Faerie Solitaire Review

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Faerie Solitaire by Subsoap is a version of a linear adventure style card game similar to Fairway Solitaire. The story goes that a bunch of faeries from all the areas of Faerie Land have been captured by an evil wizard. Surprisingly, playing solitaire rescues them. To be honest the story didn’t rope me in and at times I wished I could skip some of it to play the cards. Now playing the game was another story. I was simply addicted to the gameplay, graphics and innovative additions to a classic card game. I found myself returning to the game night after night until I completed it.

There are three different gameplay modes to Faerie Solitaire: the adventure mode, a free play mode, and a challenge mode. In the adventure mode, each level presents you with objectives that must be completed before continuing to the next stage. Each level lays out a number of cards arranged in different patterns. Your ultimate goal is to clear the screen and receive a perfect score. Card combos and meeting level objectives result in ridiculous amounts of money and power-ups.

Click the Screen for the Free Demo

The gameplay is similar to Solitaire in that the usual suit of cards are provided and you have to clear the card arrangements by flipping cards from your “stock” pile and pull cards from the “tableau” either one above or one below the target. The suit of the card doesn’t matter, just the number (be it higher or lower). Each stage is broken into nine hands or levels and each level has its own objective (i.e.- number of perfects, combo size or amount of cash). Sounds simple, right?

The beauty is that clever variables are slowly introduced. I’ll admit I was denied more than a few perfect completions by frozen cards (unlocked by a fire card) and cards ensnared by vines (accessed by a rose card). The variables tend to alter how a player approaches a hand. I found myself almost obsessing over unlocking these cards and foregoing larger combos. If the player doesn’t meet all the required stage objectives, they are sent back to repeat the entire stage.

During the progression of the game, the player collects eggs and other resources. The players can then hatch and evolve these eggs with the resources collected. It’s a fun feature, but doesn’t drastically affect the gameplay. They do add to the achievements that can be unlocked by the player, of which there are many.

The free mode allows players to return to different parts of the story and replay levels. It definitely adds to replay value that cards are randomly generated each time the level is started. However, both the adventure mode and free mode weren’t the most difficult to play. The challenge mode addressed definitely addresses the lack of difficulty in the other more casual modes. Some of the level objectives are down right insidious (I still can’t complete a level in under a minute).

Click here for the free pc game demo

Faerie Solitaire has solid graphics. The game is beautifully designed and each level is well incorporated into the overarching theme of the game. For a low budget game the hand-drawn backgrounds and cut-to storyboards really dress to impress. Card animations, lighting effects and particle effects were used without being overwhelming. I was especially impressed with the thought that went into all aspects of the game. For example, there were different graphics for all the different pets, faerie land and the un-lockable content. It’s not the top of the line in the graphics department, but it is a fantastic experience.

The Subsoap guys did a good job coming up with a full voiceover for the storyline segments of the game. I admit I wasn’t enthralled by the storyline and the cliffhanger ending but the voiceovers added a little something to the storytelling experience. The levels had some great ambient music in background (I can still hear it) and the card sound effects were good. I love the fireball sound.

Story aside, Faerie Solitaire has lasting appeal going for it. The simplicity and strangely addictive
qualities found in the game provide for hours of entertainment. Insidious objectives in the challenge mode and the randomness found in the hands dealt, provide for quality replay value. I’ll admit I didn’t discover the Faerie Land feature until I played the game full through to completion. Having said that, I wish I had. During the adventure mode, the player collects money on each level. I enjoyed watching my cash add up, but had I known, I would have been banking that money in Faerie Land on upgrades

Between the levels, the player has the opportunity to visit Faerie Land and purchase buildings that grant power-ups, such as: multiple undos, additional time and cards being playable at the start of the hand. I’ve since built up my Faerie Land and returned to the challenge mode. I had a significant advantage in my favor after the upgrades.

The ever random card tableaus along with smooth gameplay and challenging objectives keep the lasting appeal fresh and endlessly (almost frightfully) addictive. It just goes to show that a little magic can be created without all the hype of a major production studio.