LET’S PLAY
These card games are the real deal
Hands up, who loves a good game of cards? These ones are our absolute favourites, each putting a fresh twist on a classic but still sticking to the timeless ingredients that make them, well, just ace.
Shuffle on over and deal yourself into these great games – they’re our pick of the pack.
Flip Flop Solitaire
Puzzle maestro Zach Gage specialises in flipping classic games on their heads, with titles like Really Bad Chess and Pocket Run Pool. Here, Solitaire gets a Gage remix.
It seems easier at first since you can add cards to a stack in any order – so eight, seven, six, then back up to seven again? Totally fine. But then comes the catch: tap the deck for more cards, and it will add a random card to the bottom of all your stacks and potentially make life a lot, lot harder. Suddenly, a leisurely game of solitaire becomes a nerve-wracking contest of risk and reward.
Battlejack: Blackjack RPG
Out of the casino and into the fantasy land of Midgard: this isn’t your average game of Blackjack. Build a team of heroes and play hands to guide them through battles, with their attacks and special moves decided by the cards you play.
Higher scoring cards mean bigger damage, but be careful not to tip over 21. With lava-spitting dragons, outrageously colourful animations and loads of single and multiplayer options, this is a game that we just keep coming back to.
Top Drives
Veterans of a certain point in British playground history will find this one immediately familiar. Collect a deck of real-life cars in your dream garage, then test their stats against each other in all kinds of races and competitions.
You’ll need a varied pack to take on all challengers, with cards optimised for grip, top speed, wet-weather performance and more. For anyone who ever got into a McLaren vs Ferrari debate and wished they could settle it right there on a track: this is for you.
Cribbage with Grandpas
Don’t know the rules of cribbage? Us neither. Lucky then that there’s a team of friendly grandpas on hand to show us the ropes. Create your own grandpa opponent, giving him a name, designing his hairstyle and even choosing his spectacles.
Pick a personality – grumpy or polite? Sleepy, chatty, quiet? And then on to the business of play, putting together runs and pairs to move around the board as your grandpa friend comments on the action. It’s lovely, soothing stuff – although, if you want, these grandpas can really give you a challenge.
Miracle Merchant
And now for something a little different: as a brewmaster running a potion shop, you’ll mix up magical broths for adventurers from all corners of the quirky cartoon kingdom. It takes a fair bit of thinking to lay down your cards in just the right way, but nail it and you’ll manage to maximise their favourite ingredients while neutralising any nasties in the mix.
After a couple of rounds getting into the mechanics, you’ll love it. The combination of richly satisfying game design with cast of adorable oddball characters makes for a potent brew.