Dreamland Solitaire: Dark Prophecy. Collector's Edition

dreamland solitaire: dark prophecy is the 3rd entry in a series of typical fantasy-themed +1/-1 solitaire games, following the first game and dragon's fury. this time we're dealing with an evil witch and fog covering everything, various other people and places along the journey (the bossy desert folk were my favorite) and a fairy obsessed with decorating absolutely everything even though time is of the essence. by the end the others get infected too and can only discuss serious matters between decorating sessions.

280 levels unlocked one by one, divided into 7 locations, remove all the cards if you can. purple glow marks cards with mana, used for restoring destroyed buildings and removing the fog (only cosmetic), golden glow means extra cash for passive bonuses like more undos, wildcards, jokers and the like, and active ones like shuffle or a fireball to remove multiple cards. active powers are each charged by one of the suits after they're unlocked, wildcards and jokers can also be bought. there are the usual obstacles to deal with as well, planks, spiders, fire, fog and whatnot holding certain cards hostage.

3 difficulty levels: casual is normal, easy offers 2 decks and limited time is self-explanatory. it can be changed any time (I played on casual/normal) and the game says progress is saved separately. to me that means if I switch to easy after 10 levels I'll be on level 1 again because I haven't reached level 10 on that setting, but that doesn't make much sense.

great presentation, even better music, probably the best in the series. settings, also while playing, are separate volume sliders, windowed mode (smaller, non-resizable), tutorial and special cursor toggles, plus you can customize card backs, create different profiles for everybody playing the game and monitor achievement progress. and since it's the collector's edition, there's a soundtrack, some wallpapers and character info. not sure why the last one is behind an extra paywall and wallpapers are all unlocked, spoiling every location.

it's the same as the other games in the series or most other solitaires in general, enjoy one, enjoy them all. a loading screen after every ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ click is really annoying though.

As Solitaire games go, this one is top notch. There is only so much you can do with a card game where you need to acquire either a three or a five to remove a four, and this game does it: there is an intriguing story about a knight trying to reunite with his spurned love, the music pleasant and the visuals are first rate: ropes snap, planks get cut, flames get doused, ice is melted and swashes are buckled. There are 280 levels so you will definitely get your money's worth. Two thumbs up!

Solitaire players will already know all about Dreamland Solitaire: Dark Prophecy. Mostly. It's a well tread path, with a high/low play style, powers you can buy with gold, pixie dust, unicorn testicles, or whatever currency is popular in that particular game, as well as cards that need some special condition to remove, and that is what this game went all in on.

You have the ice card that has to be shattered, the fire card that needs a water card, fog card that requires a lantern card, boarded up cards that take multiple axe cards, locked cards that need key cards, shield cards that...

I think you get the idea. Not only are there many of these special types, they are used quite liberally. Some levels look like they were made by just tossing handfuls of these on a table and saying "Yeah, let's go with that." It actually works well though, as it feels like there is more depth to the game. Probably more than there really is, but it's still just solitaire, after all. Anything that makes it more interesting is always welcome. Well, within reason. I wouldn't care to be playing against a timer that slowly lowered me into a vat of boiling oil every time I lost. Why do they always say 'boiling oil' anyway? I'd hate to be lowered into any boiling liquid, honestly, even plain old inexpensive water.

So with a decent visual style, good variety of card types, an executable file size of 252 MB, Dreamland Solitaire is more than a dream, it's a video game that you can buy and play, if you're into that sort of thing.

As much as I'd like to recommend this game, I just can't do it. It starts out fine and good and then, it turns into sheer nightmare grinding. I understand solitaire is solitaire, but this takes it to an RNG extreme in order to win after x number of games. You will grind for money in order to buy overpriced wild cards to help you get through most of the levels. This is where the RNG takes over as skill no longer has any affect on the hands. I do see how the game 'cheats' throughout in order to keep the grind going. I can shuffle a card deck hundreds of times and never see the repetitiveness that this game demonstrates. I won't even go into all the little details of how this is done. Suffice to say that it is an extreme amount. Uninstall. Just no interest or fun anymore.

Cute simple solitaire game with a cute simple story. Easy mode is obviously easy and the achievements are unlocked as you play the game. I enjoyed myself trying to get every spot "three stars" Would recommend anyone to who wants a relaxed game that isn't too difficult.

? Gameplay
The land of dreams, a quiet place to relax and just relax. From one day to the next, this is no longer the case, as suddenly dark forces have appeared out of nowhere and are wreaking havoc. An evil witch named Jill wants to destroy the knight's realm and turn all its inhabitants into slaves and bring the country to ruin. Now you come into play and should prevent it. On your dangerous journey you will meet other characters known in the fairy tale world, such as a good fairy, a powerful magician or the noble knight, who will accompany you on your adventure. Together with them you will master many solitaire games on your way and overcome obstacles that you actually could not overcome on your own. In the solitaire games there are numerous powerups available to make this easier for you. Depending on the completion of each level, you will receive stars. It depends on how fast you were and how many points you collected how many there will be in the end. Only together can you prevent the dark prophecy from becoming a reality!
? Pro
+ Dark / Fantasy scenario
+ good mechanics in which the story is told and presented
+ Music to relax
+ addicting gameplay
+ 5 different places like in a fairy tale
+ Powerups are at your side during your adventure
+ Extras such as individual songs, wallpapers and character descriptions of the heroes
+ many setting options
+ Achievements
? Contra
- Level design seems monotonous at some point
- Characters could have used more charm
? Conclusion
Dreamland Solitaire: Dark Prophecy gives you a good mix of a fairytale story and addicting gameplay in the form of solitaire. Clear buy recommendation.

I suppose I can recommend Dark Prophecy, although Adept Studios GD absolutely subscribes to the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" philosophy of game development. Dark Prophecy seems to have both the same upgrades and abilities, and all of the same in-level obstacles as the previous game in the series, Dragon's Fury.

One thing that the Dreamland Solitaire series does very well is provide a satisfying audiovisual feel. Something is always burning, steaming, shattering, clicking, or cracking, and this makes the player feel that their actions are having more of an impact on the table of cards than in some other +1/-1 solitaire games, where you're just watching each card disappear as you click it.

However, there were certain things about the story this time around that struck me as more "phoned in." On many occasions, the fairy will want to hang around a location after the evil has been vanquished to "beautify" it, adding colorful adornments, etc. In addition, your heroes conquer the villain when the game is only 2/3 over! You spend the rest of the time pursuing tasks that feel much less urgent and exciting. Lastly, I have to say something about the level where the wizard constructs a palace for two ne'er-do-wells on a magic carpet. My wizard can summon an entire chateau out of thin air, but we're stuck in the desert until we can borrow a magic carpet? I dunno, maybe summon a hot-air balloon?

If you played Dreamland Solitaire: Dragon's Fury, then you certainly know what to expect here. Pick up Dark Prophecy if you're in the market for more levels and locations.