The creators of analog horror game Home Safety Hotline are returning with Forbidden Solitaire, a spooky card-based title that promises a spin on the era of 90s FMV. Forbidden Solitaire was recently announced via an official trailer that teases plenty of wild horror-filled imagery that is balanced out with charming low-res style. Its predecessor was a fun take on the analog horror genre, and Forbidden Solitaire seems primed to continue the retro-inspired scares.
From the game’s Steam page, the basic premise of Forbidden Solitaire is this: “It’s 2019. You brought home a strange yet familiar 1995 CD-ROM game from the thrift store. You vaguely remember seeing ads for this game, and some kind of controversy, but you never got the chance to play it. Until now.” Unraveling the mystery that is promised is an exciting prospect, but it also presents a unique blend that could bring both horror fans and Balatro players together for one experience. Balatro was one of last year’s most surprising successes, and a horror-inspired counterpart may be a solid game to dive into next.
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Forbidden Solitaire Mixes Balatro’s Card Gameplay With Home Safety Hotline’s Retro Horror
Forbidden Solitaire and Balatro may not be actively connected in any way, but the two sharing a card-focused premise makes the former a great new route for gamers to venture down. For Balatro to be such a simple premise, it made waves last year. The card game holds a lot of surprising charm with its art style and mechanics, and there are bound to be plenty of Balatro players who crave something fresh, yet familiar. Although Forbidden Solitaire‘s name implies that it may be more of a simplistic approach to card games than Balatro‘s unique blend of multiple games, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a satisfying time.
On the game’s official Steam page, the developers promise “bloodletting solitaire gameplay.” This definitely raises more questions than anything, but the tease of a gore-filled solitaire game is a hilariously unique premise. Many of the details featured on Forbidden Solitaire‘s Steam page are purposefully vague, but its colorful palette and card focus do indeed feel reminiscent of Balatro. It’s unclear if co-developers Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment were directly inspired by Balatro, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they were.
Forbidden Solitaire‘s predecessor, Home Safety Hotline, tasks players with working at a call center that handles incoming reports about supernatural occurrences happening in people’s homes.
Forbidden Solitaire seems primed to continue the retro-inspired scares.
Balatro Could Inspire a Wave of Fresh Card Games
Last year saw several surprising games rise through the ranks to go head-to-head with huge AAA releases. Between Helldivers 2, Palworld, and Balatro, the beginning of 2024 was a huge moment for smaller studios. Even more impressive, Balatro was created by a single developer. Such success from a solo developer is already something to celebrate, but the amount of awards Balatro won made 2024 even sweeter for the indie hit.
Because of this huge success, there are bound to be other developers who follow with their own card games. Of course, the idea for Forbidden Solitaire may have been conceived before Balatro ever hit the market, but as one of the first indie card games to arrive on the scene after the latter’s launch, it could greatly benefit from the hype. In the past, the deck-building genre has been a little more niche than other games, but Balatro has potentially opened the door to a wider audience.
Balatro is the first solo-developed game to be nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards.
As of now, Forbidden Solitaire has yet to have a release date set in stone. With its estimated length of two to three hours, this follow-up to Home Safety Hotline could be the perfect short story that brings Balatro and horror fans together to enjoy a title that promises fun visuals and a chilling mystery.
Strategy
Digital Card Game
Roguelike
- Released
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February 20, 2024
- ESRB
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E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
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LocalThunk
- Publisher(s)
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Playstack