5/10
Double Clue: Solitaire Stories is sort of a mixed bag. I thought the murder/mystery angle was well done, for the most part. The case is compelling, but I also felt that there was a bit too much time between each clue reveal. By the time I got to the next clue, I'd usually lost the plot thread. In retrospect, I feel that perhaps I should've re-read every clue before revealing the next. There are 24-25 different clues overall though, so this could've been time consuming.
The abilities that you are given are solid: the ability to remove a face-up card, a face-down card, and a target card. Your last ability adds two random "spare" cards to your stock. This is, by far, the easiest solitaire game I've ever played on Steam. By the end, I'd accumulated between 20-30 spares of each card, and I could probably clear multiple levels without even using the deck. Periodically, you'll click on a card that says "Try Your Luck." Either you'll get an "informant" that adds currency to your stash, or you'll have a car crash that will disable one of your abilities. The only use I found for this currency was buying a second undo (in the vast majority of levels, I didn't even use one). This currency just kept ticking upwards, and by the end of the game I had around 100,000 of whatever it was. The car crash/ability disables were a mild nuisance, but never made the difference in level completion. I don't think I failed a single level in my time with the game.
The strangest thing about this game is actually the tactile feel. Everything seems to take a bit too long, and the program seems a bit "fragile," for lack of a better word. I've never played anything else by developer Playtinum. The menu at the main screen takes a bit too long to appear, and cards take a bit too long after they're clicked to disappear from the board. I attempted to move too quickly at one point and the game froze. Playing it reminded me of how gingerly you have you to navigate an old computer that you know is on its last legs, trying to spare its poor processor.
I wish I could recommend Double Clue: Solitaire Stories. At least it tries to tell an interesting mystery. However, the sluggish feel of the game, the stock-standard powers, and the extreme ease of the game just didn't make it very engaging.
