By Mary-Ellis Ryan

I’ve said it before. Card games, especially Solitaire, aren’t something you’d catch me playing willingly. Solitaire Stories on the Apple Arcade continues to surprise me, however. Actually, I’d say it’s even more fun than the usual casual games. Thanks to its visual appeal, it elevates the gaming experience even more! 

If you don’t know, Solitaire Stories is a card game you play by yourself. You try to move all the cards into four piles which start with Aces and end with Kings. You can move cards around by putting red and black cards in order from biggest to smallest. This is the normal game of Solitaire. But Solitaire Stories is the same but with a twist. This game has special events, stories and plenty of customization, like different card styles, backgrounds, and music themes.

The controls are simple, just like in a classic game like you used top find packed with Windows. You press on the cards and move them around. It’s pretty straightforward, and even for beginners. The game also includes a detailed tutorial at the start that walks you through how to play (if, for some reason, you don’t know).

I especially liked how the game included a settings option where you can adjust the difficulty. I, who have played Solitaire only a few times previously, found this especially useful. Starting out, the tutorial was helpful. But as I continued to play, I just couldn’t seem to figure out how to play without a guide. The controls especially helped and made figuring out and understanding the concept way easier because I had the ability to change the difficulty. So, if you have trouble understanding card games as well this will be a boon to you.

Each story has its own designated music that fits its concept. Yet even with this variety, the soundtrack never gets overwhelming. It’s all instrumental with no lyrics, which keeps the game peaceful and lets you stay concentrated while enjoying some nice background tunes. 

One example is, the Cubicle. The background is set in an office, the music has that waiting room feel, like something you’d hear while waiting to be called in for an appointment or stuck on hold with customer service. It’s very subtle. However, it captures the vibe of that environment perfectly. Also, personally my favorite music in the game is the general/classic mode, which has fun, relaxing jazz. 

The Cubicle’s style is bright, almost like comic book art. It shows an office worker, exaggerated with multiple arms and doing multiple tasks at once. Is this heavy work possibly highlighting something deeper or is this just done as humor? The only way to figure it out is through completing chapters to unlock the full story. All of the covers spark curiosity. Each one is unique in style and tone, making you stop and wonder, what’s this story about?

The sound-effects are effective as well. While I wouldn’t say there’s anything groundbreaking, the effects sync up perfectly with the movement of the cards, which makes them satisfying to hear, and what’s even cooler is that you can actually unlock different sound effects for your deck. That makes playing even more intense and the personalization gives you more reason to keep going.

One of my favorite stories is definitely Maestro in which a determined Sylvia wants to become “a world renowned” orchestra leader. As Sylvia practices Bach, you can listen to “Aria Variata” while you play cards. 

Its cover art instantly caught my attention. Just picture this. It’s late at night in a city, and all of sudden there’s an unknown light highlighting the shadow of this mysterious girl standing on a cliff. She holds a violin in her hand. Music notes surround the side of the screen. The art, and the whole scenario feels dramatic and enchanting like it’s pulling you into a story where music takes center stage. 

Everything – the cards, the soundtrack, and the background – works together to match that vibe perfectly. You may have noticed how this description/concept contrasts greatly with the first story described in the office environment. It goes to show how diverse this game is. In Solitaire Stories, it’s guaranteed that at least one story that will catch your eye.

The varied art style and the smoothness of the animations pull the game together beautifully. One of the things to highlight is how each story has its unique design, which is very impressive and unfolds in chapters, like a book, that you can unlock after completing games. 

Animation deserves its own spotlight, because it’s amazingly well done. Every movement feels smooth and expressive, matching the scenario perfectly, Even the deck customization menu is cool, including a section where you have different options of animations for your deck when you win (there’s 12 in total as of right now). The amount of effort that must’ve been used to create these animations has not gone unnoticed.

Overall, the whole concept of this game is extraordinary. It has such an amazing and fun twist on the classic Solitaire, because it builds on the traditional gameplay and adds stories that give context, progression, and personality to each game you play. It just makes the experience feel much more personal and engaging. The game has a lot of extra features, like a multiplayer mode, daily challenges and daily contests. So if you’re like me and hate card games, give this one a try. Its stunning and engaging visuals and stories make up for the easy gameplay. Trying to complete the storylines will have you hooked. Be warned, this may be your new gaming obsession!

Mary-Ellis Ryan attends Baruch High School and often covers Apple Arcade games for the New York Videogame Critics Circle.

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