Solitomb
You are an adventurer who entered into a pact with a demon. That comes with wealth, power and other usual perks, but the contract does stipulate a teeny, tiny favor: could you maybe clear this slightly monster-infested dungeon first? The demon is kind of sealed inside and it would really appreciate you punching a hole in its supposedly-eternal jail. That's definitely a safe thing to do with no far-reaching consequences whatsoever.
Use your solitaire skills to assemble powerful combos and defeat the dungeon's monsters. Grab treasure and spend it to build a set of powerful, synergistic abilities to help you. Manage both your own resources and the demon's patience to hopefully survive the ordeal.
Solitomb is an awesome little game already, but a bigger version is in the works! Click the Steam button to learn more about the plans. You're welcome to play this version for free, but it is also pay-what-you-want - all money earned goes towards making the expanded edition possible.
Instructions
Click the "how to play" button in-game or this link for a quick step-by-step guide. Or dive in, rely on the ingame tooltips and check the guide later.
Credits
Game: Jakub Wasilewski
Music: Chris Donnelly
Page background from @intricateexplorer on Unsplash.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Solitomb - 1.1.1 patch34 days ago
- Solitomb - 1.1 update and future plans36 days ago
- Solitomb - 1.01 patch57 days ago
- Solitomb is out!59 days ago
Comments
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Solitussin'
i died 😞 (irl)
the pico 8 is not something many have heard of
those who have
elevate it to an art form
this is cool and i like it but im bad at it
I'm really enjoying this game! Accessibility feedback: the font (while fitting) is very hard to read. I am dyslexic and it took me an embarrassingly long time to decipher the word "abandon." I've noticed games are starting to include a "simple font" setting, which I find incredibly helpful. Hoping something like that will be added to this game!
For the upcoming PC version, sure - we can add an accessibility font choice if necessary. Though I'm sure the default font will be quite a bit more readable than here.
For the PICO-8 version (this version), it's unfortunately hard to do anything about it - PICO-8 has a tiny resolution, making anything font related a hard proposition (the default font is 3x5 pixels).
this is amazing and inspiring!
That is a remarkable blend of strategy and card play.
Achieving my first win on the second run was immensely satisfying, though the burrower elite provided a formidable challenge!
The game's mechanics are intuitive yet deep, and the art style is captivating. I appreciate the attention to detail, especially the ability to pet the demon was such a delightful touch!
I'll wishlist the upcoming Steam version and look forward to future updates. Keep up the fantastic work!
it would mess with some systems, but i'd love to able to move cards around while the "trick" is processing
What a good idea! A very entertaining game. I spent the whole time humming the music, and I really like the particles and fx
very good game
Amazing game! Got my first win on the second run.
Also, f that burrower elite.
It doesn't let you do straights it's gay
Fantastic game, well done! After losing enough runs to beat it twice, I wishlisted the upcoming steam version.
A pico-8 card game in this economy!! Aside from the joke this is a really cool idea and plays really well
I’m a big fan of solo card games, and I love seeing some of the potential inspirations, mainly Scoundrel and Bogey.
Genius, sleek design, instantly got my gears spinning. Aside from the abilities not being noticeable until I didn’t know how to not-die… I loved it. I said out loud “Damn, this is even better than a demo, a free itch version. I’m so buying this.”
Then the name seemed a bit familiar. Of course it’s the mind behind Slipways, a total gem of a game.
You’re an artisan. I wish you similar or better luck with Solitomb. I’m buying.
I second that "I'm buying"
You can pet the demon 10/10 Game
What a good experience, congrats! I didn't understand in the beginning, but a couple of movements I get how it works
i enjoyed this a lot!! suuuper fun once you get the hang of it. i love the music too, the way it builds as you progress the level. totally didnt realize i can flip the face down cards with a click until a minute ago lol
Really fun and amazing game, just as visual feedback you should find another way to mark usable items, at first i thought they was just passive things, i didnt noticed they are draggable objects, or maybe making an introductory game, where player should use all that mechanics, but also maybe an outline to mark a draggable item would be good.
Again, really good work <3
I like the concept, and the artwork is very appealing! Good job! :D
i love it, looking forward for more new unique enemies
very good
I just spent like 8 hours playing this game today omfg. So addicting. I NEED THE FULL GAME ASAP
easily, its make me feel like i like card games, real easily(how can u do this ?)!
what is the goal? I got to the end of the first floor and it was just monsters - how do you win? I just attacked them and died
You get extra sword/shield points when you make poker hands. Hover over the + in the bottom left to see the reward values. I'd say, an easy early strat is to just aim for full house (a pair + 3 of a kind) and you'll never lose on lower difficulty.
Immediately addictive in a great way! I'm really enjoying it, good idea to add classes and a random pool of upgrades to choose from, keeping it fresh and fun and exciting.
