We have all played a card game at some point in our lives, whether it was something as simple as Solitaire, as competitive as Poker or even as fun as Bullshit. But I am confident in saying that you have yet to experience a game like Didgery. Released in March this year the Indie title developed by Lotus Games – Didgery – offers a unique explosive twist on the Card and Puzzle genre that you have yet to experience.
Didgery is an action packed, explosive puzzler that revolves around the player strategically chaining together a series of cards to gain a high score, while also incorporating an intriguing and in-depth storyline – something which you don’t often see in games like this.
Card games are not something I usually play, especially not on PC, but Didgery did something that I wasn’t expecting – nostalgia. I distinctly remember coming home from school and playing a good ole game of Solitaire – well Spider Solitaire… it still counts, okay! This was back when internet wasn’t really a thing and let’s be honest, there was no better feeling than seeing those fireworks appear on screen.
The main premise behind Didgery is chaining together the longest possible combination of cards in order to obtain the highest score possible. The chains are built the same way you play a game of Solitaire – King of Spades is followed by Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades, 10 of Spades and so on. The suits can also be matched with a card of the same value – such as 10 of Spades to a 10 of Hearts.
Didgery, with its main premise of chaining together cards to form lengthy combinations and achieve the highest score, took me back to those cherished moments. It follows the same principles as Solitaire, where strategic moves involve sequences like King of Spades followed by Queen of Spades and the matching of cards with the same value, such as the 10 of Spades to a 10 of Hearts. This digital adaptation of solitaire, known as Little Solitaire online solitaire, seamlessly blends nostalgia with the convenience of modern gaming, allowing enthusiasts to relish the joy of Solitaire. Ultimately, there’s an undeniable desire to indulge in the classic form of Solitaire, the traditional and familiar version that has stood the test of time.
Didgery offers two modes of gameplay, Zen and Nightmare – both of these are pretty self-explanatory. Zen mode provides the player with a very relaxed and slow paced version of the game that will essentially last forever – literally. Zen mode also features the rather intriguing story of Didgery, while I won’t spoil any of the story-line, I will say that it is rather unique and interesting and definitely puts a nice twist on the game that I wasn’t expecting.
Nightmare mode is however, the complete opposite and is definitely where the game starts to pick up as you have to race against the clock to complete combinations in order to gain extra time to your clock. While playing through Nightmare mode you cannot play in the same style that you did in Zen mode as combining just 3 cards at a time won’t provide you with enough extra time to stay on top of the timer. The longer your combinations in Nightmare mode, the more significant time bonus you will incur. Just like Zen mode though, the game is endless and will only stop once your timer reaches zero. You will also get the chance to uncover a lot more of the storyline, which does, in fact, become a lot darker.
The team at Lotus Games did a fantastic job on Didgery’s art, with all elements ranging from the Background, User Interface, Game Board and Visual Effects match the style of the game perfectly. You will also notice that there really isn’t a lot to fault with the game’s current mechanics and gameplay as the development team executed the vision of the game fantastically.
Although I did enjoy my time playing through Didgery, I cannot help but feel that the game is lacking in a lot of major core features that would have easily kept, not only myself but a steady flow of casual players enjoying a game or two on a very regular basis. With a lack of game modes, leader-boards and essentially an end, there is at this stage no incentive for the player to keep playing through the game.
While I understand that Lotus Games may have wanted to keep Didgery a simple casual puzzler, the fact still remains that the game is essentially endless – while that may not be a bad thing, it does hinder the experience the player receives as the game is not only tiresome but also very repetitive and unrewarding. There’s no point in getting a high score if you cannot share it with others around the world, or even within your own household.
These negatives aren’t listed to deter you from picking up the game because it is actually quite good and has a number of excellent features. These negatives are more so just what needs to be included into the game if the developers want to see the player base expand and thrive – which I can easily see happening should the features be introduced into the game. Didgery also feels like a game that should be marketed as a casual card/puzzler game on the Application Store where players can either have a quick and challenge match on the go or even something on the more relaxing side to take the edge off after work.
While Didgery does lack some major core features, I did, however, enjoy my overall experience with the game. The developers – Lotus Games – have managed to create a series of mechanics and gameplay features that put a unique twist on the classic games Solitaire and Bejeweled. I don’t want my negatives to deter you from picking up Didgery because at the price of $1.99 you can’t go wrong and to be honest; it is well worth the money you pay.
Should the developers listen to the player’s feedback and incorporate the lacking features, Didgery – without a doubt – has the potential to be a fantastic game.
A review copy of Didgery was provided from Lotus Games For the purpose of this Review.