Citizens of Earth
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Based on 47 critic reviews
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Unscored Reviews
Citizens of Earth is a wonderful RPG that plays around with convention and brings something new to the table. It's familiar and accessible enough for longtime or new RPG fans, and is an engrossing experience for all.
Eden Industries leaned on excessive fights the way movie writers too often lean on their own tired tropes, and the result leaves us waiting on the punchlines for too long.
If Citizens of Earth were a tighter experience I think I could recommend it without reservation, lacklustre character development and all.
It delivers on everything it promises, and I'm still not having fun.
Scored Reviews
Citizens of Earth is available on PC, PS4, PS Vita, WiiU, and 3DS. There's even a discount if you buy it during the first week of release on any platform.
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.
As an adventure that does just about everything right in the fun and technical sense, CoE's most valuable triumphs are its sense of humour and accessibility; whether you're politically knowledgeable or oblivious, and if you have a near-romantic relationship with turn-based RPGs, you will risk yawning through a filibuster if it means becoming the Vice President of this world.
Citizens of Earth is a great role-playing experience that manages to evoke the feel of Earthbound and other JRPGs while still doing its own thing. The gameplay is fun, the environments are varied, and the crazy citizens make the whole title feel refreshing. Sure, there are a few quirks here and there, but overall, you can't lose by playing this great title.
One for the cult history books - an imperfect classic that fits into a very welcome little niche on the eShop.
Citizens of Earth is rooted in the past but still forward-thinking
If Earthbound is a Japanese interpretation of Americana as seen through a filter of sitcoms, b-movies and news reels, then Citizens of Earth offers a Canadian take on the country we see through The Daily Show and the front page of Reddit. But where Shigesato Itoi displays deep fondness for his source material, Eden Industries is clearly more attached to the games that inspired them than they are to their game's setting.
Citizens of Earth is a quirky JRPG with a sense of humour that loves to make fun of American stereotypes. Destined for cult status.
Citizens of Earth is an enjoyable charming retro-inspired RPG with clear inspiration from the SNES classic EarthBound. There are occasional pacing issues, as certain areas seem to be padded with additional areas and enemies. The writing hits the mark throughout, making jokes about the political system and the occasional pop culture reference.
I have to say, I really enjoyed Citizens of Earth. While I wouldn't call it a must own title, I would say it's a game worth playing, if only to see what can be done to revive this old and beloved genre. I'd say it's probably even a bit better on mobile platforms, as it's the type of game where you can have a million quests to do which you slowly wrap up over the course of a bus ride. If you liked old JRPGs and want to see what might be in store for the genre's future, give Citizens of Earth a try.
Throughout my playthrough of Citizens of Earth, I was continually enthralled by all the ideas that went into creating the title. I fell in love with the characters, dialogue, and world. The battle system, meanwhile, captivated me, as it was so perfectly orchestrated. In theory, Citizens of Earth should have been an amazing game, and to a certain extent the game accomplished everything it set out to complete. Unfortunately, however, a few technical errors, along with a few design errors, turned what could have been an amazing experience into one that did not live up to its full potential.
Humorous and fun, but a bit mundane at times. Retro RPG fans will find a lot to like
Good for the casual gamer. Hell for the collectionists.
Wrapping American cultural stereotypes and the feckless disposition of politicians around an effigy of Earthbound is an electrifying thesis, but not one that Citizens of Earth quite sees to its potential or conclusion. The ingenuity of its character-based progression systems is stacked against tedious battle mechanics, suspect level design, and demoralizing performance crashes. Citizens of Earth is ultimately a victory, but not without a few conspicuous bruises.
Citizens of Earth isn't always right on point. The humor is spotty and predictable, but the combat system has enough depth to be engaging.
Citizens of Earth tries to be too funny for its own good, and often feels like one long joke about politicians. Fortunately, the gameplay, in all of its nostalgic glory, is fun and charming. There are moments where it treads a little too closely to its inspirations, but this at least results in great art, a fun soundtrack, and some compelling combat. And while it fails to hit the standard set by the classics that it's attempting to imitate, it should still get your vote if you're a fan of old-school RPGs like EarthBound.
In summation, Citizens of Earth is a pretty enjoyable game, but it's far too short for me to be able to call it a classic.
Overall, Citizens of Earth has a good balance of humor, old-school RPG, and solid turn-based mechanics. I originally started my review with a PC copy of the game, but I had to switch to the PlayStation 4 because my copy crashed numerous times during the auto-saving. I can assure you that the checkpoints are numerous and generous, so none of my progress was lost between crashes. A few updates have been patched in since I received my PC code, so hopefully the game is no longer plagued with that one problem. It's definitely a worthwhile trip to the realm of retro RPGs, no matter if you go PC or console.
Citizens of Earth wins hearts and minds, but still loses in a few key states.
Citizens of Earth is a little rough around the edges, but it definitely has heart. The great humor is balanced out by an incredibly fun combat system with a ton of variety. Some lackluster dungeon design and somewhat tedious backtracking really drag down the gameplay. For every moment of frustration, there are two cool battles or laugh-out-loud jokes. It's got some serious RPG chops, too, so if you're a fan of lighthearted RPGs, you'll enjoy Citizens of Earth.
Citizens of Earth feels like a game that's meant to be played with a walkthrough guide nearby, which is also reminiscent of a classic RPG-adventure experience, but not one that is necessarily enjoyable all the time. That being said, Citizens of Earth does provide an fun retro experience. It just has trouble keeping things interesting during the long trip around the world.
