Developers often turn to eerie space stations or enigmatic small towns to create spine-tingling experiences. It’s not every day you stumble upon a horror game with a twist, where the terror seeps through the simplest of scenarios. Enter Forbidden Solitaire, the latest venture from Night Signal Entertainment, which poses an intriguing question: what would you do if your newly acquired Solitaire game turned out to be haunted?
The game’s Steam page captures this chilling concept in just a few lines: "It’s 2019. You’ve stumbled across a strange, yet oddly familiar 1995 CD-ROM game in a thrift store. You recall hearing about it, perhaps a controversy surrounding it, but you never found the time to play—until now."
At first glance, turning a Solitaire game into a fright fest seems unlikely. Then again, who would’ve thought poker mechanics could fuel a hit roguelike like Balatro? The team behind this project has previously crafted Home Safety Hotline, a tech support simulator spiced with wickedly clever writing and chilling twists, so I’m optimistic about their next release. Players will need to endure "bloodletting solitaire gameplay," buying upgrades from a "friendly eye that watches you from the walls," and navigating a series of "game-changing Jokers" that may either aid or hinder their progress.
As per the Steam listing, a typical game in Forbidden Solitaire lasts around two to three hours. While Night Signal Entertainment hasn’t revealed when it’ll be available yet, I’m intrigued to see how they blend eras, with someone in 2019 diving into a haunting ‘90s gaming experience.
