It’s not E3, and while that’s a shame, the start of June has remained a hive of activity for the video game industry, with the announcements, trailers and release dates coming thick and fast. The latest is one of the best reveals of the day, announcing the existence of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, the sequel to 2022’s award-winning RPG Citizen Sleeper.
Just as in the first game, you are a Sleeper, an android built by mega-corporation Essen-Arp. After a daring escape, you’ve made it all the way out to the Starward Belt, a remote asteroid cluster at the edge of the Helion System, only to have swapped one form of control for another. You’re now under the thumb of Laine, a notorious gang leader who provides you with Stabilizer – the drug your android body needs to survive – and uses it to exert control over you.
The first thing you do is steal a ship. This ship could be your ticket out of here, but you’ve got to crew it, maintain it, and fill it full of upgrades before that can happen. It’s likely that, just as in the first game, there’s going to be a balancing act between these tasks, keeping your own robotic body running, and whatever encounters you have along the way. You can expect there to be some tough choices along the way, as the original Citizen Sleeper constantly reminded you about the crushing weight of capitalism, the importance of loyalty to those around you, and putting yourself before others when needed.
We awarded Citizen Sleeper our Best Narrative Game of the Year award for 2022, and it was absolutely deserving of it. While we didn’t cover the original release, Aran checked out the final DLC for the game, saying, “As a finale Purge is an excellent way to finish the tale of Citizen Sleeper. It ties up so many loose ends and gives fitting finales to many of the influential characters that you have met. There is one loose end regarding a particular character that I feel was not properly resolved, but at the same time it ties into the confusion of the events in the final stages. Yet, the door remains open for more stories set within this universe be it on The Eye or by following what happens out in the cosmos. This may be the end of the Sleeper’s story, but there are so many more characters who embark on new beginnings that offer worlds of narrative possibilities.”
Stay tuned to TheSixthAxis for more details on Citizen Sleeper 2’s release date and further information.
