Citizens of Space

Citizens of Space is a comedic turn-based RPG developed by Eden Industries and published by SEGA in 2019, and the follow-up to Citizens of Earth. You play as Earth's newly appointed Ambassador, who shows up to his inaugural speech at the Galactic Federation only to discover that Earth itself has gone missing. That absurd, politically-tinged premise sets the tone for everything that follows: a galaxy-hopping adventure to reassemble your planet one stolen chunk at a time, dragging along a colorful crew of humans, robots, and aliens you recruit along the way. The combat is where the game is most ambitious, and most divisive. Each action in battle is tied to a timing-based minigame, drawing clearly from Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario series. Three Fighter citizens take the front line while the Ambassador himself stays on the sidelines, spending a Charisma meter to use items, enact Policies that alter battle conditions for both sides, or call in Summon citizens for big flashy moves. Partners can be slotted onto Fighters to boost stats and add extra move options. On paper, that is a genuinely layered system with real team-synergy potential. In practice, the sheer volume of minigames per turn means battles stretch out past the point of fun, especially in random encounters you cannot always dodge. The encounter rate can be tuned down via a recruitable citizen's Talent ability, which helps, but you will wish that fix came standard from the start. The roster is where the game channels its Suikoden and Pokemon DNA most clearly. Up to forty citizens can be recruited, each with a distinct personality, voiced lines, and a Talent that has effects outside of combat, like adjusting traverse options, planting item-yielding seeds, or fast-traveling. Unlock conditions range from simple story beats to genuinely clever hidden side quests that reward thorough exploration. Most citizens feel worth chasing. The world itself is divided into inventive biome-themed planets, from a frozen-and-volcanic twin world to a robot-Western moon, and the cartoon art style gives each location a Saturday morning energy that suits the tone. Presentation is a clear step up from Citizens of Earth. Where Citizens of Space stumbles, as an RPG fan, is in the places that matter most to me: writing depth and narrative payoff. The humor leans hard on political satire and puns, and while the voice cast sells the jokes with real commitment, the actual story is thin, linear, and full of fetch quests that exist to pad the runtime. Choices do not really matter here. Character arcs are shallow. The Ambassador's dynamic with his sarcastic, eye-rolling Assistant is charming, and some of the planet-specific stories land their beats, but there is no Disco Elysium dialogue tree waiting at the end of this galaxy. The game also shipped with a roster of technical issues, from minor UI quirks to quest-blocking bugs, which reviewers across the board flagged at launch. All that said, if you want a breezy, accessible JRPG with a genuinely inventive combat skeleton, a huge cast to collect, and a tone closer to Futurama than Final Fantasy, Citizens of Space delivers that specific itch at a budget price point. Come for the minigame combat, stay for the weird alien side quests, manage your expectations about narrative weight. Monika, Scout Team