Citizens of Earth

Overview

Citizens of Earth is a quirky game with its heart in the right place and its head in the clouds. It charmed me with its blend of old-school RPG and contemporary satire, but nearly lost my vote with its sluggish pacing, irritatingly high enemy encounter rate, and crashes. As it is, it’s pretty A-OK, but it would have a tough race winning a run-off for my time against a well-paced RPG.

-- As reviewed by IGN

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 8 expert reviews

Excellent:

0
Good:

4
Average:

3
Bad:

1

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Last revision on August 29, 2018

Reviewers Liked

Fun battle system
Huge, eclectic, fun cast of characters

Reviewers Didn't Like

Sluggish pacing
Combat is sometimes more arduous than necessary

Expert reviews and ratings

It's rare for a game so clearly concerned with the past to be so thoughtful and progressive. Citizens of Earth contains straightforward, deep gameplay that veteran RPG players will appreciate. But it also builds a fun story with a memorable cast of characters. It balances gracefully between two audiences, finding a truly worthwhile alternative in the middle ground.

By Polygon on February 18, 2015

Ultimately, the game is such an infinite fountain of charming and funny, that even when you've started rolling your eyes at how often you've had to wait for one of the traffic cone/hermit crab enemies to come out of defense, you end up getting into a conversation with an NPC and forgetting it ever happened. It's a fine slice of the ‘90s that developer Eden Industries has delivered here, and it's just too good being the Veep to let a few minor issues bring it down.

By GameSpot on February 02, 2015

One could argue that the JRPG formula really hasn't changed since the days of the Super Nintendo. You get together a party of rag tag adventurers, fight a bunch of random battles to level up, and head off on an adventure to save the world. It could also...

By Cheat Code Central on January 26, 2015

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...

By GameZone on January 24, 2015

Nevertheless, Citizens of Earth succeeds in rediscovering something of the ingenuity of 1990s JRPGs in its playful twists on genre clichés. 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.

By EuroGamer on January 23, 2015

By IGN on January 23, 2015

Citizens of Earth is a cleverly written, charming, and nostalgic game that is hindered only by repetitive combat combined with a high encounter rate. Those who see past the minor design flaws and few technical problems will find a strong EarthBound-inspired RPG that is entertaining from start to finish.

By GameInformer on January 20, 2015

The results of this difference in focus are clear: Citizens of Earth is uproariously funny, but ultimately lacks in emotional depth. In its place we find mechanical depth, with a battle system and world left wide open to exploration. It might not resonate as strongly as Earthbound, but Citizens of Earth is arguably more fun to play.

By HardcoreGamer on January 20, 2015