Sage Solitaire Sails Smoothly Onto iOS

Fans of Ridiculous Fishing and SpellTower may be interested to hear that Zach Gage is releasing another game for mobile: Sage Solitaire.

Mr. Gage explains his new game by detailing the history of Solitaire: “ Microsoft is reportedto have included solitaire in Windows to socialize the new mouse-style input required to operate a graphical user interface.”

The problem, he says, is that since its inclusion with Windows, digital Solitaire hasn’t changed much. When it was ported to mobile devices, it seemed as though not much effort had gone into actually adapting the game for mobile devices and their constraints — smaller screens, a touch interface, and the frequent necessity for games to be fast and lightweight, since many people play during a commute or just during a few minutes of downtime.

Sage Solitaire aims to bring Solitaire properly to mobile devices, with large, easy to read cards, and with a variant of the game built just for mobile. The game plays off of what many people would recognize as Solitaire or Patience, and which is more technically known as Klondike. Players need to clear cards from stacks, just as they would in Solitaire, but instead of building down from the deck, all the cards they’ll play with are on the stacks. Players will have to craft Poker hands from the face-up cards, and try their best not to leave any cards on the table.

The game released on Thursday, August 27 for iOS only(the version currently on Android is a clone, not a release from the developer), though based on Gage’s other projects, it’s possible that Sage Solitaire may come to other platforms as well. The game is free, with an optional in-app purchase to get rid of ads and unlock a little bit of extra content for $2.99 USD. Those interested can check out Zach Gage’s website, which lists other projects he has worked on.