Sovereign Syndicate

About

"Sovereign Syndicate" is a Victorian steampunk cRPG that allows you to explore an open world and play as three characters with intertwining stories. Use skills to level them up and trust your fate to the tarot card chance system for interactions with NPCs. The game features a skill and etiqu system, where the skills you use will improve, and NPCs react to your choices. Combat, persuasion, magic, or explosives are some of the methods you can use to solve problems in the dangerous docklands.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 440 reviews

story139 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

Engaging narrative with well-developed characters and a rich steampunk setting.
Innovative tarot card system adds a unique twist to skill checks and character development.
Strong writing and dialogue that immerses players in the world and its themes.

Limited exploration and repetitive environments lead to a feeling of tedium.
Character switching disrupts narrative flow and can make it hard to connect with individual stories.
Lack of meaningful choices and consequences diminishes the impact of player decisions.

story
508 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
71%
2%
The story of "Sovereign Syndicate" is set in a richly crafted steampunk world, featuring three distinct characters whose narratives intertwine in a noir murder mystery. While the writing is praised for its depth and engaging prose, many reviewers feel that the storytelling suffers from pacing issues and a lack of meaningful character development, often feeling more like a prologue than a complete tale. The game offers a choice-driven experience, but some players express frustration with the linearity and the abrupt character switches, which can dilute the overall narrative impact.
- “Three characters, an intriguing mystery guiding the story, and a delightfully grim look into a steampunk setting that is sure to be appreciated by fans of the genre.”
- “Sovereign Syndicate masterfully blends steampunk aesthetics with intricate storytelling, creating an atmospheric Victorian-inspired world teeming with intrigue.”
- “The game masterfully combines choice-driven storytelling with compelling RPG mechanics, making each decision feel significant.”
- “My main problems are that the worldbuilding is much stronger than the actual storytelling, which didn't particularly convince me. Additionally, the game doesn't make particularly good use of the roleplaying genre it places itself in.”
- “The world is an interesting one, but it's not enough, especially when the characters don't go all that far beyond a general idea of a character template and the plot takes more than half the game to get going.”
- “Having the characters join the Sovereign Syndicate at the end made the whole game feel like a prologue to something along the lines of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen rather than a complete story in its own right.”
gameplay
143 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
85%
2%
The gameplay of "Sovereign Syndicate" draws heavily from "Disco Elysium," featuring a narrative-driven experience with conversation choices and tarot card-based skill checks that enhance decision-making. While the game offers a rich story and layered characters, many players find the RPG mechanics to be shallow and underdeveloped, leading to a gameplay experience that often feels more like reading a visual novel than engaging in a traditional RPG. Despite its innovative ideas, the execution leaves some mechanics feeling unpolished, resulting in a mixed reception regarding overall gameplay depth and enjoyment.
- “In terms of gameplay, expect a similar style to Disco Elysium where you walk around and interact with various characters and objects, have skills related to the character you're playing as, and the skill checks have a very interesting tarot-card inspired element.”
- “The innovative tarot card-based skill system enhances gameplay, making decisions and skill checks feel impactful and uniquely tied to each character’s abilities and background.”
- “The game masterfully combines choice-driven storytelling with compelling RPG mechanics, making each decision feel significant.”
- “Having to reload and blindly click through 100 lines of dialogue you've already read, 6 times, until the toss of a coin is finally in your favor... that was tiresome 40 years ago, that was fixed 25 years ago with smart mechanics and, for unfathomable reasons, the annoyance is trending again these days.”
- “There's not really any 'gameplay' to speak of, no way to boost or modify or retry your skill checks.”
- “While this might be acceptable in a game with other gameplay mechanics, when 95% of the experience is simply reading the writing, this is a huge problem, and not one that can be balanced out by other things.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
44%
7%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful steampunk aesthetic and character art, which enhance the immersive storytelling. However, some players noted that the overall graphical fidelity is average, with a lack of detail in backgrounds and a desire for more hand-drawn elements. While the visuals contribute positively to the atmosphere, there are criticisms regarding their consistency and depth, suggesting that the game could benefit from further graphical refinement.
