Alright, sit tight. Let’s jump into this unpredictable mess of a review journey. Here goes nothing.
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So, there’s this game, sequel actually, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector—kinda like picking up a book with no memory of reading the first one. Fellow Traveler and Jump Over The Age whipped this cyberpunk thing up, and now you’re exploring on PS5. Yeah, PS5. That’s where the cool kids hang out, I guess.
Anyway, you’re this sleeper—sounds eerie, right? Like, who wants to emulate a human mind in an artificial body? But hey, maybe you dig the existential crisis vibe. Essen-Arp Corporation made you, but you gotta break free, man. And then there’s this gang. Gangs love control. They wanna own you—or your android frame or whatever. So it’s kinda like a run-for-your-life drama, but in space. You’ve got a ship and you wanna piece together some future for yourself. Sounds familiar? Or is it just me?
Oddly enough, I looked back at my scribbles from my Citizen Sleeper review phase from two years ago on the Nintendo Switch. Yeah, Nintendo. Same developers, same publishers—nostalgia hits hard. Wasn’t sure if the new game would hit the same notes, but it turns out you don’t even need to play the first one to catch up with this chaos. It’s set in this Helion System, a.k.a. the Starward Vector. Wonder if they spun a wheel for that name.
Before you dive headfirst, you’ve got to pick a class. Classes like Operator, Extractor, and Machinist—because every game needs terminology that makes you scratch your head. Each class even has this quirky Push ability. As in, Operators mess with corporate stuff using drones. Extractors—are they mining stars or something? Machinists seem to tinker around with repairing and fiddling with systems. It’s like picking your poison, or superpower, depending on your perspective.
Did you know you can choose how dangerously you wanna live? Yeah, Safe, Risky, and Dangerous. Safe sounds like bubble wrap and training wheels; Dangerous is for those who laugh in the face of doom. Broken dice, stress, PERMANENT death—they’ve got a flavor of despair for everyone. Dice play a big role here, by the way. Not just toy-like but fate-dealing little cubes. You roll them, and they decide your story. Pure chaos in tabletop form.
Oh, and stress. Stress can mess you up bad. Damaging dice, glitchy outcomes, it’s like playing Russian roulette with more steps. Do you roll the dice at the risk of disastrous outcomes or walk the safe path? Decisions, decisions.
Now, levelling up is a thing too. You’ve got Minor and Major Drives—’minor’ sounds deceiving. They hand over these points when completed, which you can use for upgrades. Skills, Push ability—it’s all up for grabs. But they don’t list the winning jackpot here—spoilers, maybe.
If you’re the trophy-collecting kind, there’s a full shiny trophy list. They tease those tied to recruiting crew members or pulling off miraculous dice rolls. It’s there for the taking if you’re up for it.
Starward Vector feels like a love child of Cowboy Bebop and Firefly—that kind of crew and space jaunt. At $24.99 on PlayStation 5, it’s not like buying a yacht, but you can also snag the Citizen Sleeper Hellion Collection. Adds a little more bulk to your cyberpunk universe.
In case you need the ‘by-the-way’, this chaotic string of thoughts sprouted from a copy of the game provided by Fellow Traveler. Had to make sure you knew that bit.
So, what are you waiting for? Float somewhere in the cyberpunk galaxy. Or don’t. Up to you.
