British indie developer Gareth Damian Martin has revealed Signet City, a radical departure from their acclaimed Citizen Sleeper series, blending 80s social realism and sci-fi with a first-person perspective. The game, slated for a 2027 release, was announced via a trailer far in advance.
First-Person Parasite
Martin explained the shift to first-person: "I wanted to introduce the world, and get people used to the idea of the art style and the feel of it being quite different to Citizen Sleeper. In Signet City, you play as a parasite, and it felt natural that it should be a game where you see the world through the eyes of your hosts, very literally."
Players start as a parasite awakening in the mind of Sid, a character who is herself waking up in a river. "You come to understand what you are, why it is that you’re in the mind of this person who doesn’t know that you’re there," Martin said. The parasite can jump between hosts, each tied to a different part of the city.
Emotion-Driven Mechanics
Gameplay combines narrative and mechanics: skills and resources are based on host emotions. "How you push them in the story, and what experiences they go through, and which choices you make on their behalf... all that affects the skills you have access to," Martin noted. For example, getting a character angry in a pub fight might unlock the ability to kick down a door.
Familiar elements from Citizen Sleeper remain, such as a day cycle with limited actions and dice-based tabletop mechanics. "You wake up as the character and you decide what it is you’re going to do with that day," Martin said. Actions like kicking down a door or convincing someone are governed by dice, modified by the host's emotions.
80s British Inspiration
Martin drew heavily on British history and culture, particularly the 1980s. "The 80s cast a long shadow over the contemporary day," they said, citing events like the Winter of Discontent. The art style is monochrome, inspired by black-and-white photography, especially the work of Tish Murtha. "I absolutely love her photographs," Martin said.
The visuals combine hand-drawn characters with photographic environments, using a complex post-processing effect to create grain. "In photography – especially black and white photography – you get imaginary detail that’s created from grain," Martin explained.
First-Person Challenge
As a solo developer (with environment artist Tom Kitchin), Martin found the first-person view daunting but essential. "I played about with a lot of different ways of doing this game... but I kept coming back to the strength of being behind the eyes of the character," they said. The perspective allows text to play a unique role, similar to games like Dishonored and Half-Life 2's City 17, where limited exploration creates a strong sense of place.
Signet City is expected in 2027, promising a distinctive look, feel, and gameplay experience.
