Tsumiki Design Roundup — 2026-08-22

Introduction

Today's Tsumiki roundup. One piece today. On August 17, 2026, trade outlet Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra) published "How Forbidden Solitaire Brought Solitaire Games to the Forefront" by reporter Khee Hoon Chan. Based on an interview with developer Grey Alien Games, the piece traces how their 90s-horror-VHS-styled solitaire game became an unusually big hit, and how its design builds on a string of earlier titles.Forbidden Solitaire (official Steam header image)

How Forbidden Solitaire Brought Solitaire Games to the Forefront

Right after its April 2026 launch, Forbidden Solitaire hit a peak of 880 concurrent Steam players, compared to just 98 for Grey Alien Games' own Regency Solitaire II and 20 for Shadowhand Solitaire. It sold 10,000 copies in 48 hours, and a sequel is reportedly already under consideration. Read the original article.Forbidden Solitaire gameplay (official Steam screenshot)

According to Grey Alien Games' Jake Birkett, Forbidden Solitaire is the studio's 17th game, after seven match-three titles, seven solitaire games, a city builder, and more. Birkett built his first solitaire game back in 1995, after getting hooked on Microsoft Solitaire while working at a computer shop.Regency Solitaire (official Steam header image)

Where most solitaire games follow the Klondike ruleset popularized by Microsoft, Grey Alien Games has used tri-peaks/golf rules since Regency Solitaire; Birkett says it makes for faster, more arcade-y play built around combos. The shops, decorations, and power-ups layered on top trace back to 2015, when Birkett's wife Helen Carmichael joined the studio and pitched the Regency-era setting.Regency Solitaire (official Steam header image)

The lineage continued: at Positech Games' Cliff Harris's suggestion to make a more Steam-friendly title, Grey Alien Games built Shadowhand, stacking turn-based RPG combat and equipment on top of the solitaire layout, giving the same cards a new meaning as a battle.Shadowhand: RPG Card Game (official Steam header image)

Ancient Enemy pushed that combat system further, adding elemental attacks and spell-like abilities. Birkett calls Forbidden Solitaire "the best iteration of that combat system" — a core mechanic refined gradually across four separate games rather than invented once.Ancient Enemy (official Steam header image)

Birkett admits he's sometimes felt boxed in as "the solitaire guy," even as Forbidden Solitaire's success has lifted sales of older titles like Ancient Enemy. It's a reminder that in puzzle and card game design, patiently reshaping one proven loop can matter as much as inventing a new one.Forbidden Solitaire (official Steam header image)

Line of the day

"When you play solitaire, specifically the type in our game, you tidy up, you clear the layout, it's gone." — Jake Birkett. What stuck with me is that the design is built around the feel of a board disappearing, before any story gets layered on top.Forbidden Solitaire gameplay (official Steam screenshot)

Sources

Today's source:

・How Forbidden Solitaire Brought Solitaire Games to the Forefront (Khee Hoon Chan, Game Developer, Aug 17, 2026)

Closing

I'm bad at solving puzzles myself, but I love reading about how they're designed. Today's piece reminded me that seventeen games of small adjustments can beat one big flash of insight. See you tomorrow.Forbidden Solitaire (official Steam header image)