Sparrow Solitaire
Sparrow Solitaire takes the classic tile-matching puzzle game mahjong solitaire, and reimagines it from the ground-up for Playdate. With simple rules and plenty of customizable options, the game is accessible to both new players and veterans of the genre. Choose from hundreds of layouts, including classics from the original Shanghai to designs referencing other Playdate games. Can’t decide? Play the Daily Layout and share your scores via QR code! Customize almost every aspect of your experience: tile designs, backgrounds, music, and controls. Or create new layouts with a built-in editor. We also include several helpful options, such as a 2x zoom. Play against a friend in the 2P challenge mode, or try the alternative matching rules in the Shisen-sho variant. With some of the most robust stat tracking found on Playdate, you can track your scores, wins, times, and more for each layout.
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10/10, no notes.
In Sparrow Solitaire, I believe we've created a definitive version of the mahjong solitaire tile-matching genre. The game has hundreds of layouts, 16 beautiful tileset designs, multiple play variants, a two player mode, and my favorite feature: in-depth stat tracking including line and pie graphs! Just a few of these things would have been a good stopping point, but against our better judgement we kept polishing and polishing until we included every idea on our list and then some.
If you have never played mahjong solitaire or bounced off it before, this is a great starting point. I was a complete novice when beginning the project, so we really tried to make it as accessible as possible. It includes detailed in-game manual with examples, a small tutorial, and plenty of accessibility options like a screen zoom and blocked tile shading.
Although we did a lot to complement the Playdate's feature set, perhaps the biggest issue with the game is that it's not also on PC. The tiles are kind of small on device, and although a 2x zoom exists, I don't believe it's the optimal way to play (you really need to be able to see the whole layout at once). I've grown used to the tile size, and like many Playdate games, it shines best in bright lighting. But it could be a deal breaker for some. And although we have a high-tech cursor navigation system especially among other console solitaire games, it's still never going to be as fast as clicking with a mouse. There are a couple other missing features due to processing constraints, such as not ensuring solvable deals for shisen-sho layouts.
If you might be interested in a relaxing tile matching experience and can live with the limitations of the Playdate, I encourage you to check this game out.