Suzerain game hits very close to home. Hard.
The game is about a newly elected president of a nation plagued with the deepest messes. It’s a fictional country but its problems get as realistic as they can be.
Severe economic recession coupled with several health and education welfare issues.
Archaic laws that disparage immigrants, minorities, and women.
Violence between factions and threat of war outside the borders.
And many more, seemingly unending problems.
The game might have unrealistically and unreasonably piled up these conflicts to heighten the challenge, but all these issues are intimately familiar to many of us. A player would feel the compulsion to fix these things --- drawing catharsis from setting things right in an imagined game world. Something close to impossible to do in real life for an everyday person.
It's just a bit frustrating and painfully real how politics and personal interests get in the way of achieving solutions. 😩
The Core Suzerain Gameplay
In a nutshell, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure game about politics.
Suzerain is mostly text-based. At many points in the game, players would get the chance to select from pre-defined responses in dialogues, pass or veto bills, or decide a specific course of action.
There’s minimal user interface and graphical elements. But it’s more than sufficient in getting the job done of providing players with both historical and current information about what’s going on in the fictional nation, Sordland. I like that the terms and names are conveniently bookmarked to an in-game glossary. There are tons of them, so it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the information.
As with most choose-your-own-adventure or point-and-click types, the actual gameplay may feel too simplistic for some. It is not for everybody; I recall one Youtube reviewer calling it "boring". But for those who have an interest in the genre, then, Suzerain would offer you one of the most unique gaming experiences where most choices have a discernable impact.
Choices Matter … A Lot
The game opens with a prologue about the life of Anton Rayne, your playable character, before his rise to the presidency. There are several questions that you need to answer to define your character’s background. At first, I assumed it was just a world-building tool, a slide-show induction of sorts. But after three playthroughs, I realized that the seemingly unassuming questions were much more critical to my game.
At least that’s how I viewed it, since each choice you make in this prologue tweaks your character’s starting stats and political alignment a bit. And even one point marked for a hidden stat or flag would significantly influence how the game flows and ends.
This careful attention to detail and impactful choices persist throughout the game. One or two wrong moves may lead to a failure of your proposed reforms much needed by the country. Or could plunge your country into an unprecedented economic depression. Or trigger an assassination attempt on your character. Or have him suffer a coup d’état (this one is annoyingly easy to acquire as an ending).
It made me feel that choices really do matter.
It's a short game that players could finish in under eight hours. Much less in your subsequent playthroughs, as you don’t need to read the glossary as much. So, it’s a bit awe-inspiring that they could pact so many significant choices within the short amount of playtime.
An Anecdote of my Playthrough (Spoilers ahead)
This is truly one of the most realistic and chaotic games I’ve ever played. Let me give an overview of one of my three playthroughs so you’d get an idea if you’d like to try this game for yourself. I’d like to warn you beforehand that this one’s, by far, my most “successful” run. But I still got a terrible ending.
I wanted to make the character the best president he could be.
Upgrading education and healthcare services were a few of my prized accomplishments. It had an immediate impact on the populace, and they were happy with the improved living standards. Unemployment and homelessness rates were still high, though. The game doesn’t really let you have it all, pushing players to make several compromises and sacrifices. Despite not fully resolving the nation’s economic recession, I took pride in at least being able to alleviate it.
I also pushed for democratic reforms and tried to balance the power between the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches of the government. Curbing corruption inside the government and outside was among my top priority, too. Just as promoting freedom in religion and language, and uplifting the status of the country’s minorities and women. These things were unacceptable in my modern eyes. However, the measures were a tough sell to a mostly conservative nation. The people were clamoring for changes, and yet it seems they detest it when it comes knocking at their door.
I pushed through with the reforms, struggling against a mighty opposition. And I finally did it after two failed playthroughs. I thought I had the game in the bag and was bound for a “good ending”. But despite successfully revising the constitution to make it democratic and implementing several policies for the benefit of the people, one coup undid all of my efforts.
It was incredibly frustrating. I guess I have angered the conservatives too much, or I may have not done enough for the country. I honestly don’t know which specific flags I triggered to get a coup ending. Thus, if I’ll ever make a fourth playthrough, I will consult online guides more closely to get the “good” ending that I’ve been aiming for. 😫
What Resonates the Most About the Game
The game got me teary-eyed and torn up at several moments. It mirrors what has happened in my and other nations’ history. And in some ways, echoes the current situation in some places in the world.
Less than a week from now, our country will be holding another Presidential election. It’s serendipitous that I encountered Suzerain right before I cast my vote. The game gave me a brief glimpse of how it is to be in the seat of power of a country drowning in problems. It somehow lessened my naivete and hopefulness. Since Suzerain is messy and broody, I became much more pragmatic with my expectations for the next president's term, whoever they'll be. 😅
The game doesn’t have caricature villains; mostly every character is just a basic politician. Instead of uniting for the common good, they are bent on undermining each other. Some are indeed corrupt and have ill intentions, but most of the people I encountered in the game were ultimately just fighting for what they think is right. But, oftentimes, at the expense of the welfare of the nation and its people.
It's really not unlike the real world, where politicking abounds rather than effective leadership and service.
Suzerain and other games are available for cheap on Humble Bundle Choice for roughly another 48 hours. Check out the offer if you like the game.
You can also read my other Game Review:
This War of Mine. A similarly thoughtful, choice-heavy simulation game about the impact of war on the common people.