Damian Martin used this opening shot to also make some changes to the logistics of being a Sleeper. In short, a Sleeper is a human mind immortalized in a robot body to be kept under control by a corporation. Thanks to Serafin’s attempts to reboot you both, you’re no longer reliant on the Stabilizer, the material the corporation uses to keep you alive in the first part. Citizen Sleeper, This is both a design and a narrative decision.
“It’s a huge change,” says Damian Martin. “You’re basically starting over from the beginning Sleeper 2
This adjustment wasn’t made to make your life easier. Your sleeper can now sense stress, another new mechanic that means there are additional consequences for not taking care of yourself – and taking risks. This can be as simple as completing a cycle without eating – and can lead to further obstacles, such as “breaking” a die, meaning you can’t use it for an action that cycle.
This system is designed to force a game of chance that is not possible in the unforgiving world of Citizen Sleeper
“The systems I’ve been looking at have been about finding ways to model things that feel like long-term damage or difficulty, which isn’t necessarily something that happens that often in games,” explains Damian Martin. “Damage in games is usually short-term in nature, but here you’re constantly spinning the plates of this body you’re trying to work with.”
Citizen Sleeper 2 goes a step further with a class system, offering more flexibility in how you roleplay your Sleeper. The classes featured in the demo – Operator, Extractor and Machinist – each offered proficiency in certain skills but a disadvantage in others. I chose the Machinist role, which offered useful bonuses in technical situations but brought significant difficulty in successfully interacting with others. Over time, you can level up the most of these skills, but each class also has one skill that is completely locked – you never get better at it, so you really have to play to your strengths as you progress.