[b]soccer cup solitaire[/b] is sport-themed, something I generally avoid, but I'll play a solitaire with any coat of paint. and this isn't a simple reskin either, as it [b]works like a football/soccer tournament[/b]. I assume, with zero knowledge in the subject, plus the game is from 2010, so things might've changed since.
after choosing a country (or letting the game pick one at random), you start in one of the 8 groups and have to play against 3 other teams, while they also play against each other. each match consists of 6 levels, the 16 winning teams get into the elimination stage, the 8 winners then proceed to the quarter-finals, 4 to the semi-finals, and 2 play for the cup. these rounds consist of 9 levels each, so [b]in a playthrough you'll play 54 levels[/b], but there's [b]more replayability potential here[/b].
there's a deck to flip through, but [b]actual gameplay isn't typical match-2 solitiare[/b] (rules are explained in the help section while playing a level and during the first level). ideally, you'll keep matching the same values (even better, same value and suit) or one higher or lower (2-2, 3-3, 2-2, ace-ace, king-king, etc.) to keep 'passing the ball' and get a multiplier going. [b]goals happen after every 4500 points[/b] and the opponent will also do its best, so there's the occasional [b]goalkeeper mini-game[/b]. the timer in the corner is not an actual timer, only shows progress through the current match.
and the best feature: [b]constant voiced commentary[/b], something I haven't seen since my absolute favorite solitaire, [b]fairway[/b] (not the current 'free' version). [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/725170]home run solitaire[/url] and [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/919320]touchdown solitaire[/url] only feature commentators in the cutscenes, so they don't count.
[b]wildcards[/b] can be collected while playing and marked ones reward [b]undo, shuffle, retry or restore (another run through the deck)[/b]. substitution cards can replace another card in play (sub card goes away, other card moves to its place) and random [b]special event cards[/b] lead to more mini-games like flipping cards over to find matches, or just something good or bad happening (extra goal, multiplier going down, etc.).
while it sounds harsh to limit retries, [b]there are actual stakes here, not just some dragon or wizard potentially destroying the entire world[/b], so it's understandable that you can't replay the same level (i.e. a section of a football match) over and over. no need to perfect every layout either, as long as you win the match overall, it's fine, so I never used retries or shuffles. locks and keys feel a lot more out of place, but they're very rare.
as an older title, it understandably runs in a lower resolution (1024x768), stretched to widescreen if played in full screen. [b]there are actual songs with lyrics[/b], which is always a pleasant surprise. if you like rock music, you're likely enjoy the soundtrack. separate volume settings for sound, music and commentary, windowed mode toggle with a non-resizable window and a 'mute music on levels' toggle make up the settings.
[b]it's excellent stuff and a much-needed deviation from the flood of lazy reskins.[/b] the fact that there hasn't been any follow-ups or similar attempts by other developers is pretty sad though. and thanks to the great audio, it's the first solitaire in forever where I didn't want to listen to my own music.