- “Sovereign Syndicate masterfully blends steampunk aesthetics with intricate storytelling, creating an atmospheric Victorian-inspired world teeming with intrigue.”
- “The haunting soundtrack and hand-painted visuals add depth to this meticulously crafted setting, making every moment feel alive and immersive.”
- “The artwork is fitting and the music is often great, setting the mood perfectly for a world that is riddled with dystopian darkness and just few enough slivers of light to not completely lose hope.”
- “The game would have been better served as a visual novel, since the strongest part about the game are the comics and some of the visuals, though the overall world looks very bland and unintentionally colorless.”
- “Graphically, the lack of resources is evident.”
- “To address other, minor issues first: the 3D art style for backgrounds is fairly dull and unimpressive, and I think the game would have benefited significantly by having a more hand-drawn/stylized aesthetic, but I acknowledge that that may have been too ambitious for how small the dev team were.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
64%
5%
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the immersive experience, though it often remains in the background rather than taking center stage. While some players appreciated the haunting soundtrack and specific vocal performances, others found the music to be forgettable and repetitive, lacking the distinctiveness that could elevate the overall experience. Overall, the sound design is noted as good, but the music itself varies in impact, with some tracks standing out while others blend into the background.
- “The haunting soundtrack and hand-painted visuals add depth to this meticulously crafted setting, making every moment feel alive and immersive.”
- “The visual design of the game was very nice, the atmosphere was very strong throughout (of course this was helped by the music, which really was a great fit for the game throughout!).”
- “The artwork is fitting and the music is often great, setting the mood perfectly for a world that is riddled with dystopian darkness and just few enough slivers of light to not completely lose hope.”
- “The same extremely dull music loops far too quickly.”
- “Apart from the writing, the graphics are average and the music is forgettable - so, again, can't really be compared to other games with their unusual graphics and great music.”
- “Additionally, the music is fine but nothing noteworthy.”
atmosphere
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
18%
8%
The atmosphere of "Sovereign Syndicate" is widely praised for its masterful blend of steampunk aesthetics and intricate storytelling, creating a compelling Victorian-inspired world filled with intrigue. Reviewers highlight the strong visual design, fitting soundtrack, and immersive sound effects that enhance the gritty, atmospheric setting reminiscent of 19th-century London. Overall, the game's worldbuilding and character depth contribute to a rich, engaging atmosphere that captivates players.
- “Sovereign Syndicate masterfully blends steampunk aesthetics with intricate storytelling, creating an atmospheric Victorian-inspired world teeming with intrigue.”
- “The worldbuilding is great, the dreary atmosphere works really well to pull you into the story, and the narrative dialogue style meshes well with the tarot system.”
- “The steampunk London setting is atmospheric and gritty, and the characters are complex and compelling.”
- “This game has real atmosphere.”
- “However, the world and atmosphere that Sovereign Syndicate establishes were so compelling to me that I was left curious for more.”
- “- The use of tarot cards instead of dice for trait checks added atmosphere.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of "Sovereign Syndicate" is heavily criticized for its tedious exploration and repetitive tasks, such as fetch quests and interacting with the same locations and characters from different perspectives. Players find the pacing frustratingly slow and the quest progression often unclear, leading to a monotonous experience that detracts from the otherwise engaging story and setting. Overall, the game struggles to maintain player interest due to its reliance on banal clichés and tedious gameplay mechanics.
- “Especially when you walk around the exact same locations and see the exact same things and talk to the same exact people the other characters did while doing tedious chores and fetch quests.”
- “As a story, Sovereign Syndicate starts off well, but with each subsequent chapter, it becomes more and more tedious, relying more on the most banal clichés, and by the end, I was simply clicking the 'next' button hoping it would end.”
- “Sovereign Syndicate does something impossible: it makes the notion of an urban fantasy Victorian England with Jack the Ripper boring and tedious.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
"Sovereign Syndicate" boasts high replayability due to its layered characters, impactful choices, and diverse character builds that significantly alter narrative outcomes. Players appreciate the richly constructed world and intriguing story, likening it to "Disco Elysium," which enhances the overall replay value. The game is considered well worth its price, especially for fans of story-driven experiences.
