Sojourner

About

Sojourner is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Madison Squirrel and was released on July 17, 2017. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Sojourner" is a single-player Role Playing Game filled with humor, offering a 20-hour playtime. It pays homage to classic NES RPGs like Mother, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Legend of Zelda, while adding modern gameplay elements and quirky style. Create and customize your party from 10 classes, and explore a vast fantasy universe full of secrets, sidequests, and epic adventures.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

story12 positive mentions

Sojourner offers a charming and humorous experience, reminiscent of classic JRPGs, with a lot of content and replayability due to its multiple classes and team compositions.
The game features a well-crafted story with positive messaging, engaging characters, and a nostalgic art style that appeals to fans of old-school RPGs.
Developed by a single person, the game showcases impressive depth and creativity, providing a fun and accessible gameplay experience that balances challenge and enjoyment.

Gameplay balance issues exist, particularly with certain classes being less effective than others, which can affect overall party dynamics.
The game suffers from some outdated mechanics typical of RPG Maker games, such as random encounter frustrations and a lack of clarity in class skill progression.
Some players may find the graphics and certain enemy designs lacking polish, which could detract from the overall experience for those expecting modern visuals.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The story of the game is described as cute, fun, and a heartfelt homage to classic RPGs like Dragon Quest, featuring a light narrative that emphasizes positivity and optimism. Players appreciate the engaging world and character interactions, particularly during significant battles, although some find the gameplay mechanics frustrating, particularly regarding class changes and difficulty spikes. Overall, the narrative is well-received for its charm and thought-provoking elements, despite some gameplay drawbacks.
- “The story is fairly light, but its message of positivity and optimism is a welcome change from the modern trend of overly complex narratives.”
- “But this game's world and story are simple, yet during each of the three big fights, there's a long talk between you and the 'villain' for the act, leading to a very interesting and thought-provoking narrative on the nature of things.”
- “I loved the storyline of this game, the variety of the world and enemies, and all the ways I could organize my team.”
- “The story is fairly light, but its message of positivity and optimism is a welcome change from the modern trend of 2deep4u meta stories.”
- “But this game's world and story are simple, but during each of the three big fights (since there's 3 major sections of the game) there's a long talk between you and the 'villain' for the act and the game goes on a very interesting and thought-provoking narrative on the nature of just how things are.”
- “The other issue is that it does not have the forgiving deaths that Dragon Quest games have; death is a game over and you revert to your last save.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, with many players finding it genuinely funny and self-aware, often eliciting laughter through its charming writing and quirky NPCs. It effectively combines nostalgic elements of classic RPGs with a humorous twist, making it accessible and enjoyable for both newcomers and veterans. Overall, the humor is seen as a standout feature that enhances the game's engaging gameplay and themes.
- “This game legitimately made me laugh out loud several times and scratched the Dragon Warrior 1/Final Fantasy 1/Ultima 1 itch I didn't even realize I had.”
- “With plenty of humor and humility, the developer riffs on classic games by providing a unique party system and quality of life features.”
- “The writing is funny and feels honest and truthful while playing on ideas of morality and responsibility in a fantasy world setting.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The graphics of the game are intentionally retro, reminiscent of classic NES titles, which some players find charming despite their low quality. While the artwork is praised for its high quality, many reviews suggest that the overall graphics could benefit from additional polish. Overall, the nostalgic aesthetic is appreciated, contributing to the game's wholesome and addictive nature.
- “The art work is high quality, the music is more than decent and the story line is cute.”
- “The music and the graphics are done in the style of the old NES games so many of us millennials loved.”
- “Overall, this is a great game with intentionally bad graphics that I kind of adore.”
- “I think the only thing the game needs is a special edition, with a bit more polish to some of the graphics.”
- “The music and the graphics are done in the style of the old NES games that many of us millennials loved.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of strengths and weaknesses. While the game features customizable mechanics and a fair difficulty curve that appeals to both newcomers and veterans, players express frustration over the lack of clarity in skill progression and the necessity of a core feature that some wish to disable. Overall, the game is praised for its depth, strategic elements, and engaging story, but some aspects detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Instead, I got a rather charming and earnest RPG with humorous writing, good gameplay depth, and a fair difficulty pace for newcomers and JRPG veterans alike.”
- “The mechanics are interesting and the playstyle is customizable, so I had to do a fair amount of strategizing to defeat the final boss, which actually felt like a huge accomplishment.”
- “If players want to turn off a core gameplay feature, that’s a sign it shouldn’t be there in the first place. You get the ability to change classes a la Dragon Quest III, but despite advising you to wait until you get all the skills for a class first (since they transfer), the game gives you no way of knowing when you’ve gotten the final skill for a class.”
- “For every flavor-of-the-month tryhard meta product, and for every 50 puzzle-based exploration games, one RPG Maker game gets a good story, good pacing, consistent worldbuilding, and, most importantly, tight gameplay.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and nostalgic NES-inspired style, complementing the cute storyline and high-quality artwork. Reviewers note that the soundtrack reflects a great deal of love and thoughtfulness, enhancing the overall experience despite the graphics being only okay.
- “It's paired with okay graphics and a great soundtrack that clearly has a lot of love and forethought.”
- “The music and the graphics are done in the style of the old NES games that many of us millennials loved.”
- “The artwork is high quality, the music is more than decent, and the storyline is cute.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses through its heartwarming narrative and genuine moments, despite its nostalgic graphics and absurdist tone. Players find it both touching and addictively fun, highlighting its ability to connect on a deeper level while maintaining a playful atmosphere.
- “Though the tone is overall absurdist, there is a genuineness to everything I found really touching.”
- “If you did, you'd be missing out on a heartwarming, 4th-wall shattering, and just straight-up fun 8-bit JRPG.”
- “Wholesome and addicting, once you get past a set of graphics that only nostalgia could love.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to the option to choose from a variety of different classes, allowing players to experience diverse gameplay styles with each playthrough.
- “There is a lot of replay value here because you can start as one of many different classes.”