14 DAY TRIAL // 
2021, with all the major AAA titles being postponed, shapes up to be a great year for indies. We have already seen excellent roguelite, Metroidvania, and adventure games, though we barely crossed the threshold into spring. Signs of the Sojourner is jumping on the deckbuilding bandwagon but does it in its own unique way, different from everything else we have seen so far. Let’s see if it is a royal flush or just a losing hand.
From the get-go the game developed by Echodog Games is a strange one: it tries to combine a narrative experience with a card game. Signs of the Sojourner presents all its dialogues as a game of cards, but do not think about poker, rather about Go fish! or Uno. The different signs on the cards, that you will have to match with the symbols played by your interlocutor, are related to words and tones you may imply in a real conversation. As a result, there is no clear concept of winning or losing, although your journey may end prematurely, or even in a completely surprising way, based on how well you communicate using the 5 cards you hold in your hand.
As you progress through the game you will discover new symbols continually extending your tone and speaking abilities from basic ones such as logical and observant, into more advanced ones like diplomatic or empathic. The way you chain together the cards will define the outcome of each dialogue. Some of the cards you will be able to pick up will grant you different bonuses such as seeing the other person’s cards or duplicating the previously played card. It is mainly up to you how your deck will turn out since at the end of each conversation you will have to choose a new card and drop an old one. In the end, the 10 card deck should be an expression of your character’s personality and evolution.
Yet, sometimes you will feel that the odds were stacked against you and that the developers are sending you down a predetermined path. Instead of being based on random draws from your deck, Signs of the Sojourner chooses to deal you the same cards in certain dialogues. Even if you exit the game and return to try again the respective dialogue, you will get dealt the very same cards. This aspect takes away from the overall immersion and highlights choice as an illusion. Just the same way as the lack of a combination of cards that would help you successfully and harmoniously complete all dialogues. The game influences you through the limited choices, the constant pressure to change the cards even if you are happy with your deck, and the frustrating predetermined outcome of several dialogues.
But what is the purpose of this discrete manipulation? And altogether what is the purpose of all these matches? What is your actual goal? Why is so important to win or to lose these card battles? Why collect different cards with different symbols? Because cards should be only the means to the real purpose of the game: experiencing the story. Although the gameplay may suggest that you need to focus on various strategies and tactics, the game is foremost about the narrative. It is the journey of a young adult trying to cope with the loss of their mother. With the help of their best friend, they will have to keep the family shop afloat by traveling to different cities to procure different supplies. But since your village is in quite a remote location you will have to travel a lot and meet all kinds of different characters.
Each trip will be like an expedition. You will have to choose a destination and once you reach it go through a list of dialogues with the characters you encounter. No matter if you chose to travel following the caravan route or to take detours on your own, the road will take its toll on your character. The more you spend traveling the more tired you get, meaning that you will have to deal with an increasing number of penalty cards. The more you have in your hand, the less chance you have to end a conversation the way you want it, and the more frustrated you will grow. Unfortunately, this is the point where Signs of the Sojourner shows its split personality.
And since almost all you do, except traveling, is having conversations, the experience gets a bit fractured. Instead of focusing on the story, as the developers have intended, you will be often frustrated by the card play. The pace and the writing itself do not help either, often being bland, too slow, or completely disconnected from the overall story. The game lacks balance between its two major components. Still, if you manage to get sucked in the bizarre world of the game, you will enjoy being thrilled by the increased replay value, thanks to the multiple endings and random events that may occur during your five expeditions. Each playthrough will last a couple of hours, those who want to explore every nook and cranny in Signs of the Sojourner looking forward to around 10 hours in total.
The visuals are peculiar and you will either love them or hate them. The cartoonish graphics have been chosen not to target younger audiences, but rather to create a “chill” atmosphere. Too bad the gameplay often overrides the cool vibes the developers were looking for, despite the best efforts from the graphics and the mellow soundtrack. Overall, both visually and acoustically the game is a personal statement that highlights best what the developers wanted to achieve.
The Good
- An original and promising concept
- Variety of cards and bonuses
- High replay value
The Bad
- The fracture between story and gameplay
- The illusion of choice and randomness
- Very slow pace
Conclusion
The story is too slow, the card play is not engaging enough, and the gap between the two elements is never actually bridged. Signs of the Sojourner remains a bizarre experiment, that had potential, but where the artists stumbled being tripped by their own feet.
