The Solitaire Conspiracy

Genre: Card Game (Solitaire – Misc.)

Players: 1

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Review:

The Solitaire Conspiracy, first released on PC in 2020 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021, is a Card Game that takes the gameplay of solitaire and tries to give it a greater context by making the cards represent teams of spies working to counter the machinations of a mysterious threat, and the player’s movements of cards around the table representing your efforts to coordinate their movements during missions. It’s a clever premise and a unique way to dress up what is, at its core, just a simple game of cards.

I will say that as far as presentation goes, The Solitaire Conspiracy may very well have the best presentation of any game of solitaire I’ve ever played. The board is made to look like some sort of digital readout, with much of the information seemingly projected out from the background. It’s a slick effect that doesn’t interfere with the gameplay, and players can customize it further with skins they collect as they play.

What’s more, in-between rounds, players are treated to snippets of story via live action footage (made up to have the same “digitally projected” effect) of conversations with others involved in the game’s spy story, with the acting here being a bit silly, but given the themes of the game that seems fitting. This is all backed by a solid soundtrack with music that feels right out of a high-tech spy thriller, with great themes like Protego, The Chase, and Recon.

The gameplay itself here is… well, Solitaire, although the rules here aren’t quite the same as other solitaire formats I’ve seen. Players are trying to place cards into four foundation stacks (one per suit) from eight fanned stacks in the tableau, with the value running from Ace to King. Cards from the top of each stack in the tableau can be moved freely to the top of any other tableau stack regardless of suit as long as the top card in that stack is higher in value – a seven can be placed on an eight, a ten, or a Queen, but not on a five or six. Cards can also be moved from the top of a tableau stack to empty spots in the tableau. You’re essentially sorting through cards in the tableau to get to the lowest-value cards so you can place them in the foundation, with the goal being to clear up your tableau.

However, there’s a twist here that comes in the form of how this game treats face cards. Whenever players place an ace in the foundation, they power up all of the face cards of that suit, with each suit having its own power corresponding to the team that suit represents. One team’s powered face cards randomize a stack, another sorts the cards in that stack, and so on. Each face card, once powered up, can use its power once. Because of this, players must be strategic about where they move these face cards – both to make best use of their power and not squander it, but also not to inadvertently mess things up by using a power when it would have been better to abstain.

The result of all of this is a pretty compelling game of solitaire, though I will say that it’s a bit on the easy side – being able to place your tableau cards on any stack topped by any card of any suit with a higher value gives players a lot of leeway, and players feeling stuck can almost always move cards around until they can free up one of the cards they need to progress – I’m not sure if it’s possible to “get stuck” in this game like you can so easily do in other variants of Solitaire.

Of course, for those seeking a challenge, you do have options – players can opt to play with a higher difficulty setting that limits the number of moves they are allowed to do in each “mission”. Outside of the game’s primary campaign, there are also “Countdown” and “Skirmish” game modes – Countdown tosses players into a timed gauntlet of one game after another, challenging them to complete as many as possible before time runs out, adding seconds to the clock for the use of powers and successfully adding cards to the foundation. Skirmish, meanwhile, allows players to create their own custom game, selecting which of the game’s numerous “teams” to play with and setting up a quick game around the teams selected. Add to this daily missions and you have reasons to keep coming back even after the campaign is finished.

One more thing to note here. The Nintendo Switch version of the game makes good use of the touchscreen for those playing the game in handheld mode. Surprisingly, the game does also make very minor use of gyroscopic motion controls, though all this does is allow you to wiggle around the perspective you view the game a little – it has no significant effect on the gameplay.

In the end, The Solitaire Conspiracy really is just a glorified game of solitaire when you boil it down, but it arguably elevates that simple game in ways that are surprising and unexpected. If you’re not a fan of card games, this probably won’t change your mind, but if you’re looking for a great game of solitaire, The Solitaire Conspiracy will almost certainly exceed your expectations.

tl;dr – The Solitaire Conspiracy is a Card Game that presents the game of solitaire as a high-stakes representation of moving around teams of spies to counter a mysterious threat. The core gameplay here is fun and compelling, if a bit on the easy side, and the presentation elevates that gameplay and makes it truly stand out. If you enjoy solitaire and want to try a game that takes the old-fashioned game and modernizes it, you should definitely check this out.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Card Game – How do you make a Solitaire game more compelling than the best Collectable Card Games and Roguelike Card Games the Nintendo Switch has to offer in 2021? Start by making simple compelling, accessible gameplay, and then add an outstanding, slick, modern presentation, with a fun story about covert spy organizations. The result makes The Solitaire Conspiracy feel like it’s about something more than cards, it’s about an intense high-tech espionage game where the cards represent your team members, and your leadership is the only thing that will see their mission through to success. Even if you’re not into Card Games, if you enjoy a good Puzzler, this one is well worth trying out.

Runner-Up: Most Overlooked

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