Episode 3: Purge Brings Citizen Sleeper’s DLC Arc To A Close, But The Story Is Far From Over

Today, Citizen Sleeper Jump Over The Age revealed Purge on March 30th, which is the third and last narrative expansion. This update brings an end to what creator Gareth Damian Martin calls a ‘half-sequel’ to the original release, but, as we found out in a discussion about Purge, this doesn’t seem to be the end of Citizen Sleeper’s universe as a whole.

Uninitiated: Citizen Sleeper is a narrative RPG set on Erlin’s Eye, a ruined space station home to a community of interstellar misfits and outcasts desperately trying to build a life. You can read more about the base game over here, but for now, let’s focus on Episode 3, the last in a series of free updates that seek to bring a close to this era of Citizen Sleeper.

The previous two episodes, Flux and Refuge, both explored complex new tales featuring fresh and returning faces – Flux revolves a refugee flotilla that has arrived on Erlin’s Eye, and Refuge follows on from the events of Flux, allowing you to explore the refugee flotilla and encounter new characters. Purge is a very ambiguous episode. Citizen Sleeper (is the story after all). We do know that this expansion will bring the story to an end.

Citizen Sleeper may be a well-constructed game, with many branching narratives. However, this was just a first step in the creation of an ocean. Damian Martin’s trio of DLC Instalments is only the beginning. Damian Martin was on hand to talk with us before Episode 3. We are looking back at the interview. Citizen Sleeper as a whole, the choice to expand on certain story beats in DLC, and what’s next for this dynamic and captivating sci-fi universe they’ve created.

“I love universes that are big enough to contain different types of media, and it’s really exciting to be in this moment where I have this thing that people actually like,” they tell us. “There’s all these dangling teases and threads that I can pick up later, and a wealth of places that I can take the story. I’d love to see people two or three years down line going ‘oh, wait, these things are connected’.”

This is the plan. Citizen Sleeper was always in motion, but Damian Martin used the ‘complete’ base game to essentially test drive the concept, and see how players found it:

“I wanted to make the most lightweight form of the game that could sell the idea and make sure people understood what I was trying to do, while being efficient with my time in case it didn’t work out,” Damian Martin tells us. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out how many people got on with it, because I thought it was a very niche game.”

Damian Martin says that this plan for expanding the series was based on two factors. Two things were done to limit the potential scope. Citizen Sleeper in order to get people on board with the idea,And the other came from a strong, personal love of stories and worlds – like those in Mass Effect and Destiny 2 – that build even after the original story seems complete.

“After launch, I immediately greenlit the DLC in my head for two reasons — one, I love ongoing stories and serial narratives that allow the world to live with you for a bit. I wanted to see if I could bring this feeling of a story that progresses over time,” Damian Martin says.

“The second is that I wanted to give an indication that Citizen SleeperIt is a long-term effort. Some indie games, you play them for six or eight hours and they’re great, but that’s it, you never go back there. So these episodes felt like the best to keep momentum going, and see where we can go with it.”

Damian Martin tells me that his design is heavily inspired from tabletop games. These allow the player to explore new paths, uncovering plots that relate to an overarching story.

“If you want anything to happen in a video game, you have to make a system for it. In tabletop games, you can improvise, characters you’ve invented suddenly become main characters, and I wanted to find a way to bring that energy and structure into a video game,” they tell us.

“What I love about tabletop RPG is that players can go to any place they want, and the [game master]To give them a story, they must comply. I wanted to put that feeling in the game, so like, having a drink at Tyler’s bar stems into you building a relationship with Tyler, but it all stems from just going there for a drink.”

Citizen SleeperThe characters and conversations you have with them are what drive your life. Damian Martin however says they find it unusual that dialogue can make game-altering choices. This is reflected in their experiences with tabletop RPGs — conversations are not huge focal points for players, but where to go, what to do, and who to do it with matters greatly.

“I think dialogue options are great as expressive choices, but the decisions I make that affect my life are usually about what I do with my time, what I turn up to do, the people that I help or respond to,” they explain. “So I was really interested in a system where decisions were almost made unconsciously by the player. Although there are many things you can do, you only have so much time. The brain of a player prioritizes in its own way and makes choices that are natural. I try to encourage players to just go with their gut and see where it puts them.”

