Signs of the Sojourner

Signs of the Sojourner is clever and charming. While the game mechanics can put a dampener on the laid-back feeling of the game, you’ll probably be too engrossed in the touching story to care. In a time where everyone in the world is being forced apart, a game about making connections and appreciating what you have feels like the perfect antidote.

A bittersweet deck-building card game about connections and empathy rather than winning.

Signs of the Sojourner turns deck-building into a chance at growth.

Echodog Games' first title is a short, nuanced look at community, travel, and the difficulties of communication. The card-based conversation system is easy to pick up, but making everybody happy is a different story.

Signs of the Sojourner is an intriguing deckbuilder with a great cast of characters and integrated story and gameplay. While there are some glaring flaws with its mechanics, this is a nice relaxing game that teaches the beauty of communication.

Signs of the Sojourner is one of the most cohesive narrative games I have ever played. The interplay between mechanics and storytelling is absolutely brilliant, which makes it a shame that it misses the mark in terms of actually being enjoyable to play. The inclusion of a frustrating “fatigue” mechanic is at odds with the general laid-back design approach to deckbuilding. There is something truly beautiful here that is worth experiencing, it’s just a shame that the game seems to fight itself at every turn.

Signs of the Sojourner has an excellent premise, an incredible soundtrack, and solid writing, but this jars with an often punishing and frustrating difficulty. All signs point towards this being a light-hearted narrative Indie, but the balance undermines that core identity, making it a struggle to fully enjoy.

There’s a lot to love here, but I don’t think the main mechanic works very well. Which is sad, because I wish it did. I want to love it, but ultimately I just found it frustrating, and watching the credits roll felt like a compromise. So be fairly warned before giving it a shot.

The tone of Signs of the Sojourner is also delightfully pleasant especially for a game set post-apocalypse. Perhaps post-post-apocalypse is a better descriptor for this game. It gives the sense that these characters are a generation or two removed from whatever came before and consequently are accustomed to this reality. A reality where coastal cities are flooded, roads are treacherous and dangerous and where elites exercise lethal economic influence. Despite all this, the characters in this game, with one or two exceptions, seem genial and willing to talk, listen, and collaborate with each ot...