Game: Regency Solitaire II
Genre: Board Game, Puzzle, Lifestyle, Strategy
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Grey Alien Games
Controller: No
Price: US $14.99 | UK £12.79 | EU € 14,79
Release Date: February 22th, 2024
The review code was used, with many thanks to Grey Alien Games.
Regency Solitaire II is a 2024 solitaire card game developed and released by Grey Alien Games. It is a direct sequel to Regency Solitaire, which Paula reviewed for LadiesGamers back in 2021.
Premise
Regency Solitaire II allows us a delightful peek into the lives of Bella and her family. The game also features a new couple, Marietta and Horatio, whose love story sounds like something the incredible Georgette Heyer might have written. Besides battling vicious rumours, finding love in unlikely places, and uncovering shocking birth secrets, Regency Solitaire II allows us to help Bella again do a makeover – this time in pursuit of organizing a garden party.
Gameplay
Regency Solitaire II is much the same as its predecessor in terms of game mechanics. We have two game modes: Normal and Hard. The game consists of several chapters according to the progression of the story. Each chapter consists of 10 levels. We have goals for each chapter, which unlock the next chapter in the story. In normal mode, we can still progress to the next chapter even if we do not complete the goals. That significantly lowers the pressure of the game and allows you to enjoy it more flexibly.
The goal of each level is to clear out all of the cards on the screen. We do that by choosing lower or higher cards than the one in our hand and creating card chains. While playing, we uncover bonus cards, such as wild cards and jokers, which can be used if the card in our hand is not helpful.
We also have different boosters, such as the ability to knock off cards off the screen or see all the cards, even the ones face down. Each time we use a booster, we’ll have to wait for it to recharge so we can use it again.
While playing, we get different challenges – finding seashells, trimming bushes, unlocking cards, etc. It makes for a varied gameplay.
By completing successful chapters, we earn money for Bella’s garden party decorations, which range from beautiful sculptures to a folly and a rose arch. We also move through a map, charmingly drawn like in Regency Solitaire.
Once you beat the main part of the game, you unlock some extra levels with their own storyline.
While the game has no easy setting, I made an exciting discovery: if you fail a level, you get more bonus cards, such as wild cards and jokers, each time you replay it. You can also skip forward or retry a level. If you fail a chapter, you can still progress further in the story.
The world of Regency Solitaire II
Regency Solitaire II is a vibrant and fun solitaire game. The soundtrack is well-suited to the gameplay. The design of the cards and the characters is beautiful. Speaking of characters, some of them are familiar- like Bella, for example, while others are entirely new.
The storyline is entertaining enough to complement the game without taking away from the solitaire part. It’s not a deep story at all. Still, it has all those funny tidbits from the Regency period and, of course, Georgette Heyer’s books.
I liked the language in the dialogue- all those time-appropriate phrases like “by Jove,” an old way of referring to the Christian God without blaspheming. Jove is Jupiter, the Roman god, who ruled over gods and men. Shakespeare used it in Love’s Labors Lost – “By Jove, I always took three threes for nine.”
Regency Solitaire II is set in 1813, right around the Napoleonic wars. The map gives us delightful glimpses of the era with places such as Arundel Castle, a real medieval castle in West Sussex, England, and Nonesuch Hall, a reference, I think, to either Nonsuch Palace, a no longer-standing Tudor royal palace, commissioned by Henry VIII in Surrey, England or The Nonesuch, a novel set in Regency England by Georgette Heyer.
The game also features an elopement marriage in Bonnie Scotland over an anvil, something you’ve read at least once if you’ve read romance novels.
Some Notes
Regency Solitaire II has basic audio and video settings. It has Steam achievements but no trading cards as of yet.
Conclusion
Regency Solitaire II is an excellent game in a great game series. The gameplay is balanced well- it’s challenging, but more is needed to get stuck. The art and music are beautiful and well-suited to the game. You should not be disappointed if you like card games, solitaire, costume dramas, and historical romances. Me personally? I can’t wait for the next game in the series. Meanwhile, I’ll go and reread The Nonesuch.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up: 