Citizens of Earth Reviews
Citizens of Earth is a quirky game with its heart in the right place and its head in the clouds.
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.
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.
Humorous and fun, but a bit mundane at times. Retro RPG fans will find a lot to like
Citizens of Earth is rooted in the past but still forward-thinking
Citizens of Earth wins hearts and minds, but still loses in a few key states.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 a charming drag.
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.
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.
It delivers on everything it promises, and I'm still not having fun.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One for the cult history books - an imperfect classic that fits into a very welcome little niche on the eShop.