Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Lore & Background

The player controls a Sleeper, a digitized human mind in a robotic body, who awakens with no past memories after rebooting to escape a gang that forced them to work for medicine. Unlike the first game's single location, Starward Vector is set across multiple hub locations in the Starward Belt. The Sleeper can commandeer a spaceship, complete missions and contracts, and recruit crew members. Each in-game day (or cycle), the player rolls dice that are placed into tasks and interactions; higher numbers yield better outcomes. Crew members have their own die and a Push ability that provides a boost but accumulates Stress, which can damage dice. Damaged dice become unusable until repaired. Full Stress may produce a glitch dice with an 80% chance of negative outcomes and a 20% chance of the best possible outcome. Three classes are available: Operator (skilled in computers and strategy but vulnerable to Stress), Extractor (high Stress tolerance but poor intuition), and Machinist (repairs and modifications but poor communication).

Reader's Guide

Solo developer Gareth Damian Martin returned as director, with Guillaume Singelin and Amos Roddy reprising their roles as character art designer and composer. Martin wanted to introduce mechanics from tabletop role-playing games, citing Blades in the Dark, Mothership, and Heart: The City Beneath as inspirations. The game was mechanically more complex than its predecessor, as Martin was frustrated that some players labeled the first game a visual novel rather than an RPG. Contracts were designed for worldbuilding, inspired by side episodes of Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and Farscape. The narrative focuses on a ragtag group on a ship where tensions exist between members. Mass Effect 2 was described as the 'anti-reference' because Starward Vector emphasizes morally grey choices and does not position the player as a chosen one. The main theme is 'crisis,' influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Martin's own medical struggles. The stress system is based on tabletop 'push your luck' mechanics. The game was announced in June 2023, with monthly text logs called 'Helion Dispatches' bridging the gap between games. It was envisioned as the last video game in the series, though a full TTRPG set in the Citizen Sleeper universe was planned.

Did You Know?

• The game's stress system was inspired by tabletop 'push your luck' mechanics.
• Mass Effect 2 was used as an 'anti-reference' for the game's narrative design.
• The game was dedicated to voice actor Jed Gillamac, who voiced the character Serafin in trailers.
• Three player classes are available: Operator, Extractor, and Machinist.