Zero 21 Solitaire Game Review

Zero 21 Solitaire Game Background

Zero 21 Solitaire is a Solitaire card game where the goal is to use up all the cards on the tableau without ever letting the waste pile get below 1 or above 20. Each card you take from a pile adds to or subtracts from the value of the waste pile.

This game was developed by Str8Face.

How to Play Zero 21 Solitaire

Press the green and white play button on the welcome screen to start the game.

Left click on a card on the tableau to place it on the waste pile. Alternatively you can click on a card and drag it to the hold position to temporarily hold the card.

You earn gems for each level you beat, and you can use gems to discard one of the cards. Your gem count is shown in the upper right of the screen and the trash pile shows the cost of the next discard.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Stages

Stages have unique tableau layout configurations, with the game rotating through around a dozen different layouts as you progress through the game. You can only play the top card in any stack, and must remove all cards above a card to be able to play the cards below it.

Clear all the cards from the tableau by placing them on the waste pile to complete each stage. When you are done with a level you can tap to continue to the next stage.

If you fail a level you can replay it. When you replay a level the cards in each stack will be different, but the tableau layout will be the same as it was on the prior attempt.

We have completed around 100 levels of the game and it kept going, so we believe the game to be endless.

Numerical Cards

The waste pile starts off at an arbitrary value and you can play any of the face up cards on the tableau to the waste pile.

All numerical cards on the tableau are worth between -9 and +9. This means that if you keep the stack value close to 10 you should be able to play almost any card at any time.

Special Cards

There are 3 special cards types in the deck:

• Max: sets the waste pile stack value to 20.
• Middle: sets the waste pile stack value to 10.
• Min: sets the waste pile stack value to 1.

Special cards can appear any number of times throughout the tableau.

Card Hold Position

The hold spot can be repeatedly filled and emptied throughout the game. Simply drag a card from the tableau to the hold spot to fill it, and click on the card in the hold spot to use it whenever you like.

You can not have any cards in the hold spot when the level is complete. Whatever card was in the hold must also be played to the waste pile.

Gems

Each level you clear earns gems.

Gems can be spent to remove a card from the playing field, with the first discard costing 10 gems and the price ramping up from there.

Gems can also be used to unlock 5 other random deck designs for 100 gems each. The other 5 themes are sports, Valentine’s day, space, flowers, and construction.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

Try to play a max card when you are close to the upper limit and/or when you have a high value negative card to play right after it.

Try to play the min card when you are close to the lower limit and/or when you have a high value positive card to play right after it.

Work on the longest or deepest stacks whenever possible.

Try to save Middle cards for when the other play options are limited. This can include either placing a Middle card on the hold position, or leaving one on the tableau until you need to use it.

Educational Aspects

This game is a fun way to practice simple arithmetic and think through probabilities.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is fun for players of all ages.