A simply fun game, exactly two hours of game play from start to finish for me, short, but enjoyable.
Apparently it is part of a longer story, but this installment is relatively self contained, once you get past the intro. Not knowing the main story certainly had no impact on the game play.
If I were to use one word for this game, it would be relaxed. There is never anything at stake (despite the often very dramatic music) everything simply flows along, no matter how well or poorly you do.
Game play is the fairly basic one-higher-one-lower card play. The game uses a full deck, ace thru king (wrapping around) with suits, however suits mean nothing, it is all about the value.
You get a few power-ups, but as there isn't even a way to go back and replay a less than perfect round (aside from replay) their use is very optional.
There is a simple story, you build a town (no choices though, everything in a pre-determined order) and not all of them even do anything, so some do. Monsters come along from time to time, and you charge up your macguffin by playing the game some more.
There are also relics you collect, which are pretty, but do nothing.
In fact, if I were to offer up one real weakness here, it would be the fluff. The art is wonderful, often evocative (though blurry on my screen for some reason. This doesn't seem to be the case with everyone though.) but there is a sense of disappointment in the fact that none of it has a story or a meaning. I find this particularly true in the relics, and in the face-cards, the characters seem delightful, I would read a book about them, no question, but they are nothing more than interesting pictures.
I find the lack of fluff odd, because it is one aspect of the game that doesn't require programming skills, or even artistic skills, but they can add so much to the game.
That said, the game delivered what I expected, though I would have liked it to have been longer. As old as it is, nothing is going to change, but I think I paid a buck for it? And I got my moneys worth.
