Review: Legends of Solitaire: Curse of the Dragons
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Each player has their own profile, and their progress is automatically saved as they play. This means you can leave the game at any time, even in the middle of a hand, without losing your progress. Nothing happens without your input, so there's no reason to pause the game. But, you can still do so by pressing ESC. Time needed per session:As this is a solitaire game, you can generally play it whenever you have some free time. However, if you want to plan your time more carefully, a quick hand usually lasts under two minutes, while an entire stage takes about ten.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians The main issue with this title is its use of dragons and other fantasy characters. Even then, it's not as serious as many older Disney movies. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/legends_of_solitaire_curse_of_the_dragons_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/legends_of_solitaire_curse_of_the_dragons_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/legends_of_solitaire_curse_of_the_dragons_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Ready for another tripeaks-style solitaire game? Like similar cards games, Legends of Solitaire: Curse of the Dragons frames its gameplay around a story. This time, the player will watch from the sidelines while a group of adventurers travel a high fantasy world in a quest to rid the lands of dragons.
The story is broken into 40-odd chapters of 10 hands each. At the start of each chapter, a narrator reads a journal entry describing what is taking place, and then you begin the game proper. Although the layout of the cards is far from traditional, the gameplay itself is pretty generic. You simply clear cards from the playfield by going up or down in rank regardless of suit - for example, if you have a 6 of Clubs in your discard pile, you could clear a 5 of Diamonds or 7 of Spades. Discarding multiple cards in sequence builds up combos, which help you earn more gold and may be part of the chapter's goals.
Speaking of goals, every chapter requires the player to complete a handful of tasks. These can include earning a given amount of gold, creating a combo of a certain length or greater, and clearing all of the cards from the playfield a given number of times. These goals get increasingly difficult as the game progresses, so you'll probably be spending that gold on items, wildcards, and charms. Companions, which are characters from the story you can call upon during play, can also help you by clearing cards or providing matches. The catch with companions is that their abilities need recharged between use, and you'll recharge them by clearing cards of a specific suit.
But, finding matches and keeping combos going aren't the only things you'll need to worry about. Other obstacles can get in your way by blocking access to parts of the playfield. Vines and ice can encase cards, and stone walls can create barriers. Sometimes part of the level is sealed behind a lock. To get around these problems, you'll need to use the appropriate item (a sword, an axe, a mace, or a key respectively). These can be purchased from the store or found in the deck.
Another hazard, one that's unique to this game, are dragons. They sometimes slip into your draw pile, and once you deal them, they'll set one or more of your cards on fire. Burning cards can't be interacted with, just like cards in ice or covered in vines, but they'll automatically become available again when the flames die down. If you're not interested in waiting, you can always use a potion to extinguish the flames early.
Unfortunately, despite how promising this game is, it still ended up feeling underwhelming. In other words, for a game about slaying fierce dragons, it reaches a point were it's just draggin'. Part of this may be due to the way the player is removed from the action - in other games I've reviewed, you'll find important items under the cards or otherwise advance the story via playing. Here it starts to feel like busywork, and that takes the fun out of it.
The story is broken into 40-odd chapters of 10 hands each. At the start of each chapter, a narrator reads a journal entry describing what is taking place, and then you begin the game proper. Although the layout of the cards is far from traditional, the gameplay itself is pretty generic. You simply clear cards from the playfield by going up or down in rank regardless of suit - for example, if you have a 6 of Clubs in your discard pile, you could clear a 5 of Diamonds or 7 of Spades. Discarding multiple cards in sequence builds up combos, which help you earn more gold and may be part of the chapter's goals.
Speaking of goals, every chapter requires the player to complete a handful of tasks. These can include earning a given amount of gold, creating a combo of a certain length or greater, and clearing all of the cards from the playfield a given number of times. These goals get increasingly difficult as the game progresses, so you'll probably be spending that gold on items, wildcards, and charms. Companions, which are characters from the story you can call upon during play, can also help you by clearing cards or providing matches. The catch with companions is that their abilities need recharged between use, and you'll recharge them by clearing cards of a specific suit.
But, finding matches and keeping combos going aren't the only things you'll need to worry about. Other obstacles can get in your way by blocking access to parts of the playfield. Vines and ice can encase cards, and stone walls can create barriers. Sometimes part of the level is sealed behind a lock. To get around these problems, you'll need to use the appropriate item (a sword, an axe, a mace, or a key respectively). These can be purchased from the store or found in the deck.
Another hazard, one that's unique to this game, are dragons. They sometimes slip into your draw pile, and once you deal them, they'll set one or more of your cards on fire. Burning cards can't be interacted with, just like cards in ice or covered in vines, but they'll automatically become available again when the flames die down. If you're not interested in waiting, you can always use a potion to extinguish the flames early.
Unfortunately, despite how promising this game is, it still ended up feeling underwhelming. In other words, for a game about slaying fierce dragons, it reaches a point were it's just draggin'. Part of this may be due to the way the player is removed from the action - in other games I've reviewed, you'll find important items under the cards or otherwise advance the story via playing. Here it starts to feel like busywork, and that takes the fun out of it.
Points of Interest
Extra Features
This game has several interesting features for players to choose from. To begin with, you can play the main game using one of three difficulty settings. These mainly influence how hard the goals are and how often special cards show up in your deck, but they also determine if your tools can break or rules like whether or not wrapping from King to Ace is allowed.
Additionally, the main quest isn't the only way to play. You can also play a random hand, a single level from the adventure, and a more traditional hand of Tripeaks solitaire. Lastly, players can also select between three card styles and three card back designs.
Additionally, the main quest isn't the only way to play. You can also play a random hand, a single level from the adventure, and a more traditional hand of Tripeaks solitaire. Lastly, players can also select between three card styles and three card back designs.
Steam community features
Players can collect a set of Steam trading cards and twenty achievements while clearing the land of dragons. About half of the achievements are based on your progress through the story, while the other half are earned by doing something repeatedly, so you'll probably have earned them all by the time you complete the game for the first time.
Grindy near the end
As stated earlier, each chapter gives the player specific tasks to complete. Fail to reach any of the goals, and you'll need to do the entire chapter over. This becomes an issue towards the end of the game, as the player can be tasked with collecting an impossible amount of gold during the levels. The only way to mitigate this is to replay older levels to earn wildcards (or extra gold to purchase wildcards), as these help you keep combos going.
Keep in mind, you'll have purchased everything in the game's store long before this point, so there aren't any other goals to encourage the player to continue.
Keep in mind, you'll have purchased everything in the game's store long before this point, so there aren't any other goals to encourage the player to continue.
Concerns and Issues
Fantasy themed cards
As this is a fantasy solitaire game, the cards used depict a number of fantasy characters. Humans and dwarves, elves and orcs, it's a pretty standard cross-section of the genre. None of them are scary or graphically depicted, so if you're okay with things like Disney movies, there's nothing to be concerned about.
Story gets a little over the top at points
A quick summary of the game's story is that dragons are harassing towns and travelers, so a group of heroes needs to explore the land and slay the evil beasts. The narrator takes the story quite seriously, using a lot of words to try and emphasize the bleakness and horror of the dragon's escapades. But, it never gets too graphic. In fact, it almost sounds silly thanks to the purple prose being used.