Damian Martin shares some personal, visceral experiences that inspired this story. Citizen SleeperWhat made them feel out of place, or vulnerable, and how they wanted that to be incorporated into the stories and characters. You can tell that it’s these kinds of stories that will form a part of their thinking for the future of this nascent series.

“I really wanted to make a game that was about a lot of the things that I’ve been thinking about for the past 10 years, things that were really important to me, and things that I kind of intuited on some level, where important to people of my generation and our experiences,” Damian Martin explains.

“The idea of [rolling dice to choose actions], and randomness, and risk, and then the risk of precarity and existing in society in a minoritized position and trying to struggle to survive, those things kind of slipped together.”

It is possible to find yourself in dangerous (excuse my pun) situations. Citizen SleeperThe story continues despite the low roll rate. Damian Martin stresses the importance of keeping the narrative rolling (sorry, that’s another pun) and avoiding ‘game over.’

“Something I learned as a game master is that you should never offer the player a choice where the bad outcome won’t be interesting or progress the story,” they explain. “I tried to set that rule for myself in Citizen Sleeper too. I wanted to feel like failing was still moving things forward, and in some cases, was more interesting than succeeding.”

Purge is the final post-launch DLC instalment. Citizen Sleeper, and it’ll be free to download for existing players. Flux and Refuge are also available for free, so be sure to get them squared away before heading into Purge and uncovering whatever mysterious ‘ending’ that Citizen SleeperHave in Store

However, if our conversation with Damian Martin unsheathed anything, it’s that their universe has many, many more stories to tell, this trilogy serving as a mini-sequel is just one tale unravelling in this complex, dystopian setting, and you may even be oblivious to some of the celestial breadcrumbs that your mischievous Game Master has left for you.

S (Xbox One), and Windows 30 March.|S, Xbox One and Windows March 30th. Citizen SleeperThis feature is included in Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass.

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ROLEPLAYING IN THE RUINS OF INTERPLANETARY CAPITALISM

From the developer of In Other Waters, and featuring the stunning character art of Guillaume Singelin, Citizen Sleeper is a narrative RPG set on Erlin’s Eye, a ruined space station that is home to thousands of people trying to survive on the edges of an interstellar capitalist society.

A corporation wants to return you as a sleeper. You’re a digitalized human consciousness trapped in an artificial body. You will need to make friends, gain your keeps, and navigate this bizarre metropolis if you want to live to the next cycle.

LIFE ON ERLIN’S EAR
A disused station at the margin of a crisis system. Anarchic alliances, broken factions and the shared desire for freedom from corporate control keep it together.

DON’T HASTE. GET PAID. SURVIVE.
Every cycle, you decide how to spend your time. Find truths, make alliances or escape your hunters. One cycle at a while, survive and eventually thrive.

STAND UP TO FRIENDS
You will find characters from many walks of life at the Eye. Salvagers, engineers, hackers and more – each has a history. Together, you can shape your future by choosing who to assist.

ALLOW THEM TO ACCESS YOUR RETAILS
Hack the station’s cloud to access data, new areas and secrets. You have the power to change your destiny. Rogue AIs, corporate secrets and lost data are all waiting for you.

YOU WERE MADE to DIE
Essen-Arp sees you as just another asset within their seemingly endless portfolio. Your body is in decline, so escape its creators and follow your dreams.

INSPIRETED BY TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING GAME
Citizen Sleeper is a game that uses clocks, drives, dice and clocks to give you a user-led experience. You can pick your way in an interactive, rich world.

CITIZEN SEEPER EPISODES
The free episodic post-launch content will introduce new characters and places in a broader storyline. True to Citizen Sleeper’s TTRPG roots, these three episodes will offer an expansive campaign module that tells the longest and most complex story to be featured in the game to date.

In the first episode, FLUX, the first ships from a refugee flotilla arrive at Erlin’s Eye in response to pressures in the Helion system. The Eye is now experiencing a bizarre event called REFUGE. The flotilla will allow you to help stabilize the community and to learn more about this threat.

In the third episode of Episode 3, which will air in 2023, we conclude the story about the flotilla and the FLUX events.