Sovereign Syndicate Brings Players Into A World Of Intrigue In A Steampunk London
Sovereign Syndicate is a steampunk fantasy world where three characters are drawn together by mysterious events around London. Atticus the minotaur, Clara, Teddy the dwarf and his automaton have their own reasons to care about these events. Players will travel through a vividly detailed Victorian city with fantastical elements seamlessly blended in. This is a narrative game but the setting is one of its stronger points. The atmosphere is top notch. When players are walking through worn down streets it feels as though something is waiting around every corner.
Players will choose traits and “roll” against a skill check using tarot cards. The importance is choosing what humour (analysis, ingenuity, impulse) gets a buff at the beginning. As skills are leveled more cards are unlocked, along with associated dialogue choices that were previously unavailable. The gameplay consists entirely of scrolling through pages of text. A lot of what players will interact with in some chapters is flavor text that makes it feel less important to do more than pass through each area.
The characters also felt a bit lackluster as protagonists. Teddy being the most interesting, especially since he’s the only one to have some success overcoming his past. Whether Clara and Atticus have the same growth is up to the player. That all being said, each stands out from the other design-wise. Besides the obvious fact that only one is human. The steampunk look can clash with the centaurs and other magical creatures at first. If you give it a chance it may grow on you.
Those who are looking for an RPG that doesn’t really have a “fail” might enjoy Sovereign Syndicate. Players looking for a more strategic experience won’t find that here. The story unfolds at a snail pace in some places, too quickly in others. If a player was to…accidentally take a death drought the game would simply start that conversation over. Choices feel less impactful. If a skill check fails progress doesn’t appear hindered in some way. Unless a player was trying to get into a chest, door, etc.
The concept alone is interesting since it’s done so rarely. This is a more relaxed experience where players can explore a gritty setting relatively stress free. There are potential glitches where the only option is to reload the last save and hope it was before the issue occurred. Other than that, Sovereign Syndicate comes out as an experience that isn’t overwhelmingly great or horrible. It has some nice twists as the stories start to connect. If it scratches that niche craving, definitely give it a try.
