I've Been Playing Two Card-Themed Games a Good Deal

Card Games, but Virtual

I don't have a ton of time for video-games, but I do try to sample them when the chance arises via renting/Gamepass/buying cheap ones if they get lots of good reviews. Hence, it is funny that as someone who doesn't play a ton of card games I have found two themed for cards which really captured my attention as of late. Let's discuss them.

Inscryption

"Inscryption," is a game within games. It has multiple acts and isn't at all what it seems. That said, Act 1 is a mixture of a card game and an escape room. You find yourself playing this strange game themed for beasts eating each other that requires careful placement of your cards lest you find yourself dead. Don't worry if you die though, a new, "You," appears with new features--so it is a bit of a, "Roguelike," as the term goes. The thing is, there is a lot more to, "Inscryption," than meets the eye in that first Act and things get even twistier. Between exploring the mysterious cabin and how much game there is once you seemingly escape it, you can't say this is purely a card game. That said, the card-focused aspects of, "Inscryption," are extremely fun in this at times quite creepy game. You can buy a copy or play it for, "Free," on Xbox/PC Gamepass at the moment. It's worth trying out.

Baltaro

"Baltaro," is a bit like playing digital Solitare if it were mashed-up with Poker and had a whole bunch of unique power-ups in the form of 150 different Joker cards that all do wildly unique things. You see, in "Baltaro," you make Poker hands and earn points, with enough points clearing a round (sometimes rounds have little rules like Clubs don't earn points or you have to make certain hands). That sounds simple, and it would be, except those Jokers make things very interesting. Suddenly you have a Joker card that makes straights worth a lot more points and you utilize it with a Joker that allows flushes from any black suited card with a black suit or red with red so you're throwing out straight flushes with ease...until suddenly you can only play a hand once in a round and lose quickly. 

Yes, this is again a game where you will eventually lose (even if you win the minimum number of rounds to be considered a winner of a run overall). That is fine, however, as a lot of the fun is finding out what weird combinations of Jokers you can use to rack-up insane points. After all, a Joker that makes face cards repeat their points is kind of helpful, but it becomes a dangerous combo when you have a Joker that makes all cards be considered face cards for points. This deceptively simple game has become a huge hit and can be played on your computer, consoles, or phone. I bought it for just $9.99 on my iPhone and it had zero in-app purchases after that. Between these two games there is clearly lots of fun to be had playing cards virtually!