Many people love to complain about their government (often not without reason, let’s be honest). They believe they could do things differently, and under their rule, the country would be much better off. Suzerain, from developer Torpor Games, gives players the chance to prove just that. After about 15 hours (I’m a slow reader), I can confidently say that the Netherlands should count itself lucky that I’m not the Prime Minister.
I love games where you have to make important decisions. And what position requires more crucial decision-making than the presidency? Suzerain is a visual novel that puts you in the shoes of Sordish President Anton Rayne. Under your leadership, you must navigate the fictional nation of Sordland through various crises. Your predecessors—a military dictator and a smooth businessman—have made quite a mess of things, and the economy is on the brink of collapse. In 1953, the fate of the country is placed in your hands. Good luck.
Suzerain is packed with an incredibly detailed lore. Extensive texts inform you about countries, cities, alliances, historical events, cultures, key politicians, and much more. The sheer amount of text felt a bit overwhelming at first, but as time went on, I became increasingly familiar with the rules, people, and especially the stakes of this fictional world. That’s when I got completely drawn into the world of Suzerain.
The Gameplay
The gameplay of Suzerain is pretty straightforward: you attend crucial meetings, listen to your advisors, and then make decisions that steer Sordland in a certain direction. Based on your choices, as well as developments in other countries, reports and newspaper articles will appear, which you can review. While reading these reports and articles isn’t mandatory, it’s highly recommended to get a sense of what’s happening in the world, what might be on the horizon, and what is expected of you.
You manage both a government budget and a personal budget. The government budget can be used to improve infrastructure, enhance the education system, and other public projects. Your personal budget, on the other hand, can for example be used to make private investments or, if necessary, to bribe people.
In addition to the political aspect, Anton Rayne also has a family life to manage. You have a wife and two children, and the game occasionally gives you moments with them, where your decisions will impact their lives as well.
Who Do You Trust?
Throughout the game, you’ll encounter familiar faces repeatedly. You’ll get to know the ministers who support you during the many meetings. Each minister has their own interests and will naturally try to persuade you to see things their way. Suzerain handles this dynamic brilliantly. The ministers present very convincing arguments, trying to sway you to invest in their respective departments. The choices are often incredibly difficult because every argument has merit. After hearing the first minister’s pitch, I would often think, “Yes, I absolutely need to invest in this idea.” But then the second minister would present equally compelling reasons for their proposal, and I’d find myself deliberating for minutes before finally making a decision.
The choices are never black and white. Almost every decision comes with both advantages and disadvantages. Some of these will be immediately apparent, while others won’t reveal their consequences until several chapters later.
Most decisions are made during meetings, but sometimes proposed laws are sent to you for approval or veto. These might include measures like granting more rights to women or increasing taxes on products like tobacco and alcohol.
Budget Management
One of the biggest challenges in Suzerain is managing the budget. Early on, you’re told that it’s okay to run a deficit, but you’re never told exactly how much of a deficit is acceptable. If you want to do good things for Sordland, it almost always costs the government money. My Anton Rayne was an ambitious president, so I wanted to seize every opportunity to move the country forward. But that takes money, lots of it. As my deficit grew, I promised myself to rein in spending. Yet, there was always another proposal that seemed too important to pass up.
A key decisions in budget management is whether to invest in the military, education, security, or healthcare. Ideally, you’d want to invest in everything, but cuts are necessary to pull the country out of its economic crisis. These cuts can either trigger major crises later on or, with the right investments, prevent them from happening. Your ministers will either thank you or resent you, depending on how you handle their departments.
Taking on too much at once is rarely wise, and in Suzerain, this indeed proved to be the wrong approach. I wanted to implement too many changes in too short a time. On paper, my decisions seemed quite sound and logical, but the rapid changes made me many enemies. It’s important to keep the public happy, but maintaining relationships within the government and your party is equally crucial. Not everyone will support the same measures, and people both inside and outside your party may try to block your progressive plans.
It Doesn’t Always Feel Fair
Politics, of course, is rarely fair, so I’m not sure if this is an entirely valid negative point. However, I often felt that I was making the right decisions but rarely saw any rewards for them. No matter how hard I tried to pass certain laws or move Sordland forward, my good deeds were seldom recognized. On the other hand, this is quite realistic; after all, no politician can make decisions that please everyone.
Sometimes, though, it felt like everything I did turned out poorly. Despite my best efforts to remain diplomatic and maintain good relations with a formerly hostile nation, it often made little difference in the end. Certain events in Suzerain are bound to happen, even if your previous choices don’t always seem to justify them.
I tried to lead the country as a good man, guided by principles. I made an effort to meet everyone halfway, and in the end, I was labeled a “centrist.” Maybe in my next playthrough, I should be tougher and pick a clearer side. It felt somewhat disheartening that a military dictator was far more popular than a righteous family man, making the experience less rewarding. But, as they say, “good guys finish last,” and that’s exactly how my Rayne will be remembered in the history books.
Conclusion
Suzerain is an incredibly immersive political adventure. It took me a while to get familiar with the sometimes overwhelming lore, but once I did, I truly felt like a president with a heavy burden on his shoulders.
I often spent a long time deliberating before making decisions that would go down in history. The writing in Suzerain is top-notch. Characters have rich backstories and convincingly try to persuade you to align with their personal interests.
The difficulty level feels realistic, but because of this, it doesn’t always feel rewarding. This might leave players feeling that they don’t always get the results they think they deserve.
