The story, themes and world in Citizen Sleeper is captivating and inviting. The music is moody and has the proper elements of a 'cyberpunky' soundtrack. The character art is stellar. However, I think where this game falls flat is the polish. By this I mean, there's no voice acting (which is more about personal taste than objective quality). And the writing itself does a great job to convey character development, tension and worldbuilding. But I think with a bit of voice acting, I could've been pulled in just that little bit more. I did appreciate the TTRPG-like mechanics that let you navigate the setting and complete tasks and such, As you progress you unlike new ways to use your dice you accrue per day. However, sometimes the literal roll of the dice limited what I did in a cycle. At moments in added tension cos I needed to perform certain tasks and it was satisfying to pull it off. But I also think I may have been lucky, or that the game secretly makes sure you get good dice right before an important countdown concludes. I also found that the 'ending' felt poor executed. The relationships I developed with characters didn't have an epilogue or vignette (and I had finished the main story, didn't do the DLC). I recommend this game. The sense of growth and finding hope in an inhumane future is present in this captivating world and story. But it lacks a lot of polish.

Story-rich narrative RPG with dice. Great plot lines, fitting music, relevant choices to make and a cynical (but realistic) view on how corporates might rule tomorrows worlds.

every cycle, even before you feed yourself

Citizen Sleeper is a fine game. It heavily markets itself as “inspired by tabletop role-playing games”, but you definitely shouldn’t expect it to play or feel like your typical CRPG: it is more accurately described as a sort of management sim that happens to have RPG-esque elements. On its own merits though, it is rather entertaining and well-conceived. While the mechanics are kind of abstract at first glance, they are simple to get a hold of while also having a respectable amount of depth and complexity, making for an engaging gameplay loop. Have your priorities straight, acquire and spend resources carefully, make sure you have enough juice left to keep yourself going for the foreseeable future, and you’ll be fine! The experience is not all about that grind though, as each objective you complete will advance the plot a little through a dialog box: those story snippets are typically well-written, full of fascinating sci-fi concepts, and the occasion to meet a variety of nuanced characters and reflect on all the challenges this world presents… Some of which are uncannily similar to ours. Sadly, while all of this makes CS good, it’s not quite enough to make it great. The gameplay, while full of smart design decisions, is repetitive: essentially, it all boils down to throwing a bunch of dices until you’re rewarded with a bit of text to read and a few inconsequential dialog options to select. The experience gets somewhat dull, and the presentation doesn’t help: the character illustrations look cool, but everything else from the music to the 3D visuals felt pretty bland to me. So, yeah, I ended up finding CS fairly unimpressive... but commendable, especially for a single-dev project. It’s lacking in ambition, but it’s fine for what it is: a text-based management game about living paycheck to paycheck in a system that can barely sustain itself. If you’re looking for a relaxing adventure game with a focus on narration, there’s definitely something for you here.

The story is brilliant, while I managed to get one ending in my first sitting I still find myself drawn back to play it again. Your character's identity of being a sleeper and trying to find themselves in a place they don't know and are unsure of how they fit is, is a compelling story. The game fits into the cyberpunk genre, but it also feels like a post-cyberpunk genre as it is removed from some of the main staples of the genre. The characters feel like actual people, and I found myself empathising with them. The gameplay isn't my usual style when compared to what I've played before but it was fresh and I found myself worrying about keeping up my condition so I could get the most out of each day. (though once I had plenty of scrap and the perk, this worry went away. I also found myself with a lack of things to do in the days running up to my chosen ending). I could not recommend this game enough