An exceptionally charming solitaire/rpg hybrid complete with dress-up! The first few rounds of Shadowhand make you think you're playing Regency Solitaire again - it's classic up/down solitaire where your goal is to clear the board and collect gold, with all the twists that come along with the genre - locked off stacks of cards, powers that let you shuffle the board, etc. Then you hit your first duel, and the game dials the difficulty right up.

Let me take a step back before I describe duels, however. The structure of this game involves twenty or so chapters, each one containing at least five different matches - a mix of solitaire hands and these duels. Loot and powers are persistent through the rounds, adding an element of strategy as you consider using a special power to completely clear the board in a match, but...what if that power could win you the duel later on? Those powers do recharge, but not that quickly. Every chapter ends in a climactic duel with an enemy - a pirate, a robber, worse.

So, duels! The highlight of this game, and the reason I threw down my money instead of waiting for a steeper sale or a bundle. Duels are essentially co-op solitaire - you and the AI take turns clearing the board and chaining combos. The duel aspect comes in how every card cleared from the board charges up your weapons, making the co-op tense as you try not to leave the board ripe for a combo on the AI's turn - because oh, they will seize any opportunity to take a ten card combo and destroy you.

Details: instead of the duel ending when the board is cleared, a new board is provided. What determines the winner of a duel is (usually) who's alive at the end. Your weapons do set damage, theirs do set damage, and while it initially seems straightforward, there's a huge variety of twists to this basic premise: different enemise have different clothes which give them armor values, which means your five damage sword may do only three damage. The damage race between the two of you depends on how well you can play, what weapons you brought - some can pierce armor or add status effects like bleeding - and the RNG.

Mark my words, the RNG is going to get you in this game. Like all solitaire games, sometimes you just get a lousy board, and keep drawing the wrong cards. It's just part and parcel of the game, so go in expecting to retry rounds or duels when the RNG decides you have to lose. But! As you proceed in the game, you unlock more and more ways to tilt the RNG in your favor - those aforementioned special powers, you'll find wildcards, etc. You even have stats to level up so good things happen to you more often.

Another piece to mention, because oh my goodness there's a lot in this game. Items! Consumables also join the mix, because what's a duel without throwing diseased rats at each other? There are the standard healing items and recovery from status effects, along with the ones that give status effects, or buff you for your next attacks. Good stuff!

The main gameplay loop are those rounds, prepping for the duels, and enjoying the charming story. It's similar to Regency Solitaire - nothing to write home about, alas, but it's charming. You're a noble lady who gets thrust into becoming an outlaw, murdering thugs and trying to find out what some scheming nobles are up to. You'll get thrown into prison, rob nobles yourself, and so on - exciting fluff that lends fun themes to the gameplay as you proceed through the chapters.

Final bits and bobs: gosh, the artwork is good. Gosh, the sound design is good. The polish on this title is ridiculous, complete with your lady getting brand new art whenever you swap her costume around. ... Oops, forgot equipment! You find equipment as you go along, new weapons, new masks - they all influence gameplay by giving you armor or resistances or other fun effects, and best of all they all have art! I spent a chapter in an appalling combination of yellow scarf with purple domino, but the stat boosts were crucial... Fortunately I was soon given a faux-beard and a better looking domino, as well as other accessories.

In conclusion, this game is a feast. It's casual enough that I can chill and play cards, but has enough complexity that I have to form strategies for certain duels, and it's just plain fun. You already know if you're in or not, but if my opinion counts for anything - check it out!

An exceptionally charming solitaire/rpg hybrid complete with dress-up! The first few rounds of Shadowhand make you think you're playing Regency Solitaire again - it's classic up/down solitaire where your goal is to clear the board and collect gold, with all the twists that come along with the genre - locked off stacks of cards, powers that let you shuffle the board, etc. Then you hit your first duel, and the game dials the difficulty right up. Let me take a step back before I describe duels, however. The structure of this game involves twenty or so chapters, each one containing at least five different matches - a mix of solitaire hands and these duels. Loot and powers are persistent through the rounds, adding an element of strategy as you consider using a special power to completely clear the board in a match, but...what if that power could win you the duel later on? Those powers do recharge, but not that quickly. Every chapter ends in a climactic duel with an enemy - a pirate, a robber, worse. So, duels! The highlight of this game, and the reason I threw down my money instead of waiting for a steeper sale or a bundle. Duels are essentially co-op solitaire - you and the AI take turns clearing the board and chaining combos. The duel aspect comes in how every card cleared from the board charges up your weapons, making the co-op tense as you try not to leave the board ripe for a combo on the AI's turn - because oh, they will seize any opportunity to take a ten card combo and destroy you. Details: instead of the duel ending when the board is cleared, a new board is provided. What determines the winner of a duel is (usually) who's alive at the end. Your weapons do set damage, theirs do set damage, and while it initially seems straightforward, there's a huge variety of twists to this basic premise: different enemise have different clothes which give them armor values, which means your five damage sword may do only three damage. The damage race between the two of you depends on how well you can play, what weapons you brought - some can pierce armor or add status effects like bleeding - and the RNG. Mark my words, the RNG is going to get you in this game. Like all solitaire games, sometimes you just get a lousy board, and keep drawing the wrong cards. It's just part and parcel of the game, so go in expecting to retry rounds or duels when the RNG decides you have to lose. But! As you proceed in the game, you unlock more and more ways to tilt the RNG in your favor - those aforementioned special powers, you'll find wildcards, etc. You even have stats to level up so good things happen to you more often. Another piece to mention, because oh my goodness there's a lot in this game. Items! Consumables also join the mix, because what's a duel without throwing diseased rats at each other? There are the standard healing items and recovery from status effects, along with the ones that give status effects, or buff you for your next attacks. Good stuff! The main gameplay loop are those rounds, prepping for the duels, and enjoying the charming story. It's similar to Regency Solitaire - nothing to write home about, alas, but it's charming. You're a noble lady who gets thrust into becoming an outlaw, murdering thugs and trying to find out what some scheming nobles are up to. You'll get thrown into prison, rob nobles yourself, and so on - exciting fluff that lends fun themes to the gameplay as you proceed through the chapters. Final bits and bobs: gosh, the artwork is good. Gosh, the sound design is good. The polish on this title is ridiculous, complete with your lady getting brand new art whenever you swap her costume around. ... Oops, forgot equipment! You find equipment as you go along, new weapons, new masks - they all influence gameplay by giving you armor or resistances or other fun effects, and best of all they all have art! I spent a chapter in an appalling combination of yellow scarf with purple domino, but the stat boosts were crucial... Fortunately I was soon given a faux-beard and a better looking domino, as well as other accessories. In conclusion, this game is a feast. It's casual enough that I can chill and play cards, but has enough complexity that I have to form strategies for certain duels, and it's just plain fun. You already know if you're in or not, but if my opinion counts for anything - check it out!