REVIEW – A Victorian steampunk RPG set in an alternate London is already a solid hook, but Sovereign Syndicate adds a sharper twist: skill checks aren’t decided by dice, they’re decided by tarot. It leans hard into adult subject matter – opium, brothels, broken people scraping by – while building its plot around an investigation that flirts with a familiar cult-shaped turn. The three-protagonist structure does enough heavy lifting to keep the story from collapsing into pure cliché.

Three leads, one larger mystery, and more than a few moments where luck gets a vote.

Let’s Deal

Sovereign Syndicate is built around choices that actually echo forward: what you say and do affects where the story goes, and it also affects which cards get added to your deck – which, in turn, changes the kinds of solutions you can realistically reach for later. Combat isn’t always the smart option, and persuasion can be the better tool when the situation calls for it. As you use abilities, you can push certain effects harder at the expense of others, creating a balancing act that matters across all three characters.

The cast makes it clear quickly that these aren’t shiny heroes, but damaged people trying to survive in a grimy steampunk London. Atticus Daley is an orphaned minotaur mage who numbs himself with alcohol. Clara Reed is a razor-smart courtesan with a bounty on her head. Teddy Redgrave is a dwarf inventor and monster hunter, accompanied by his mechanical partner, Otto. On the controls side, it’s straightforward: move with the left stick, hold R2 to run, tap Triangle to highlight interactables, and press X to use them.

The real identity, though, is the tarot system. Over time you draw from four Minor Arcana decks (Cups, Wands, Coins, Swords), numbered from 1 (Ace) to 14 (King). Pulling The World means you automatically pass a skill check, while The Fool flips that outcome on its head. There are twenty Major Arcana cards in total, and each one is unlocked by a specific character. These grant Traits – personality markers that genuinely influence which dialogue options are available.

Then there are the humor meters tied to each character. As they fill, they let you trigger certain “manifestations,” giving your choices and moments a bit more bite. All of this sits in a game priced at roughly $20 (around 8,000 HUF), with 22 silver trophies, 20 bronze trophies, and a platinum. The platinum asks for a lot – a quick example being that you’ll need to put Teddy in a police uniform.

The setting is an alternate-timeline London populated by far more than humans. Cyclopes, centaurs, dwarves, and minotaurs are everywhere, and the three protagonists’ storylines converge, split, and collide. The chapter-by-chapter swapping usually lands well and doesn’t feel disruptive, though pacing is inconsistent: some stretches click, others feel oddly short or uneventful. There’s also a temperament slider that nudges your tone along an optimism-to-cynicism scale. So no, the “card game” angle isn’t a pun – it’s a foundational gameplay pillar.

A Bad Draw

That strength is also where one of the game’s bigger problems can surface. It’s genuinely annoying when a moment collapses because you pulled the wrong card, and the frustration grows because Sovereign Syndicate doesn’t do a great job explaining your odds. The UI and menus can feel clunky, and navigation isn’t especially refined – it’s noticeably smoother on PC, where the game launched earlier. In terms of overall shape, it leans closer to a visual novel than a traditional CRPG.

Confrontations play out through illustrated panels, which can work for atmosphere, but there are spots where certain story threads end abruptly or lose momentum in ways that feel hard to justify. Still, the writing generally holds up: it knows how to hit an introspective, adult tone, and it doesn’t treat its darker themes as mere window dressing.

Visually, it’s competent rather than groundbreaking. The isometric environments sell the steampunk mood, but this is not a graphical showpiece. The fixed camera can be irritating in certain situations, especially on stairs or in tighter locations. Music loops quickly and there’s no voice acting, so on the audio side, Sovereign Syndicate can leave you underwhelmed.

Who Is It For?

Sovereign Syndicate isn’t action-heavy, and it’s not what anyone would call fast. It’s not a visual stunner, either. What it is, is mechanically unusual – and that cuts both ways. If the opening doesn’t grab you, it’s easy to drift away. If it does, you’ll likely see it through.

This steampunk London is crowded with broken people who aren’t chasing glory, just a slightly better life. It’s hard not to see the real-world echo if you look around for even a second – but let’s be honest: the game isn’t bad, it just isn’t flawless. A strong 7.5/10 feels fair, and it could have pushed toward an 8/10 if the developers had put even a little more effort into the audio. They didn’t. So it’s good, not great – and it still works, as long as you don’t draw the wrong card.

-V-

Developer: Crimson Herring Studios
Publisher: Zugalu
Release date: January 15, 2024 (PC) / January 29, 2026 (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4)
Genre: RPG