
DLC Chapters: 7/10

70%PC

Citizen Sleeper is a visual novel disguised as a video game. An excellent novel that takes you through the issues of choice, resources, the good in the world, and how relationships are formed, bonded, and lost. I really enjoyed my time with this game, learning how the character Sleeper woke up in a strange world, learning the ins and outs of the different areas and locations, and deciding what choices I should make based on the information presented. The game can be cut into three parts. Choices, Resource Management, and Visual Novel. There are 9 different endings that you can get, all with their own quirks and remarks on how you traveled this foreign world.

For me personally I learned what it means to do well for people, or at least try. Seeing how Sleeper was put through the ringer, having people after him, argue with him, and for him to his knees in some cases was emotionally draining in the best kind of way. I would recommend this game to those that do enjoy the visual novel style cause it is more book than game but I did enjoy my time with it.

To the critics, it is more of a visual novel than a game. I was not aware when I got into it but if you are aware going into it I do recommend it. One of the three main mechanics of the game, the resource management does basically go away at the last 3 hours of the game. It also feels like it goes on for just a little too long if you go for the longest ending(s). A similar issue I had with the last game I played was there was not a fantastic way to keep track of where to go. You have a list of missions to do but you need to go find the location with the gold dot on top and realize that is where you need to be. With all that said I did enjoy myself and give this game with the main criticism a 7/10. Improvements could be held onto the gold that is resource management in the first 3 hours, and make it last forever. Possibly cut the game length down a little, and some quality of life improvements for quest tracking.

100%Nintendo Switch

In a time when so many games feel like they were spit out by an uncaring corporate machine, Citizen Sleeper is a breath of fresh air. The gameplay is simple but the mechanics are well designed. The setting and characters are simply sublime. I savored every conversation as I got to know the inhabitants of The Eye. This game makes me want to be a better person, and that alone makes it worth playing.

85%PC

Really great writing, vibes, and atmosphere. The characters were all interesting, and the end had me tearing up.

80%PC

Great story. Really long though. I'm...a slow reader. Somehow I have nearly the longest completion of this on the website! The gameplay loop is easy to get absorbed in, but it ceases to present a challenge after you get some skills upgraded. After some point, it's just going through cycles to read the story.

70%PC

Really enjoyed this game, the dice mechanic is really fun. I only wish it was harder. The dice rolls get cheapened a little bit by how easy it is to pass most rolls after the first couple hours of the game. Still fun regardless, just makes the sequel getting announced more exciting.

70%Xbox Series X/S

I don’t think this was my type of game but it is very well made and certainly worth playing if you like the tabletop style RPGs. One thing to take into consideration is that there is A LOT of reading, which is fine, but not my usual choice of game. I did like that there was a cat you can feed.

90%PC

What a game. The writing is extremely strong, it has great characters and clean art. This game hits you in the feels. Best enjoyed with headphones on to enjoy the depressing OST. Also who's chopping onions?

75%PC

Cool game, sratched some of that survival rpg itch. The visuals however are bland besides the character sprites, environment map is sort of small, but still enjoyable if you're a fan of Disco Elysium type games.

95%PlayStation 5

Excellent jeu narratif avec une ecriture qui frise l'excellence. Belle narration et très bons dialogues. Bien entendu, tout les chemins ne sont pas également profonds, immersifs ou chargés en émotions. Cependant, pris comme un ensemble ils exposent un lieu original rempli de vies. Le gameplay "jeu de rôle" sur table fonctionne à merveille et devient assez addictif. La bande son discrète "d'ambiance" est parfaite pour un jeu qui demande autant de lecture. Graphiquement épuré, la direction artistique des personnages (qu'on doit à Guillaume Singelin, auteur de l'excellent PTSD) apporte de la douceur et de la couleur aux personnages de Citizen Sleeper.
Finalement, mon seul regret est l'absence d'une localisation qui empechera la plus part des gens d'y jouer. Une traduction FR semble compliquée tant il y a de textes et de nuances. Mais si vous avez comme moi une comprehension de l'anglais correct, vous arriverez à bout du jeu en vous aidant d'internet pour les termes techniques.

60%Xbox Series X/S

Story 5/10
Familiar story without much nuance or imagination.

Gameplay 7/10
The gameplay loop is satisfying, rewarding, and feels fair.

Graphics 3/10
Nothing to really comment on.