Solitaire Crime Stories Chapter 1 Review: A Bizarre, Dumbly Fun Mash-up

If you have ever wondered what a mash-up of a gritty detective procedural and a casual card game looks like, Solitaire Crime Stories Chapter 1 has the answer. It is, by almost any traditional metric, not a "good" game. Yet, despite its flaws, it manages to be a guilty pleasure that is hard to put down. For the price of £5.79, it delivers exactly what it promises: a bizarre, frictionless loop of solving murders through the power of Tripeaks Solitaire.

A Procedural That Defies Reality

The story follows journalist Lana Whitt as she investigates the murder of a private investigator. In any respectable crime drama, the police would keep a reporter far away from a crime scene. Here, Lana is not only invited in but is treated as a partner by sheriff’s assistant Bill Maite. The writing is undeniably hokey, and the investigative process—if you can call it that—is entirely nonsensical. You don't actually "solve" crimes with logic; you solve them by clearing decks of cards.

Whenever Lana or Bill needs to do something, the game pauses for a round of Tripeaks. It is a jarring transition, but the game is so committed to its own absurdity that you eventually stop questioning it. The visual novel framework is surprisingly well-produced, and the mystery itself is paced just well enough to keep you clicking through the next set of cards.

The Solitaire Experience

If you are coming to this for a deep, innovative take on card games, look elsewhere. The Tripeaks Solitaire on offer is standard, textbook stuff. You remove cards that are one up or one down from your current card. Occasionally, the game throws in a panoramic layout or cards covered by planks, but these obstacles rarely pose a significant challenge.

There is a power-up system involving Jokers, Rockets, and Shields, but they are largely unnecessary. The game is generous with its coin currency, meaning you can stockpile power-ups and cruise through the levels. The layouts are a bit repetitive, often consisting of a large central pile with two smaller side stacks, but because the game doesn't force you into a grind, the repetition never becomes fatal to the experience.

Final Thoughts

Solitaire Crime Stories Chapter 1 is a cut-and-shut experiment that somehow lands on its feet. It is poorly edited—expect to see typos, especially toward the end—and the gameplay is painfully generic. However, the pulpy, campy story acts as a perfect hook for the frictionless card gameplay. It is the video game equivalent of a trashy page-turner: you know it is not high art, but you are going to finish it anyway.