Solitairica [Steam/iOS/Android]

I’m having a blast with Solitairica, which has been on Steam since May, but just recently came out on iOS.

Think Fairway Solitaire where the cards represent enemy HP and enemies have a power deck which gets additional cards from random modifiers ala Diablo (e.g. Grizzled Sealypup Winter Bureaucrat where Sealypup is the base creature “this seal clubs back” and the other modifiers do things like freeze cards, give them beards (don’t ask me) and give the enemy cards that increase the cost of your powers). Each time you flip over a starter card from your deck, the enemy flips a power card (some of these activate immediately and some have a timer, in which case each draw you make reduces the timer until the card activates).

There are multiple classes. Each game has 18 fights leading up to the boss. Not exactly a rogue like, but there is some randomness in monster order and modifiers. Death means starting over, but you can buy an item to escape death. There is also some progression in the form of class unlocks and upgrades for each class. These are purchased with currency awarded after each game based on how far you got. I’ve beaten the game with two classes and failed miserably with two more (six total, each of which is a combination of two of: strength, agility, willpower, and defense)

It’s got an oddball quirkiness to it (see above) with nice presentation. It’s fairly challenging, and has that roguelike quality where you can be going along incredibly well then come to a crashing halt. Definitely recommended for hardcore casuals who like the idea of a more deadly version of fairway golf.

Steam link for the lazy/myself to check out at home:

And an iOS link so you can play it the way god intended (it hurts me to say that as a lifelong PC gamer)

Thanks.

Surprising this game hasn’t gotten more attention (not just here). The production values are great. Gameplay is wonderful. Replayability is strong. This is a real gem.

I played a bit this morning on iOS, and really like it so far. Its a nice replacement for Fairway Solitaire after Big Fish did their best to make it annoying as possible to play.

OK OK, you guys got a sale. I’ve only played a few games but I like it!

As a guy who dumped an embarrassing number of hours into Fairway Solitaire before it turned to F2P garbage and who also loves goofy fantasy-dungeon-delve pastiche, this is, like, 10,000% up my alley.

Immediate Wishlist. Woulda been an immediate buy, I think (I need a new “screw around during other activities” game now that I’ve more or less 100%ed Adventure Capitalist and the old version of Fairway Solitaire), but I just spent my newly raised entertainment budget on the awesome Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Ed. bundles on Bundle of Holding and the Rivals expansion for Sorcerer King, sooo. . .

Would love to hear more impressions from folks. Does it hold up after beating it with a class, for instance? Do different ones provide just enough differentiation that it’s worth plugging a decent amount of time into (while being fair to the fact that, at the heart of it all, it is just a Solitaire game)?

I think it is a wonderful game. I still have yet to beat it with the Warrior and I have maxed all the Warrior deck upgrades. Each run through is different because different spells and items that appear in the store is a bit random each time.

As I continue to play I realized that some of the foes require switching around items and spells so there is a bit of grand strategy in a sense besides the tactical aspect when playing against each creature.

I actually enjoy it on my PC because I play it in between other games but have to admit that it is hard to stop in the middle of a run. I will probably get it on iOS when it eventually goes on sale.

The classes play quite differently. Let me explain why:

Each hero has a deck with 2 suits A to K. When you turn a card from your deck, you collect one energy of that suit (attack, defense, agility, or willpower). Each class is a unique combination of 2 suits (e.g. Warrior is attack and defense; Bard is agility and willpower). If you don’t have a given suit in your deck, your only source for that energy type is either from items or the tableau. That makes various spells much easier to use for some classes than others, which in turn, shifts strategies you might use on a given opponent. Add in a unique spell or two for each class and they feel more different than you would expect.

Currently on sale at Humble Store for $7.19

Although it’s not as explicit, that kinda reminds me of the decks from Red Dragon Inn. Individually, everyone’s kinda doing the same sorts of actions (avoiding bad drinks, taking gold in gambling, hurting others, healing themselves, and getting out of tough spots), but each deck’s sorta “weighted” to be good at certain things, to the point where anybody who plays Eve the Illusionist is clearly a bastard ratfink and cheat and shouldn’t be allowed at the table anymore ;)


K, probably a pretty rough comparison. I just wanted to whine about Eve.

Thanks for the informative reply!

Really enjoy it. Went all the way through with a Monk this weekend (and not even fully upgraded). Now to get every class at least once all the way through.

Played this on the PC when it was released, and it was a bit of a mess (felt sluggish, gamebreaking deadlocks). Tried it again today and it’s a much better experience. Kinda addictive.

Yeah, I haven’t found upgrading super necessary. Can’t hurt if you are struggling with a particular class, though.

@amandachen that’s cool that it has gotten better. maybe that’s why there’s been so little talk about it? But it’s like it wasn’t received at all, rather than poorly received.

This is now out on Android and I’ve been playing it for the last couple days. So far I’ve completed it with monk, bard, and warrior

Sounds like you are really enjoying it, or have a really slow week at work.

A little from column A…

Being turn-based, easy to drop in and out of, one-handed in portrait mode, and not having any emphasis on sound or music makes for the ideal mobile game to fill in spare moments.

If anyone doesn’t have this already, it’s on sale for the stupidly low price of a dollar on iOS.

Have you played the DLC, is it worth it?

I loved my time with the game and I played through with all the character “classes” but I felt that there were basically a couple optimal paths and as long as I had at least mediocre luck with my options early I could win pretty much every time.

Do the DLC classes actually feel different enough to pick them up? Are the epic quests actually fun or just a huge grind?