The Sojourn
Released: September 29, 2020
Game Length: 15 Hours
Grade: B
Expectations: The Sojourn Game, not to be confused with Signs of the Sojourner card game or The Sojourn Web-series, is another game that agreed to have a year-long exclusive contract with The Epic Store. That's probably why it doesn't have that many reviews on Steam. From briefly watching the preview, I perceive it being some sort of world exploration game where you interact with certain elements within various ruins. People say it is a great puzzle game. If it is anything like The Witness or The Talos Principle, I figured it was worth trying.
Reality: The very first thing I had to do was solve a minor sound issue. Unlike the other games I've tried, I didn't find myself having any motion sickness. Contrary to what I originally believed, there is barely any substance to the game. All the puzzles are self-contained and built before your very eyes as you venture from room-to-room. There are no voice actors, no elaborate worlds to explore, or gameplay other than interacting with the various puzzle objects. You can hop a tiny amount to amuse you while strolling across long gaps, read philosophical scrolls that really don't provide any new interesting facts, and watch still-sculptures build themselves while telling a story with minimal effort in all the central hubs. You will walk through a few different settings as you visit areas that provide you with four to six rooms to choose from. Each room will show whether an orb has been freed or a scroll taken.
Puzzles: The puzzles aren't very difficult, and the developers made sure to tune down the difficulty later in development to make it that way. The game provides you with some introductory levels in each section to show off new elements that adds complexity to the light and dark elements of the puzzles. Most rooms also include some extra steps after the light orb has been released in order to obtain a "challenge" scroll. Although you cannot proceed without completing the levels, the challenge segments for the scrolls can be revisited by clicking on one of 46 pedastals at the end of the game. I am a bit thrilled that I was able to beat the game and obtain all the scrolls without using a walkthrough. It is hard to pinpoint how much time I really spent on this game, but I could give you an estimation through a little bit of theorycrafting. If there were 54 levels (with a few being introductory levels) and 46 challenges (with some being self-contained rooms), I'd say I spent around 15 to 25 hours on this game.
Opinion: The game is relatively skimpy on content for a $25 price tag. The beautiful scenery and the nice puzzle elements did provide me with a wonderful experience, but I had hoped for the developers to put a little more effort in making a better story inside a bigger world that was worth exploring. Considering the fact that I actually completed the game, I have no quarrels on whether the game is good or not. The problem is that the game just isn't that memorable after all is said and done. Depending on how much you love puzzle games, I'd suggest using your own discretion on choosing to buy this game.
12-21-2020