Solitaire Stories is an Apple Arcade Original, meaning that it’s only available if you have the Apple Arcade service. This, in turn, means that you also know that it’s going to be a game free of ads, free to play timers, and other annoying things that plague too many games these days. In other words, you don’t have to suffer all those things while playing a calm game of solitaire.
As the game title implies, this is a solitaire game (of the Klondike kind, if you’re curious) where there’s a story element. These so-called stories are, in fact, just plain stories told in increments of two, meaning that you have to clear two solitaire games to proceed in the story. Then you get a couple of screens and the story read to you, after which it’s time to clear another two games, until the story’s over. While the stories are somewhat enjoyable, they really don’t add much to the game, I think. Luckily, you can just play games outside the story if you want.
When playing games, story or otherwise, you’ll collect coins. These coins will unlock new parts of the story. While that might not be all that appealing to you as a way to play Solitaire Stories, you’ll probably enjoy the accompanying deck of cards and sound effects. Some are better than others, and I’m sure you’ll find something you like.
Apart from that, you can play daily challenges for a chance to get more coins, or submit a score to the daily leaderboard.
All in all, Solitaire Stories is a well-designed and friendly little game. The fact that there’s an undo feature might make some shy away, but I find this to be an enjoyable way to enjoy a game of solitaire. It might be a bit of a filler in terms of what’s on Apple Arcade, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you enjoy solitaire.
🃏🃏🃏 out of 5 — Good