While diving into Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, I couldn’t shake off the vivid image of a ‘whale fall’. You know, when a whale dies and its massive body descends to the ocean floor, nurturing countless sea creatures. This sci-fi tale is set against a backdrop that’s reminiscent of such an event. The once towering Solheim corporation has crumbled, and from its demise, a new way of life has emerged. Much like scavengers, everyone in this world is living off the remains of this fallen giant, with countless stories—yours included—unfolding from the wreckage.
Initially, I thought the original Citizen Sleeper didn’t need any follow-up. It felt so complete in its own right. But jumping back into this tough yet wondrous transhumanist universe, I found myself utterly mesmerized once more, and it was genuinely touching when I reached the end credits. Much like its predecessor, Citizen Sleeper 2 is a thoughtful, bold, and all-consuming sci-fi ride.
Once again, you’re cast as a Sleeper, a human consciousness housed in a body of synthetic materials, metal, and circuitry. You wake up in a state of confusion and anxiety, a fugitive from your corporate creators, only to find yourself pursued by a former ally turned formidable adversary. Space gangsters, it turns out, aren’t too keen on you asserting autonomy.
Faced with this new reality, you start afresh as a fugitive, reliant on short-term gigs and the roll of the dice. Through evocative text, your Sleeper describes the world’s sights, smells, and sounds. Visually, you’re presented with external views of locations, and you interact with events by clicking markers on a map. The game’s RPG mechanics revolve around a dice economy. Every cycle—or day—begins with you rolling five dice, the outcomes of which influence your actions and objectives. High rolls yield better results, so managing your energy and finances through gig work becomes crucial.
The entire narrative of the first Citizen Sleeper unfolded on a lone space station, fostering a sense of home and familiarity. You knew where to find regular work, where the tastiest food was, and who to trust. This sense of security is stripped away in the sequel. Now, you must constantly shift across The Belt’s sprawling network of stations and satellites. Lingering in one place too long spells disaster.
This constant movement introduces a new level of tension, the most significant change from the first game. This is what makes Citizen Sleeper 2 shine—the palpable stress of being a fugitive. In the original, finding a comfortable rhythm was relatively straightforward. Here, ease doesn’t come so easily. And it makes for a gripping experience. It hit me as early as Day Two when my companion woke me up with an alarming “we’re in trouble.” The Sleeper’s never-ending cycle of challenges pulls you right in.
The game ups the ante with exciting new mechanics, including Contracts. These are high-stakes missions requiring you to reach a location and complete a task under pressure. You’ll need a crew, each member bringing unique skills and dice to allocate.
The thrill of these Contracts lies in their unpredictability, especially concerning stress levels. Fail a skill check and a crew member takes stress, push them too far and they may quit the mission altogether. Overstress your Sleeper, and you could damage your dice—bad news. Failed checks might also spark crisis events, which need resolution to keep everything on track.
Juggling dice, stress counters, crises, and time limits makes these missions thrills to participate in. Strategizing dice placement, interpreting icons and numbers, and taking gutsy risks—it feels like handling a volatile contraption on the brink of explosion. Many times, I found myself holding my breath, hoping against hope that a 50% risk wouldn’t backfire. That rush kept pushing me toward bolder choices than I’d ever made in the original game.
Picking the right crew is paramount. Mitigating risk requires foresight and planning. The Sleeper has RPG-like abilities, but one skill slot remains perpetually locked, meaning you’ll have to depend on your crew’s strengths where you fall short—much like real life.
Facing an event that requires a skill your team lacks can spell disaster. Initially, you might view characters as mere collections of useful dice. Yet over time, you’ll see them evolve into complex individuals with fascinating histories. Deciding who permanently joins your crew allows you to learn about these survivors. They’re not merely tools; they’re fellow wanderers in the chaotic expanse of The Belt. Your ship transforms into a refuge for these souls, a home for those drifting through this fragmented world.
Alongside new faces, there are opportunities to see familiar ones too. Though you’re a different Sleeper now, encountering them brings a mix of comfort and melancholy. Several years have passed since the original game, and their hardened dispositions reflect the harsh reality of living under ruthless corporate capitalism.
The game’s writing, as sharp and captivating as ever, masterfully conveys these themes. Gareth Damian Martin breaths life into bustling cities and complex machinery with evocative prose that’s impossible to forget. My collection of in-game screenshots resembles a cherished book of favorite passages, each one capturing a piece of the immersive experience.
Even when circumstances go awry, the narrative takes fascinating turns, often more so than if everything went smoothly. Citizen Sleeper 2 has those tense RPG moments where you’re pressed to make story-altering choices with no dice rolls, only your skills. The outcomes are consistently unpredictable. Whether drilling into frozen asteroids or conversing with the fragmented consciousness of a dying processor, the journey is an exhilarating ride.
One poignant storyline involves Serafin, a character tied to the Sleeper’s past. You’ve shared history, but because of your amnesia, you can’t recall any of it. Serafin grieves a friendship now one-sided, while your Sleeper faces the disquiet of being known yet unable to reciprocate. This human drama resonates deeply and underlines the game’s emotional core.
Yet, there’s hope. The characters rebuild lost connections, reflecting the broader theme of transformation and renewal. Life and the world around it evolve continuously. Buildings rise from ruins; the Sleeper’s journey echoes this perpetual cycle of creation.
Amid musings on transhumanism, capitalism, and technology, there are stories about genuine people. No grand space battles or chosen heroes, just the grounded reality of survival. Citizen Sleeper 2 embraces these raw, robust narratives of everyday folk like engineers, scavengers, and haulers—a refreshing take compared to flashy sci-fi tales. As 2025 begins, this game sets a fantastic tone.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is poised for release on January 31 across PC, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. This review is based on a PC code provided by the publisher.
