As much as I love a clever roguelike, particularly a good deckbuilder, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up, you know?! That’s what I’ve been doing recently, with the World Cup on in the background while I continue my quest to shine a light on the darkest recesses of my Steam collection.
The next recent-ish release that almost slipped past me is Forbidden Solitaire. This quirky card game is the work of Night Signal Entertainment and Grey Alien Games, the latter being a studio I’ve encountered before, and who made sure that I was clear that this isn’t a roguelike. Now you’re clear, too.
So what is Forbidden Solitaire, then?
Well, I’m glad you asked, fellow wanderer of the Internet. Forbidden Solitaire is, as implied by the name, a solitaire card game. Much like the studio’s past work, this isn’t your typical desktop solitaire experience, but rather an exploration of the core solitaire loop.
Where Forbidden Solitaire gets really interesting is the meta-layer that sits atop the card game. Ostensibly, you’re playing an old CD-ROM-era PC game, complete with FMV videos and a square screen, but there’s another narrative layer at work, too.
The focus on immersion is admirable and well-executed. You access the game via a fake desktop, which reminded me of Her Story, which has you trawling a database of video clips via an old PC console. Here you are playing an old card game that was once the centre of a scandal, a twist that creates an interesting and tense atmosphere.
That game was called Forbidden Solitaire, but you’re not just playing cards in a faux ’90s PC game; you’re also chatting with a friend who is sending you video clips and messages while you play. Frankly, it’s a great vehicle for delivering Forbidden Solitaire’s creepy narrative.
I’m sure this is a more personal reflection, but as someone who doesn’t often play games that keep you on such a tight leash, it was rather refreshing to play something that was carefully authored and didn’t procedurally generate the campaign around me during play.
A story of mystery
Forbidden Solitaire is already proving to be highly entertaining, and another round is proving to hold some allure. All told, I’m pleased that I made the time to give it a go, even if I do have to get back to the stack of roguelikes that I have waiting in the wings.
I’m going to sign off before I accidentally spoil something. I’ve been trying to keep things vague on purpose, because the less you know about this odd-ball card game and its grim-faced story, the better.
What you need to know is that it’s mechanically interesting and intuitive, although the unique delivery of its narrative is the star of the show. I’ve never played anything quite like Forbidden Solitaire before, and I recommend you boot it up while knowing as little as possible.
Forbidden Solitaire is out now on PC (Win), and I played via access kindly provided by the developer.
