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Jules
Belgium
Leuven
Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
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I got Faerie Solitaire in an indie bundle game - and it’s a perfect bundle buy. Not a game I would buy on its own merits, it’s become my go-to game for when I’m too tired to do anything else (or, as the title says, when I have a hangover). That doesn’t sound very flattering, but there’s nothing wrong with a casual game, especially when it’s fun, well made and offers a good chunk of gameplay.
Faerie Solitaire is computer version of solitaire, the card game everyone in the western world has heard of and spent more time on than they’d care to admit. It must be odd trying to sell a game that comes free with every Windows installation, but Faerie Solitaire has its own twist on this age old classic.
First off, this is one of the easier solitaire variants. You go through the deck in steps of one instead of three, and cards don’t have to be stacked by alternating suit. Instead of adding the cards in your hand to the different stacks, you try to put the cards from all the stacks into your hand. To add some challenge, the game packs a few changes: cards start off stacked on top of each other. Some stacks can be blocked by vines or ice walls until you unlock them by freeing up a hard to reach card.
You get extra points for adding a long sequence of cards in one go. Stringing along those combo’s is one of the main joys of the game. There’s this great sound effect that gets higher in pitch whenever you throw a new card on the stack. Later on in the game you can find bonus cards that you can throw in when your streak is about to run out, to make it last even longer.
Combo’s earn you extra money that you can spend on different bonuses. They’ll give you slight play advantage - knowledge of what card is coming next, and extra undo-option, etc.
During play you can also find treasures hidden under your cards - eggs that hatch into baby animals, and the materials you need to make them grow as soon as they’ve gathered enough xp (read: when you’ve played enough games). Your animals are kept in your hatchery with cute little pictures and descriptions, an addition that will surely appeal to the younger players.
The story itself, in my opinion, has little appeal. It revolves around the hero freeing and helping captive and wounded faeries. It’s told in short scenes between game levels. As themes go, it doesn’t add much to the game but it’s skippable and doesn’t start grating on you.
As you can tell, Faerie Solitaire is a fairly light game, I feel silly even dedicating a review to it. But I’ve chalked up so many 3 am “I’m too tired to play Skyrim but too stubborn to go to bed”’ sessions that I’m forced to admit the simple gameplay and pleasing presentation make for a relaxing finish to a long night of gaming. Besides, in the immortal words of Jeremy from Pure Pwnage: “To truly pwn, one must pwn all games”. So there you go.
Besides, achievements!
I recommend Faerie Solitaire for casual gamers who want a break from Mah Johng, young kids who are learning all about numbers, and for anyone who likes a relaxing play experience. If you find it stuffed in your next indie bundle be sure to give it a spin, or grab it on it’s own for about 4 euro’s (on steam).
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