Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector preview – stressed out in deep space

Starward Vector may look like Citizen Sleeper, but the gameplay at its heart is very different

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector / Fellow Traveller

When I first played Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector last summer, I was restricted by the demo that only allowed me to explore the first area of the game, but that first hour showed me just how different the sequel is from the original. Aside from the new protagonist and location, you now have to manage your stress levels, take contracts across space, and make decisions that lead to drastically branching paths. I’ve spent a few more hours playing and I can now see the differences are far greater than I first thought.

When playing Citizen Sleeper, initially I felt a sense of dread, never knowing if I could complete the required tasks to survive. However, the longer I lived in the Sleeper’s world, the more I felt at ease and understood that things would work out one way or another. I was never complacent, but even when things started to go awry, I never felt as if I’d screwed the pooch.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector / Fellow Traveller

I’m risk-averse. In Citizen Sleeper, you don’t have the luxury to err on the side of caution. You scramble in order to survive. Starward Vector pushes this further as dice break when you’re stressed. Dice are what allow you to attempt actions. You slot one in and attempt to roll for a positive outcome. A broken die is a useless die, and while it can be fixed in the workshop, you don’t always have the resources to do so. Starward Vector also introduces Glitch dice, which have an 80% chance of a negative outcome, and no way to fix them.

The deck is stacked against you, and I quickly felt things spiral out of control. While on a contract, I failed two 75% dice rolls in a row, leading to one crewmate being out of commission. I had to take on more tasks myself, accrued extra stress, and three of five dice broke. Okay, I failed this contract, but I can fix the dice back at base, right? I could if I had the resources (I don’t) or knew how to get some (I don’t). I told the crewmate to leave the ship after the botched operation and worried that I missed out on a new storyline. I’m left travelling with just two dice that could break at any moment, and the Sleeper’s stress is now mine.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector / Fellow Travelle

“You shouldn't be afraid of failing,” Citizen Sleeper creator Gareth Damian Martin told me. “You should feel it's OK to fail and to see what stories come out of that.” Games like Slay the Princess and, indeed, the original Citizen Sleeper, have taught me not to fear failure, but I already feel like things in the zero-gravity universe have spun out of control with no way for me to claw them back. Maybe this disaster is the story that is coming out. Maybe I’ll eventually feel that same sense of everything working out.

Starward Vector may look like Citizen Sleeper, but the gameplay at its heart is very different. Martin has found a new way to connect us to our Sleeper, even if that connection is a looming sense of dread. I’m a few hours in, and I can’t tell if this increased sense of danger is a masterclass in narrative or sucking all of the enjoyment out of gaming, and that’s what makes Starward Vector unique, if nothing else.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector launches January 31, 2025, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.