Signs of the Sojourner Reviews
Signs of the Sojourner is a refreshing game, succeeding largely in how well it takes eternally relatable ideas like talking to other people and transforming them into a very sensical card game that has a surprising amount of depth despite a straightforward presentation. The way playing cards represents conversations is genius, making this a standout for how unique it feels.
There’s just something about this game that feels so brilliant and yet there’s also something unassuming about its nature that makes me worry people will skip over it without a thought… and that would be a shame...
Signs of the Sojourner turns deck-building into a chance at growth.
A unique combination of conversation gameplay and deck building, Signs of the Sojourner is a truly special game dripping in charm.
I have, to borrow a metaphor, a lot of Fatigue cards in my deck some days.
Had Signs of the Sojourner allowed the player to fail without having the door slammed in their face, it would be easier to forgive some of the flatness present in its card system or the brevity of its script. But by framing conversations as games to be won without anticipating how often they’d be lost, huge chunks of the game become sequences of frustrating nonsequiturs.
At its core, Signs of the Sojourner is a deck-building card game with elements of a visual novel. At times the card drawing feels very much like it’s luck of the draw. Like real-life conversations with others, it’s a game were failing these card encounters is a part of the experience. You can’t see everything in one playthrough or win at every conversation every time. And the narrative of the story adapts to that, leading to multiple endings. Similarly in the world of Signs of Sojourner as in real life, words and actions do have consequences!
With a novel concept and brilliantly thought out execution, Signs of the Sojourner has all the makings of gaming’s next indie darling.