The Basics
I’m no stranger to this game, I’ve played it many hours on end and not been disappointed. Frustrated, perhaps, but never discouraged to the point of getting rid of it. My experience of golf is limited to putting a ball past a miniature windmill, so I was apprehensive at first when I decided to download the game. I found out quickly that it was simply a theme, and an approachable one that I could appreciate.
Fairway solitare has been around for more than 10 years, and it seems Big Fish Games saw enough potential in it to keep it going with multiple platforms, many design and feature changes. They seem to be doing well, and I genuinely hope so, because I believe we need to keep quality mobile games alive.
The game isn’t ground-breaking in its version of solitaire, and it’s very common in the app stores, so what makes this game stand out? Let’s break it down and see.
Mechanics
The game introduces any new player to the basics: they must clear the board of as many cards as they can by tapping on a higher or lower card than the card in their stock pile. For example, if the card is a 9, the player can tap an 8 or 10, and continue adding as many cards in sequence until they run out of options. Once they have run out of options, they can flip over a new card from their limited stock pile.
There’s little physical skill requirements, simply strategic challenges in this game, so it’s approachable to all players to learn and grow.
Challenges
The most basic challenge of the game is that the stock pile is limited, and following golf scoring, the player will get negative points if they fail to clear cards. As the game goes along, the courses vary in amount of boards they must clear and points required to either pass or gain trophies. As long as a player passes the basic points needed, they can move on and improve their score later. This is a frustration reliever, and greatly lowers the chance of feeling stuck to the point of giving up entirely.
In addition to the basic challenges, there are additional obstacles and powerups that give variation and more choices for strategic playing to the gamer. There are cards that lock and block cards from being played, as well as golf clubs to change the current stock card number. Players can choose to use a “mulligan” to undo their last move, shuffle all the cards on the board, or peek at the next 5 cards in their deck. None of these are necessary, but they’re helpful. There’s no lack of options for players, making gameplay fresh and challenging with each course played.
UX/UI
Fairway Solitaire hasn’t always had the perfect UX, but it’s not to the point of impossible use. The main issue has usually been a feeling of clutter in the menu UI. I’ve never had an issue with anything not working as I assumed it would, or selecting the wrong button. Thankfully, the game itself is laid out well to give the player space to appreciate the beautiful artwork in the background.
Design
This game has creativity in spades. While the main game does have more realistic basic backgrounds, the bonus and daily courses can switch into a more cartoony style at times, featuring the game gopher mascot (or villain, depending on how you see him). It’s not jarring, and stays relatively consistent with the overall style. In fact, it’s refreshing to see the amount of variation of game backgrounds. There are easter eggs and themes for players to enjoy. Over three courses, a newspaper article may be revealed under a bagel as it is slowly eaten. These little curiousities do no go unnoticed.
Audio
Following with the sophisticated golf theme, the menu pages and courses are introduced to the player with an orchestral jingle. However, for the rest of the gameplay, the audio is simple environment sounds of that particular course, ie: deer scare in a Japanese garden, seagulls by the ocean, or birds chirping in a forest. For the humorous side, commentators can be heard making talking about the player’s performance, or gabbing about their lives. A crowd can be heard cheering or “aww”ing depending on whether the player is on a winning streak or made a mistake. All of these are completely customizable in volume, giving players the option to turn any down or off. The care that went into the audio is evident, and I’ve used it as a shining example when designing games with teams.
Monetization
You can’t have a free mobile app without some form of monetization, and I didn’t expect Fairway Solitaire to be an exception. The question is whether it’s done well, and indeed it is. Google play says the in-app products range from $1.29-$134.99. However, for the average joe who doesn’t want to pay real money, there’s no punishment. Players are never forced to watch ads, only given the option if they want to replay a course or get some in-game bonuses. This circumvents any situation of players feeling used or interrupting gameplay for the sake of an ad. I’ve watched several ads while playing the game, but all by choice, giving this game a sparkling reputation in monetization done right.
Bonus Round
All in all, I would reccommend this game to anyone who wants a relaxing solitaire experience. It’s got something for everyone, including collectables, daily challenges, free rewards, a huge catalogue of unlockable courses, clubs for socialites and achievers alike, and bonus in-course challenges to spice up gameplay. Fairway Solitaire also treats its fans with respect by giving them chances to vote on special themes. This is one game that players will enjoy time and again, for years to come.
App Nomad 