Sovereign Syndicate Review | PC

It seems 2024 is off to a great start with so many new releases coming and new studios popping up almost daily, though it looks like one studio, in particular, didn’t just climb the ladder; they’re flying in a steam-powered ship to the top. Crimson Herring Studios isn’t quite as young as most, nor is it as ancient as others; it was founded quite recently in 2020 by Isaac Otway in Canada. Now, Crimson Herring isn’t just another studio; there’s a clear passion for their craft when it comes to game development, but there’s also so much more to be seen.

Taking to the sky with their first release, Sovereign Syndicate, on 15 January, their first release ever so far might spark a rise in the cRPG genre with their storytelling capabilities. However, there is more to this than meets the eye, and you’ll get to see it all while exploring the wild and winding world of Victorian Era Steampunk London. The thing is, we’ve all gotten so used to games with a near-endless supply of blood and guns going around that we never really stop to play something a bit more relaxed or just out of the norm. Look no further because Sovereign Syndicate will tick all the boxes that count as ‘out of the norm’ while giving you a great story that’ll keep you glued to it.

 

The world of Sovereign Syndicate is as interesting as it is strange; everything takes place in Victorian-era London with an overabundance of magic and mythological beasts like Centaurs, Minotaurs, Cyclops, etc. However, the game also oozes lore and world knowledge from every part of the world, including characters from many walks of life, races, and cultures. The best part of it all is you’ll get to meet them all in this cRPG wonder brought to life, though it comes with a few fun twists that’ll keep you on your toes and maybe even teach you a few new things.

Now, you should know a few things before jumping into the steampunk world of Sovereign Syndicate. First, you’re not just going to be seeing the game through one character; you’ll get to see it through the eyes of 3 people, and each of them has their own end goal that somehow coincides with one another on an indirect level. These characters are – Atticus Daley, Clara Reed, and Teddy Redgrave. Next, things become a bit trickier when you jump to the next chapter since you’ll have to pick their Archetypes when playing through their stories for the first time. Lastly, the world is set in the Victorian era, and there are a lot of mixed colloquialisms, accents in the text, and opinions floating about depending on the character you’re playing.

Your adventure starts with Atticus Daley, a Minotaur with a dark past that he’d much rather forget while staring down the end of a bottle, but his past is coming back to haunt him, and he’s now on a quest to find his lost mother along with a few other pressing matters. Atticus is your atypical lost soul who has given up on life, Sovereign Syndicate, but a strong wit and some magic go a long way on his quest. He’s woken up by a bounty hunter after yet another wild bender and given the offer to help the bounty hunter find his mother and uncover the truth of the orphanage he grew up in or accept a swift death.

 

Where things become interesting while remaining painfully unclear is with the archetype selection. Each archetype for the different characters will alter their strengths and inner aspects; in the case of Atticus, he’s given a choice between – Animal Instinct, allowing him to embrace his fiery temper as a Minotaur for use in combat and intimidation. Spryness, even a hot-blooded minotaur, can choose the path of stealth and magic. Wait, he might not be pretty, but he can likely charm the pants off everybody he meets and get a little creative with machinery. And lastly, Self-Discipline, where he has a better handle on his more brutal urges and maintains his cool in tough situations.

Each archetype will also affect their starting Attributes, Major Arcana, and Traits. Though this doesn’t mean you’re completely locked out of unlocking the other traits or Arcana, play your cards right, and you can influence changes in each character to unlock new traits that will come in handy in other situations. Granted, there’s a lot more to your choices than just unlocking new traits; you’ll need to keep an eye on your Hope, too, as this will change your character’s view of the world and can open up certain dialogue options.

With Sovereign Syndicate being a cRPG and very heavily story and conversationally-driven, you might not see much action unless it’s in a dialogue prompt. However, this makes the game shine because even though it involves an unholy mountain of reading, it is also what makes the story so captivating. You’re getting conversations between people and each character’s inner thoughts based on their Attributes. For example – Animal Instinct will want to throw care to the wind and fight, while Spryness will play it cool and wait for an opportunity to strike or escape. There are several sides to each character, and they all have their input; you just need to choose which one to humor in some cases.