- “Featuring interesting, layered characters in a richly constructed world with 'Disco Elysium'-style mechanics, 'Sovereign Syndicate' is well-written and has very high replayability value.”
- “The choices really make a difference, creating a highly replayable experience that fans of story-driven games will love.”
- “I found the story intriguing, with its Jack the Ripper-like mystery, and appreciated the depth and replayability offered by different character builds.”
- “I think that would add a deal of replayability.”
- “The different skills (or attributes) also clearly change certain narrative outcomes, so there is scope for replayability.”
- “It's more than worth its price, especially because I can see some replay value in it as well.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by clever, dry British wit that feels integrated into its steampunk Victorian London setting. Players engage with the narrative through dialogue choices influenced by the four humors, adding a unique layer of comedic depth to character development. Overall, the writing is praised for its quality and ability to evoke laughter while enriching the story.
- “First off, the writing is quite good and with a good dash of dry British humor that almost feels diegetic to the setting it is in.”
- “He's more than just a sidekick; he’s a character that adds a touch of humor and heart to the story.”
- “It's a smaller, simpler version, to be sure, but the characters are great, the writing is solid (and often funny), and steampunk Victorian London is a setting I didn't know I needed in my life until now!”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
64%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with users reporting occasional visual glitches, particularly with the camera, and minor bugs that can affect navigation, such as characters getting stuck. While performance is generally good, especially on PC and the deck, these issues may require future patches to fully resolve.
- “Good performance on the deck with no glitches.”
- “As you can see from the trailers, graphics look pretty good and the PC version runs great even at max settings.”
- “Some visual glitches, notably with the camera in specific spots, some of them leading to navigation issues.”
- “Minor bugs and glitches are present; for example, sometimes my character got stuck near a wall and could not move or fast travel (because I was inside a building), so I had to reload my last save, which fortunately wasn’t very old. I was able to replicate the glitch on the same walls, so it’s probably something that needs to be addressed through patches.”
- “Occasional bugs and glitches.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's optimization is generally solid, with good performance and no major glitches reported, particularly on the Steam Deck. However, players have noted frustrations with slow character movement and the need to backtrack frequently, which can disrupt the gameplay experience. While there are some minor bugs, the overall performance is deemed satisfactory, making the game worth the investment.
- “Good performance on the deck with no glitches.”
- “And I did not yet have any performance issues or anything, so that's great too!”
- “Beyond that, a few bugs, and somewhat forgettable music (save the vocal performance, which was fantastic), this game was still absolutely worth the time and cost of admission.”
- “Controls are straightforward, but I really feel like you move too slowly. Since you have to run all over the map sometimes to find clues (or blindly figure out what will trigger progress, which happens way too often), I have found myself playing this game in bursts because I get frustrated running slowly back and forth to the train station to locate a clue.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
Character development in "Sovereign Syndicate" is highlighted for its unique approach, particularly through the use of body "humours" that influence characters' moods and gameplay. The game is praised for its strong narrative focus, drawing comparisons to titles like "Disco Elysium" and "Gamedec" in its emphasis on character depth and world-building. Overall, it is recognized as a compelling low-budget indie detective RPG that prioritizes character-driven storytelling.
- “I was reminded of Disco Elysium and Gamedec in terms of their emphasis on character development and world-building.”
- “The body 'humours' as a kind of character development is unique, and the characters' mood affects the gameplay in different ways.”
- “Overall, Sovereign Syndicate is an excellent low-budget indie detective RPG that focuses on narrative-driven gameplay, character development, and dialogue.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the main story evokes some curiosity and mild emotional responses, the overall emotional impact is diminished by a weak script that fails to fully realize its potential.
- “The main story made me curious and a little emotional.”

75%Critics’ scoreBased on 14 critic reviews

Buy Sovereign Syndicate

Sovereign Syndicate
$19.99
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10h Median play time

7h Average play time

4-12h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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