Forbidden Solitaire Review

Developed and published by Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment, Forbidden Solitaire is a narrative-driven horror solitaire title that follows Will Roberta, a man who just found an old copy of a CD-ROM that he and his sister had wanted to play back in 1995… one that their mother had strictly banned from their household.

The in-game retro title was sold as the digital card game with a horror twist, it quickly began making headlines in ways that would give any CEO a headache: bad reviews from critics and scandalous claims that it killed players. The reasons are quickly unearthed by Emily, the protagonist’s sister, as she begins investigating more about it. All the while, Will is absolutely hooked!

While Forbidden Solitaire is technically not the real game, that's what you'll spend your time doing, as you don't do much more on Will's PC outside of booting it up. There are some extra icons, but they offer things like your in-game stats and an easy click to other releases by the developer and publisher.

Inside the CD-ROM, we follow the story of a mage who is hoping to achieve immortality by going into a dangerous tower, and the narrative unfolds with every solitaire run win. As you play, you'll gain some currency that you can use at the shop for Gems, Jokers, and the occasional one-time-use item. 

Gems are various upgrades (such as additional HP or harder-hitting combos) that help make battles smoother, and Jokers offer numerous abilities to get the upper hand. These include things like being able to strike thunder at cards or reveal the ones that are face down. 

Despite being a horror title, I didn't feel pressure to finish things quickly or even well, as Forbidden Solitaire is actually quite forgiving! I was able to take my time, and as I became more familiar with the gameplay, I also started using Jokers more freely.

There is a bit of a dissonance when you go from being chased by a maggot-filled corpse to a relatively calm experience with solitaire, but I didn’t mind it. Although it would’ve been nice to have the option to make it more stressful or add more strategy by perhaps tweaking the rules of the game, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. 

Outside of the solitaire rounds, both narratives are filled with gore and violence, and I would suggest any player who might be sensitive to check the list of trigger warnings, but I didn’t particularly feel like any of them were extreme. The horror adds spice to the plot, but the in-game animations help smooth out the depiction, which I’d argue is a good thing for a broader audience! 

As the story unfolds from Emily’s findings, the FMV comes into play through the videos and images she finds in her deep dive into the game’s past. I don’t usually play FMV titles because the (sometimes) poor acting breaks my immersion, but I was pleasantly surprised at Forbidden Solitaire’s cast.

As someone who grew up during the ‘90s, it was an enjoyable and nostalgic experience to boot up Forbidden Solitaire from Will's PC. The team and actors did a great job at mimicking the dramatic and spooky aesthetic that many shows, movies, and games had back then. If you've ever seen Goosebumps or any of the "real stories" TV series, you'll probably click with it, too!

Something that I was pleased by is how well Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment did at marketing: what you see on the Steam page is exactly what you’ll get. Solitaire, an overarching narrative, upgrades & Joker cards, and mature content. I didn’t feel like I was misled or stumbled onto more (or less) than what I expected. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Forbidden Solitaire! It innovates enough on the experience that it's worth picking it up if it's something you think you'll enjoy. The acting was apt, the solitaire solid, and it's also got a new game+ mode that lets players return to any of the 60 puzzles with customised settings if they want more!