I’m too dumb to play this game lol. It’s very cool, though!
i don't have this kind of intelligence and i'm not very good but i still managed to get to 3rd floor on first try and a win on second try! (on the forgiving difficulty level) Don't be afraid to try again if you had fun, it's totally doable even for us dumbasses ^^
It’s Baltro-like, but instead of just playing Poker hands, you’re also making Solitaire columns first. I think it’s starting to click for me
Great idea! Really challenging and fun. Helping right now with some bucks and wishlisting the Steam version. Well done!
Very fun and very difficult. I found myself struggling even on the lowest difficulty, and I’m unsure whether luck or skill is the determining factor, but either way, this is definitely worth playing. Good art direction as well!
Can't get the potion to work! Maybe I'm not understanding - do I use it on a monster in a stack?
You're not alone! Does anyone know how to "destroy the potion??"
Responded above.
If this about ginseng brew/poison brew/mana brew abilities - you drag these onto a potion card. The card will be destroyed, and you get the ability.
The idea is that the card turns into a new kind of potion.
(if it's about something else, please clarify so we can help)
Ah, ok! I didn't realize it needed to be used on a potion card, I was trying to save myself with one undead card left and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work. Thanks!
Hello, discord link is invalid. How can I contact you?
Interesting lil game! I couldn't quite figure out how to play though, because the link on the store page doesn't seem to be working, and I could click the how to play sections in the game either. Would love to give it a proper go again later!
Sorry for that - the link in the description should now be fixed.
The in-game button in the main menu is working for me - what happens when you click it?
Ty for updating the link! For some reason nothing happens when I try to click the button in the main menu. I am running it through the itch.io launcher, just to mention that as well.
Hi, me again. I've been playing a for a while more, and I think I have an idea that might help those who think they don't have enough cards to finish the game. If there was a "thermometer" on the side that signifies the attack points to enemy points ratio, it could give players a sense of how well they're doing before they get to the end of the deck. You'd have to play around with it to see what feels right. I guess it might need to be adjusted by difficulty as well, since at that level attack cards don't mean all that much.
Just an idea, best of luck!
Really cool game, good depth there too. Getting from beating the first level to the end is really challenging, even on the lower difficulties!
Really enjoying this and looking forward to the full version.
I seem to be running into a bug with the wisp elite -- even though there's no wisp in this hand, the full house is being zeroed out because it contains a pair? Or is that 4 maybe a wisp and it takes effect if they're visible anywhere? Seems OP if so.
For most elites, their abilities work whenever they're face up - being part of the hand is not required. If there are additional conditions, the description will list them.
I'll see if I can make this more clear ingame for the update - I understand it's a nasty surprise if you don't expect it to work this way.
OK, thanks. Yeah, I guess bloatworms and such operate from the tableau -- I just assumed it was more like the demon's ability that triggers when played. Now I know!
Damn this is actually a game where I have to think before I press cards, anyway the game looks really nice maybe I ll try to beat it someday
PEASANT: Malnourished and Poor.
HELL YES.
VICTORY
After many attempts.... and maybe just a touch of save scumming...
Nightmare peasant victory.
God damn that was hard.
"Indifference" carried me to victory (Very good vs dreadknights. Very good with "Control undead", very good at forming "straight flushes").
The combos needed to weave through this cardmaze were delightful.
Thank you thank you thank you.
God DAMN that was difficult.
Final battle involved defeating Two 6s and a 5 using a single sellsword and a 2 of blades.
Exited the game with Zero health and zero mana remaining.
Congrats! Maybe it's time to show off with a video?
I hear from many people in the community that they'd appreciate an example of advanced play to see what's possible :)
Hmmmm... thank you for the invite, but not really the video posting type. Don't have the account for it, or the recording equipment.
Still, will maybe give the discord server a look, see what's the vibe in there.
This is SO cool. Really excited to play the longer version.
Theres not enough attack cards, especially for how many enemies there are, even with upgrades. Please let there be more?
I'm thinking about adding a lower difficulty level in the next update, where the pressure on attack will be a bit less (we'll see if I can fit it in).
In the meantime, it always helps to look for other sources of attack - especially focusing on getting stronger card combos can give you a lot of attack (and defense).
Oh okay, not sure i understand but I'll try.
Looking at what games youve made I see that youve made a lot of games I like, thanks!
this game vs. my schoolwork
Really liking this! Very reminiscent of Slice and Dice.
2 requests to consider for an eventual larger game:
Following you on Mastodon and looking forward to new development!
Yeah, both things are on the list for the bigger one, just weren't practical for the PICO-8 version. Slipways (my previous game) has infinite undo unless new information was revealed, and I'll probably lean towards doing it that way again for Solitomb.
Awesome! I was just getting started on Slipways after seeing this. Best of luck deving the bigger one.