It’s ok to laugh at the Vice President, We promise.
I’ve got 2 questions to ask you: 1. Have you ever dreamed of being in charge of people? I’m not talking about just giving thoughts or ideas, but literally commanding and telling them what they will do for you and your people? 2. Do you like classic role playing games? Games like Dragon Quest or the much loved Earthbound? If you answered yes to either one of these, then Citizens of Earth just might be your hot ticket to gaming euphoria.
Citizens of Earth lets the player control the VP, and yes THE Vice President. He is suave, handsome and one charming, if not silly, character. This is the main star of the show, and in most role playing games one would expect him to be able to do all sorts of crazy attacks or special moves during the classic turned based battles. This wouldn’t be very politician like of him though would it? Instead,Citizens of Earth lets him command others to do his bidding. Car salesman, teacher, delivery man, mom and more will fight to the end of the earth for their VP, though sometimes at a cost.
MSRP: S11.99
Platforms: PS4, PC, Wii U, PS Vita, 3DS
Time to Beat: 20 + hours
Multiplayer: N/A
Price I’d Pay: $11.99
The story starts off with the VP waking up in his mom’s house, to a fresh new day of protesting. Something is amiss, and it wouldn’t be a role playing game if something nefarious wasn’t happening in the background. Let it be known though that if players are looking for a story heavy RPG that constantly has new motives or plot lines it’s not here, as Citizens of Earth takes a more old school approach on all this. While the story is there being funny and ridiculous at times, it’s not the center of the stage. Again, the VP wouldn’t be so special without the people surrounding him.
As a typical RPG standard, fights take place in a turn based, behind the shoulder camera view, much like Earthbound. As the enemies attack, the VP (presumably you) in control issues commands to the various character recruits. Standard attacks gain the characters energy points, and then those points are used to perform special moves. Depending on what characters are in the party, different moves are available. The Chef can cast fire or heal with his delicious baked goods, or the mom can yell at enemies and lower their defense. Each character has a unique set of skills and while it’s not necessary to use them all, it’s interesting to see just what pros and cons they offer.
Some character traits also effect things outside of battle. For example the school mascot can change the difficulty of the game, the car salesman will let the VP use his vehicles to get around the map easierand the life guard will let him and the team go under water to explore.
Recruiting all these characters usually boils down to completing requests for them or meeting some sort of criteria, so it won’t always be as simple as just talking to them. This adds to a lot of side content to go along with the meaty 7 chapter campaign. With its use of vivid colors, fantastic cartoon-like animation and the relatable environments the VP explores, Citizens of Earth is mostly a unique and great RPG to add to the collection.
There are just a few small nitpicks to discuss, the first being the map. It’s extremely tiny to look at and it’s hard getting a grasp of exactly where the VP is, as the icons are fairly small and hard to see. There is a mini map in the corner but it’s really not much better to use. The voice acting in the game is fantastic for all the characters. The extremely colorful and zany cast is what players would expect, yet the sound files that play repeatedly during combat, as the VP cheers the players on or the sounds the other characters make when attacking or getting attacked will tend to really grind on players ears after so many battles, and it’s unfortunate because otherwise I loved hearing the cast when they spoke.
Citizens of Earth can be looked at as a love letter and an inspiration to roleplaying games of the past. It’s unique enough in its core premise and gameplay additions that I can’t see many long time RPG fans not highly enjoying this. If you’re looking for a title with both style and substance and a hint of nostalgia, Citizens of Earth is your next RPG purchase. I had a smile on my face every time I played this.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.