Nevertheless, Citizens of Earth succeeds in rediscovering something of the ingenuity of 1990s JRPGs in its playful twists on genre cliches. And as a kooky and inventive contemporary re-imagining of the Super Nintendo-era role-player, this, like its protagonist's campaign, is but a near miss.
The result is a largely enjoyable but far too shallow experience. With plenty of laughs a minute, a fun battle system, and oodles of old-school charm, Citizens of Earth will delight you for a while - and then simply tire you out. There are too many frustrating hours spent wandering around, too many little bits and pieces that haven't been sorted out properly. With no further depth to it than pure satire, it can be difficult to force yourself through these awkward sections and seek what lies on the other side of them. A little refinement could have gone a long way for Citizens of Earth, but without that extra touch, it's not so much EarthBound as it is grounded.
'Citizens of Earth' is a strange, unique combination of the Western RPG and old-school JRPG. Between its recruitment mechanics, solid combat, script, and exploration, it is an extremely fun and nostalgic title. It has some irritating flaws and a mild assortment of bugs, but not enough to spoil its charm. I recommend this for any RPG fan, especially devotees of 90s JRPGs who'd like a walk down memory lane.
Citizens of Earth is a fun, if flawed, sojourn into the glory days of 16 bit JRPGs.
If you are a fan of turn-based RPGs than you should definitely check out Citizens of Earth but if you are not than it might be worth not going to voting for this candidate.
Beneath the frustrating design decisions and pacing issues, there's a solid game to be played in Citizens Of Earth. It's a game that wears its Earthbound influence proudly, dipping into a well of nostalgia. It's going to have a term in office that is highlighted by grinding gameplay and oddball structure, but dammit, it's hard to not love the charm that Citizens Of Earth oozes.
Citizens of Earth is a quirky game with its heart in the right place and its head in the clouds.
I was excited for Citizens of Earth, and I marked it down as the first 2015 release I wanted to sink my teeth into. What I bit off left a bad taste in my mouth.
Despite some poor design choices and a few bugs, Citizens of Earth is still an enjoyable game that will appeal to turn-based RPG fans who like quirky humor. It's just too bad that there's such a strong focus on keeping players busy rather than interested.
Overall, Citizens of Earth is a game that has solid underpinnings, though it could also use some extra polish. Folks who prefer more modern titles with all the 3D fixin's will likely pass on this. If you like games that don't take themselves too seriously and also have an old-school flair, however, this'll be worth checking out, especially given it's affordable price.
However, there's still a somewhat decent game beneath the frustrating amalgam of boring, grinding gameplay and bizarre design decisions. There's a lot of potential behind the scenes that could be reworked into a much more satisfying experience. As-is, Citizens of Earth is at best a semi-mediocre journey with lots of quests to complete. Alas, it seems that while it tried its best to do so, it just couldn't quite grasp EarthBound's true form.
Citizen of Earth is inspired by Earthbound and Suikoden, but the entire thing doesn't come together as a solid whole. The citizens you can recruit are interesting, but the rest of the game's story is only skin-deep. Combat is solid, but it can get tedious and boring at times. With everything taken together, the game comes across as average. If collecting characters and turn-based action is your thing though, you'll find a lot to love about Citizens of Earth.
Citizens Of Earth is more than just an Earthbound homage. Zany humour finds wonder and wackiness in the mundane, while the recruitment system lets you build a versatile army that changes the way you explore and battle in a JRPG.
The passion behind Citizens of Earth is undeniable. The execution, unfortunately, lags behind other indie titles that take inspiration from essential gaming classics. There's so much potential in this intriguing fusion of EarthBound and Suikoden, and the basics of a competent RPG are all here. The storytelling, world-building, and other elements necessary to craft a truly standout role-playing experience, however, are MIA in Citizens of Earth.
Although its boring mission design leads to frustration, Citizens of Earth's delightfully odd premise and surprisingly deep combat engine make it worthy of a cursory glance.
Citizens of Earth was an ambitious RPG that set out to bring back the classic RPG styles of Earthbound and the like, but the standards of that genre really fail to take their place among RPG's today. There's fun to be had, to a point, and it's worth checking out if you're a fan of those oldschool games.
Although it suffers from the dated standards of structure and action—acting more as an imitation of what we might remember of the SNES-era than a succession—Citizens of Earth flourishes when it embraces its own silliness.
Citizens of Earth is a charming drag.
Citizens of Earth is a good premise marred by poor game design. I appreciate the old-school charm and contemporary satire, but the many of the game's mechanics are just too frustrating to overlook.
For the most part, Citizens of Earth is a curiously addictive romp, with the ability to elicit the occasional chuckle. However, it would be remiss not to slap a 'Buyer Beware' warning on it, due to its many issues, which is a real shame, as when it decides to work, it's a fun little time sink.
It looks like EarthBound, and to a degree it plays like EarthBound, but this has none of the charm or character of the SNES classic – and considerably worse combat.
This is a game which clearly values quantity over quality and is worse off for it, leaving you with the lasting impression that this was a team over zealously trying to make up for a failed crowd funding project. There may well be a half-decent game lurking beneath the facade of tired jokes and nods to RPG tropes and stereotypes, which Citizens of Earth then insists of portraying anyway, however it's far too caught up in its own bravado to realise it.






















