Room Escape Artist

Forbidden Solitaire is a story-driven solitaire puzzle game created by Grey Alien Games.

Format

Style of Play:

• Play on demand
• Includes video segments
• Point-and-click
• Solitaire mechanics

Who is it For?

• Story seekers

Required Equipment: computer that meets the system requirements; Steam Deck verified

Recommended Team Size: 1

Play Time: 4-5 hours

Price: $14.39

Booking: purchase and play at your leisure

Description

Forbidden Solitaire is a story-driven game at its heart. It flips between narrative development and the game within a game that is Forbidden Solitaire itself. In the universe of this game, Forbidden Solitaire is a cryptic and haunted game that shouldn’t actually exist. The narrative is delivered via conversations with your sister over a simulated Windows-esque desktop about the potentially cursed nature of Forbidden Solitaire.

Forbidden Solitaire uses solitaire mechanics to explore the dungeon and fight enemies that the player encounters. The whole game has a creepy vibe, reminiscent of early 90s FMV games.

Theresa W’s Reaction

Forbidden Solitaire is one of the weirdest, quirkiest twists I’ve found on a traditional card game. It’s full of horror, fun mechanics, and a chilling story. I loved every minute of my 4-hour experience with this game, with the strategic solitaire-type puzzle battles holding my very short attention span. The story was woven into the gameplay quite well, even if it was a little corny in spots. The developers have been super responsive with the player feedback, and already have added in a feature to replay battles. If you’re okay with a tad bit of grotesque gameplay, enjoy indie games, and don’t dread playing a solitaire variant, Forbidden Solitaire is a great choice for something small to pick up and play!

Lyra Levin’s Reaction

As the game itself says, “Why does it need to be so violent? It’s fricken Solitaire!” I love creeping-horror, meta/ frame-busting games, so Forbidden Solitaire is exactly the sort of experience I seek out. With some tasty details like a simulated Windows desktop from which you open the game and messages with your sister, Forbidden Solitaire felt like it was aiming to be the DLC for a game like Inscryption (review). The solitaire mechanics were a fun casual game, and I could see myself playing them more if they were on my phone.

Ryan Brady’s Reaction

Forbidden Solitaire is a love letter to a certain era of early CGI puzzle/ adventure games. The solitaire gameplay is easy to pick up and the joker system lets players approach each level with some flexibility in playstyle. I wouldn’t call it a true puzzler, but some thoughtful play is required, especially later on. I thought using the “game-within-a-game” concept to separate the real world happenings was a refreshing method. I especially enjoyed the public access-esque TV spots sprinkled throughout the story (filmed at an escape room location!). Despite its generally dark theme, Forbidden Solitaire is very respectful of the player’s time. After reaching a game over, one click restarts the level you were just playing, restoring any consumables you may have used on your way to failure. An early bug revealed that the game checks each generated level to ensure that it is winnable before presenting it to the player. Personally, I felt like the difficulty was in a good spot. I felt some pressure but never got particularly stuck on a level. This game is short, but felt intentionally so, and the price is accordingly on the lower end. If you’re not put off by the somewhat grotesque art and horror elements, Forbidden Solitaire is an easy recommendation for me.