Despite its focus on PvP multiplayer gameplay, the Overwatch franchise actually has some pretty deep and complex lore. With a narrative that spans multiple decades and a plethora of unique and interesting characters, Overwatch fans may need to do a little digging to discover more about its world, but it's more than worth it. Told via in-game dialogue and descriptions, animated shorts, comic books, and novels, Overwatch's lore is constantly expanding, and the latest book Overwatch: Sojourn focuses on the titular cybernetic hero.
Jumping back and forth through time, Overwatch: Sojourn details the hero's life from childhood up to joining Overwatch, with her life as a Canadian soldier taking up most of the novel. Coming in at just 224 pages, Overwatch: Sojourn is a breeze to read, and author Temi Oh does a great job of fleshing out the novel's main protagonist, giving her appearance in Overwatch 2 much more depth.
What Happens in Overwatch: Sojourn
Overwatch: Sojourn opens up with a description of Sojourn's youth. At a young age, Sojourn, whose real name is Vivian Chase, contracted an autoimmune disease that began affecting her vital organs. At the age of 13, Vivian started receiving cybernetic implants, which allowed her more freedom. Despite this, she still felt like an outcast, being mocked relentlessly by her peers. Over the years, Vivian came to envy her twin sister Valentine, who never received the same level of bullying.
At just 16, Vivian Chase signed up with the Canadian Reserves. A few years into her military career, Vivian is taking some well-earned leave and decides to visit her sister Valentine and her niece Bonnie. During a trip to a theme park, the area is attacked by Omnics. Seeing that her sister is in danger, Vivian rushes to her aid, despite Valentine begging her to help her daughter instead. After suffering a head injury, Vivian is knocked to the ground, and before passing out she can see Bonnie being drowned by an Omnic.
After waking up, Vivian finds her sister and her niece, who is now in a coma. Valentine blames Vivian for her daughter's condition, exclaiming that she could have saved her. Her sister's scorn hits a chord with Vivian, who then returns to active duty. On her first mission, with her sister's voice ringing in her ears, Vivian attempts to save a group of civilians from a horde of Omnics, but isn't strong enough, with her cybernetic eye being damaged in the fight. Overwatch arrives just in time to save them, and Vivian meets Torbjorn, Jack Morrison, and Mina Liao.
Back at base, Mina Liao repairs Vivian's eye. With Mina being the one that created Aurora, the first Omnic that gained sentience, many people blame her for the current Omnic Crisis. Vivian is then briefed on her next mission, which Overwatch has been asked to assist with. The plan is to set up a perimeter of bots around Canada to push back the Omnic forces, but to do so, engineers will need to be guarded by Overwatch while they complete the setup.
Vivian is partnered with Jack Morrison, and the two combine their forces in Ottawa. After a handful of failures, the duo is finally able to get the bot up and running, but it malfunctions soon after, and the team is forced to retreat back to base. Back at headquarters, Vivian convinces Overwatch, specifically Torbjorn, to trust Mina and let her accompany them on the next mission. Torbjorn reluctantly agrees, and the team manages to set up a perimeter around Toronto. Following the mission, Mina gives Vivian's body some cybernetic upgrades, and she begins to come to terms with her differences, seeing that they helped save lives.
During another mission with Jack Morrison, Vivian discovers that the Omnics are being controlled by one central AI, and when the group returns to base, Vivian is given the opportunity to join Overwatch. Vivian, who is referred to as Sojourn by her squad mates, declines the offer from Morrison, stating that Canada still needs her help.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