 

Now, the part that will have some people running for the nearest church is the Tarot. Remember those Major Arcana? You’ll also get the rest of the deck, though their use comes in a different form. So, any tabletop RPG like Warhammer or Call of Cthulu will use a dice roll system to determine certain outcomes as successful or failures; Sovereign Syndicate uses the same system in the form of a random draw from the deck that is also affected by their Traits and Attributes. Luckily, these can be given a boost with items you’ll get all over London; these become Influencing Humour like Yellow Bile, Phlegm, Blood, and several others, and each has a Minor Arcana tied to them as well.

This sounds incredibly confusing, but you don’t have to worry too much about them, aside from possibly raising those stats by actively using them to gain their respective humor, which will also help raise them. Raising those stats will help for more difficult roles and increase your chances of drawing a high number card and succeeding in your role. However, not all conversations will give you something to roll on or a chance at changing your Hope, and it’s just a matter of where you are and who you’re talking to. Though sometimes, even feeding a cat named Bacon can brighten your day.

So, with all this going on, there is one major aspect of Sovereign Syndicate’s storytelling that you’ll need to know. The conversations aren’t exactly in simple English; they come in all flavors, so to speak, with an interesting mix of slang from different parts of the world and odd bits from other languages. This is probably the biggest driving point for the story because of how much everything is diversified, and each new conversion actually becomes a delight to read through. Sadly, you can’t have the good without a little bad, and much like the real world, racism also exists in the mythological world. Even so, the racial card being played in some conversations is a nice touch that also brings Sovereign Syndicate to life.

 

To save the best for last, you’re probably wondering what the story is with the remaining two characters. Now, Clara Reed is an ambitious Human woman on a quest to get out of London to pursue a better life. Sadly, she needs a lot of money to make that dream a reality to pay off a smuggler that will help her escape, though this is easier said than done when you work as a Dollie (Lady of the Night). This doesn’t mean she isn’t resourceful, though. Clara has her unique skillset that allows her to manipulate the situation to her advantage while relying on her good looks, too, but she also has a kinder side to her that helps her maintain Hope.

Next up is Teddy Redgrave, a Dwarven inventor, alongside his mechanical partner, Otto. Teddy is seemingly content with life in London as long as he gets to make further improvements to Otto. However, he’s facing eviction and needs to look for a new place to stay and make enough to afford a new home. Granted, this is easier said than done since decent homes are scarce, though his quest’s other end, which involves improving Otto, is a nice change of pace that brings a bit more of a soft-sided humanity to Sovereign Syndicate as a whole.

With the gory inside of Sovereign Syndicate out for the world to see, there is a certain charm to the game’s visual side. The use of a top-down isometric world is the normal go-to for a cRPG like this, but there is a certain level of detail that makes it stand out; roaming around the streets of Victorian London is a nice change of pace on the eye when your start paying attention to the smaller details. However, there are two main things to Sovereign Syndicate that come out in the text side of everything: the character portraits for the traits and the useful tooltips for certain phrases or words. These two are critical to helping build out the characters and better understand the world around them, and both were implemented beautifully.

 

No RPG would ever be complete without some good sound engineering or, at the very least, background music. Sovereign Syndicate might not be voiced, but the background music and the ambiance that comes with it build an astonishing atmosphere that keeps you invested in the story at hand; it’s also not the typical, monotonous type of music either. Each character seems to have its own unique background music, but each new area also has its own music. This blends really well and keeps the story from going stale, so if you’re not reading, you’ll have some good music to enjoy while taking in the sights.

Overall, Sovereign Syndicate is one of those games that you need to experience for its incredible charm, ambiance, and, most importantly, its amazing story. While three different stories might be a bit confusing, they all come together indirectly and build on each other to bring you a unique experience that just keeps giving. This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s well worth a go if you’re a fan of anything RPG-related, even more so if you’re always on the hunt for a good story.

Jay Claassen (@R3GR3T_3NVY)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed