Forbidden Solitaire DLC 'The Discarded' Adds 30 Levels and a 1995 CD-ROM Mystery

The facts

What Is The Discarded DLC?

Forbidden Solitaire has a new piece of add-on content, the DLC The Discarded. DLC is content added to a base game after launch, and this one bundles a new story and new stages together.

To play The Discarded, you must own the base game Forbidden Solitaire on Steam. The DLC cannot be played on its own.

Sources: pcgamer.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com

A 2020 Story About Investigating a 1995 Game

The Discarded is set in 2020, and players control Robyn Cierra.

The thing being investigated in the DLC is a 1995 CD-ROM game, so the story is built around chasing down the secrets hidden in an old game.

The DLC also has you exploring a museum in another world, suggesting the setting differs from the base game as well.

Sources: pcgamer.com, store.steampowered.com

New Levels and New Twists

The Discarded adds 30 new levels, a separate batch of stages from those in the base game.

New puzzles and new bosses also appear, so there is more to do than solve cards: you also face enemies and obstacles.

There is more on the card-game side too, with new upgrade elements that grant additional abilities. New Jokers are also said to be included.

Sources: store.steampowered.com

Analysis

A Base Game Billed as 'the Next Inscryption'

Overseas headlines have introduced Forbidden Solitaire as a horror card game in the vein of Inscryption. Inscryption is known for combining horror presentation with card play, and this game is drawing attention as part of that lineage.

What sets this game apart is that it is not just about winning with cards: you also enjoy the puzzle-solving and the eerie story. This DLC pushes that direction further with a nested story about investigating an old game.

Horror plus card games may look like a niche combination, but the story gives players a reason to keep going. Turning over a card itself leads to unsettling events, creating tension that a plain competitive card game does not have. How this DLC refreshes that tension is the thing to watch.

Sources: pcgamer.com, store.steampowered.com

Why It Is a Puzzle for Solitaire Fans

One headline describes it as a puzzle only solitaire lovers can solve. That reads as meaning the key to the puzzles is noticing details in how the cards are laid out and in the rules.

Solitaire is a solo game of laying out cards and moving them according to rules. The more experience you have with it, the more sensitive you become to oddities in card placement and to behavior that breaks the norm. If the DLC builds its puzzles on that kind of observation, it is designed to reward card-game veterans.

On the other hand, those puzzles may look daunting to newcomers. The 30 new levels and upgrade elements should serve as an entry point for them. Whether players can learn to read the cards little by little while following the story will shape how the DLC is received.

Sources: pcgamer.com, store.steampowered.com

Where the Series Goes From Here

With a DLC added to the base game, the world no longer stays inside one game: it expands into investigating other eras and other games. The setup of a 2020 character looking into a 1995 CD-ROM game brings an eye for old media into the story.

Horror card games require you to learn the card rules while also savoring the eerie story. If the DLC adds new bosses and puzzles, the design question is how well it balances understanding the rules with advancing the story.

The open questions are how far the DLC's story stands on its own, whether it is an easy entry point for people who have not played the base game, and how hard the solitaire-fan puzzles actually are. Further news and player reactions will be worth watching.

Sources: pcgamer.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com

Why Investigate an Old Game Now?

In this DLC's story, a character in 2020 investigates a 1995 CD-ROM game, meaning a present-day character traces the contents of a game from an earlier era.

Layering that investigate-an-old-game setup onto a card game means players do not just turn over cards; they also get the feeling of poring through old records. The setting of a museum in another world reinforces that atmosphere.

As content added after the base game, it doubles the timeline: the story's time and the player's time. How the old game connects to the present story is the motivation to keep playing the DLC.

What It Means to Layer a Story on a Card Game

A card game is about choosing from your hand within fixed rules. When an eerie story is layered on top, the act of choosing a single card becomes part of the story. That is why this game gets called the next Inscryption.

This DLC adds 30 new levels, puzzles, bosses and Jokers. The more rule elements there are, the more players think about what the cards mean as they go. When story and rules mesh, you get fun that is not just about playing the strongest card.

For readers, the point is that horror card games are expanding from games of competition into games of story experience. Even people who are not used to card games can find a way in by following the story.

How It Reaches People Who Own the Base Game

This DLC is playable only by people who own the base game, so it is aimed at those who have already played Forbidden Solitaire and want more. Newcomers are pointed toward starting with the base game.

For base-game players, the new levels and bosses are a chance to use the rules they have learned in different situations. At the same time, a story about investigating an old game may only fully land if you know what happened in the base game.

The question going forward is how much the DLC assumes knowledge of the base game. Whether someone who has not played it can understand where the story fits, just from reading about it, will also affect how far the series can reach.

Questions

Can I play The Discarded on its own?

No. You need to own the base game Forbidden Solitaire on Steam.

What is the story about?

It is set in 2020 and follows Robyn Cierra as she investigates a 1995 CD-ROM game. You also explore a museum in another world.

What does the DLC add?

It adds 30 new levels, new puzzles, new bosses, new upgrade elements and new Jokers.

Sources

• The best haunted card game since Inscryption is back with a new mystery only solitaire freaks can solve (store.steampowered.com)
• The best haunted card game since Inscryption is back with a new mystery only solitaire freaks can solve (pcgamer.com)
• Steamで28% OFF：Forbidden Solitaire (store.steampowered.com)
• Steam：Forbidden Solitaire: The Discarded (store.steampowered.com)