Emerland Solitaire

Somewhere between classic solitaire and a Tolkien fever dream, this enchanted card game lets you match your way through mystical forests, ancient ruins, and wizard duels that look like they were storyboarded by a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast. You'll stack cards up or down in sequence, using clever combos and wildcards to chip away at increasingly tricky layouts while soaking in a lush fantasy landscape that includes a white-bearded mentor, an elf who never misses, and a knight who probably speaks in chivalric riddles. There's a storyline woven through the levels, complete with magical showdowns and cryptic scrolls, but at its core, it's still a satisfying game of patience, with animated sparkle. Helpful allies unlock as you go, along with boosts and coins to keep things moving, and the controls are refreshingly intuitive: just click the cards you want to play, and let the magic handle the rest. Trivia time: the earliest known playing cards originated in China during the Tang dynasty (circa 9th century), and they weren't used for games at all, they were often tied to fortune-telling and even drinking games. Which somehow makes sense when you're casting spells with your deck.