An economic crisis is raging. The budget is depleted by the launch of a major infrastructure project. At least four ministers are looking for more money. And there’s a brewing crisis between nationalists and minorities. Finally, a new bill seeking to promote workers' rights is also a potential drain on limited resources. What can a president do to solve these issues and more?
Suzerain is an interesting mix of simulation, adventure, and rogue mechanics, created by Torpor Games and published by Fellow Traveller. It takes a little bit of patience to get to its strongest parts but the experience is good enough that you’ll want to play through it at least two times if not more.
The premise is straightforward: Anton Rayne becomes the president of Sordland. Players need to guide the president through their first term, dealing with a wide range of political, military, economic, social, and personal problems.
Players do this via extensive talks, mainly with cabinet members, but also with other important figures that have an interest in how the country develops. It is 1953, which means some of the issues you’re dealing with might seem a little old-fashioned. But every conversation, every choice, means something for Sordland and the geopolitical space it exists in.
Suzerain is a testament to the power of world-building. The player knows nothing about the world of the game initially. It seems weird, a mix of nations and ideas. But the developers have created an actual history for their imaginary world. Sordland has a past and a player needs to read about it to see how to best guide it towards the future. The neighbors have histories too. Each important character has a backstory. And the in-game wiki-like system makes it easy to jump from subject to subject and really immerse oneself in the game.
Information is very much needed to deal with the problems that Rayne faces. Sordland has a very fictional amount of problems. The country is dealing with a major economic crisis. It has a minority that can move towards separatism. There’s a major gap in development between urban and rural areas. It lacks infrastructure. It’s caught between two major power blocks. It has one expansionist neighbor that seems ready to move towards war. Any of these issues can overwhelm a real-world country. Players have to work to deal with all of them. And Rayne also has family and personal relationships to engage with.
And working towards solutions, talking about possibilities, and then seeing which can be implemented, is very engrossing. Cabinet ministers have personalities and a set of priorities. Economic leaders scheme. Power centers compete. Gamers need to read a lot of details, choose their replies, see where to best deploy scarce resources. This is a text-heavy experience but the quality of the writing sustains it.
The actual gameplay is a little limited. I would have loved to work with more than two resources and to get more feedback on some potential ideas for country development. But the world feels alive and that kept me playing, trying to make Sordland the best it can be, trying to keep Rayne in power.
The biggest issue I have with Suzerain is that it only offers an autosave slot and no manual save options. This means that each decision made cannot be taken back, there’s no way to use a save to test an alternative approach or see how a risky move would play out. You have to play the entire game again, from the top, scrolling through text, making familiar moves.
This choice does make every game feel unique and encourages more than one playthrough. The problem is that the game is long enough (around 4 hours at a brisk pace) that it’s hard to justify the time to see how just one thing might be different. A mode that makes everything move at a faster pace or a way to at least have hard saves between chapters would make the entire experience more appealing.
The game was created by a small team but that does not mean it cannot deliver a great presentation, with a lovingly crafted map and clear information for the player to engage with. The interface is well-structured, allowing players to quickly see how their decisions impact the world and to get details on their conversation partners. The audio design is less impressive but there’s nothing like a little jazz from the ‘50 or ‘60s to set the mood.
The Good
- Extensive world-building
- Engaging decisions
- Good character writing
The Bad
- Limited actual gameplay
- Some long-winded dialogue
- Many choices seem out of place
Conclusion
The developers clearly have a lot of talent for world-building and dialogue writing, which makes the game a treat for anyone willing to learn about the world and play with its possibilities. Come to Suzerain first for the feeling of power and the scheming, stay longer to discover the characters and the way choices are interlocked in an interesting way.
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