Zombie Solitaire

Developer: rokaplay | Publisher: rokaplay | Release Date: 2013 | Genre: Casual / Solitaire / Card Game | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

The zombie apocalypse has been used for just about every genre imaginable, so it was probably only a matter of time before the undead shuffled their way into a solitaire game. Zombie Solitaire by rokaplay takes the familiar one-up, one-down style of casual solitaire and wraps it in a tongue-in-cheek story about an infected tofu burger causing the end of civilization. It is a silly premise, but unfortunately, also one of the few things that gives the game any real personality.

The story begins two weeks after a vegetarian is transformed into a brain-eating zombie by an infected tofu burger. One thing leads to another, and soon the city is overrun by the undead. Players must make their way to a supposedly zombie-free island by completing solitaire levels across various locations. It is goofy enough to raise a smile, but the story never becomes more than a loose excuse to string the card games together.

The core gameplay is very familiar. Players are presented with a layout of cards and must clear them by selecting cards that are one rank higher or lower than the card at the bottom of the screen. Suits do not matter, so the challenge comes from building long chains, managing the draw pile, and deciding when to use power-up cards. Anyone who has played games like Faerie Solitaire, Regency Solitaire, or any number of casual solitaire titles will know exactly what to expect.

Zombie Solitaire features more than 100 levels spread across nine zombie-themed settings. Each stage awards up to three stars depending on performance, giving completionists a reason to replay levels. Coins earned during play can be spent on power-up cards, and the game features ten of these in total. However, players can only bring three power-ups into a level at a time, so there is at least a small amount of planning involved. The power-ups can be useful, but they do not fundamentally change the formula.

Unfortunately, this is also where Zombie Solitaire begins to show its limitations. There is nothing wrong with the card gameplay, but there is also nothing here that really sets it apart from similar titles. The mechanics are functional, the levels are playable, and the zombie theme adds a bit of flavor, but the overall experience feels very generic. Compared to Regency Solitaire, which uses its story, upgrades, and presentation to make each hand feel part of a larger journey, Zombie Solitaire feels far more basic.

Between levels, players are occasionally presented with puzzle-style sections where they are required to click on specific items on a static screen in order to proceed to the next area. These are meant to break up the solitaire, but they feel mostly pointless. They are neither challenging nor interesting enough to stand on their own, and most players will probably just want to get through them quickly so they can return to the card game. It is a pity, as the zombie theme could have been used for more creative mechanics.

Visually, Zombie Solitaire is serviceable but unremarkable. The zombie artwork gives the game a little personality, and the backgrounds do enough to sell the road-trip-through-the-apocalypse theme. However, nothing about the presentation feels especially polished or memorable. The cards are readable, which is the most important thing, but the interface and art style are very much in line with older casual PC games.

The audio is similarly functional. The music and sound effects fit the lighthearted zombie theme well enough, but nothing really stands out. It is the kind of soundtrack that fades into the background while playing, which is not necessarily a problem for a casual solitaire game, but it also does little to elevate the experience.

Controls are simple and mouse-driven, as expected. Selecting cards, using power-ups, and navigating menus all work without issue. This is a game that can be understood within minutes, making it accessible to just about anyone. The difficulty is also fairly gentle, although some hands naturally depend on the luck of the draw.

One disappointing omission is the lack of Steam achievements. The game does support Steam Cloud and Trading Cards, but for a casual card game built around completing levels and earning stars, achievements would have been a natural fit. Without them, there is less incentive to push beyond simply finishing the campaign unless players are particularly invested in earning three stars everywhere.

Overall, Zombie Solitaire is not a bad game, but it is a very ordinary one. The solitaire gameplay works, there are plenty of levels, and the power-up system adds a little bit of strategy. However, the pointless puzzle sections, generic presentation, and lack of anything truly distinctive make it difficult to recommend over stronger solitaire titles. Fans of casual solitaire games who enjoy zombie themes may still get some relaxing entertainment from it, but expectations should be kept modest.