For me, the match of Scott Almes, a designer I’ve always enjoyed, and Button Shy, one of my favorite publishers, was a match for the ages. Well, this line did not disappoint one bit.
Even at its worst, the games are highly enjoyable and, as promised in the tag, strike a great balance of easy to get into and lots of replay value. We’re currently at number 10, but as of February of 2026, here are my top 5 favorites.
Note: A Dragon’s Gift is not included as I am yet to receive it.
5 – Lands of Amazement
The latest of the line I actually have, this is truly an odd one. There are two phases on this game. On the first you have 4 turns where you’re trying to match the goal shape in the cards in the display with the cards in your deck. Then, after each turn, you can add to the reserve some cards as long as they match a symbol with the current round’s symbols. Finally, you take all the cards you reserved and try to assemble this big park, and you do have to use ALL of the cards.
The shape matching is quite funky as each card has two sets of shapes, and very often the cards themselves get in the way, and that is the whole challenge. It takes a very used mechanism and implements in a super fun and unique way, and that part of the game is absolutely a blast.
The final part is… well… intense. There is a lot to consider, and instead of assembling with two or three cards, you often have at least six, but often more. On one hand, it is a great culmination of the work you’ve been doing the whole game. However, I will be honest, I don’t find it always fun. Interesting? Yes. Thematic? Absolutely. But not necessarily fun.
Still, this is Almes going on a different direction and showing how that can be done without additional rules overhead, just a different structure, but it makes this game memorable and forces you to think outside the box
4 – The Royal Limited
On The Royal Limited, you have 4 turns to play trains and passengers to your line. Trains cost cards in hand to play, the lowest valued ones have negative effects while the highest valued have beneficial ones. Train cars need to be played not adjacent to the same number or color. Passengers must be played in the correct colors and, in case of VIPs, also taking in consideration their specific requirements. As soon as you assign a passenger to a car, you activate their effect.
The goal of the game is to use as much of your resources as possible, including the cars, passengers and VIPs. Smaller scores are best, and 0 would be a perfect game. The Royal Limited is the definition of a tight game. The time is short, the actions are limited and you have to balance the usage and make sure you’re using everything to its most effectiveness. It’s one of the quickest in the line, but it is a dense experience full of great moments of interesting decision space.
3 – Food Chain Island
For reasons I will discuss later, this is not my favorite of the line, though it’s obviously one I love. But, if I’m being honest, this is the best most elegant design not only on Simply Solo, but possibly of everything Scott Almes put out. Food Chain Island has basically one event of randomization, which is the initial setup of the animal grid. After that, the player takes turns eating animals that are adjacent and have values up to 3 lower, and activate their powers. Some good, some bad. And your goal is to have 3 or fewer stacks of animals left. That’s pretty much it.
What a mind blowing design this is. Front the first instant, you have so many decisions and planning to do. The decision space is humongous, and it requires permutations of decisions that will make your brain hurt, in the best way possible. If you are AP prone, you can sit for a decade without moving a single card. But, once you see the pieces falling into place and your plan coming to fruition, wow, what a feeling.
Why is this number 3 though? Well, it’s not always exactly fun per se. The weight of all the decisions and combinations falls heavy on your shoulders. It’s a fantastically rewarding experience, but one that is part amusing and part vexing.
2 – Unsurmountable
This, in some ways, is the opposite of Food Chain Island. While that was heavy and vexing, there are few games are chill (yes, pun intended, obviously) as Unsurmountable. You have a base of cards, and you can either play the first one in the mountain or discard the others for their effects. The goal is to create a pyramid of cards with a continuous path from under the mountain to the very top. It’s quite simple, and in its original form even a bit easy.
The brilliance of Unsurmountable is how it handles difficulty adjustments. At higher difficulties, not only you have to create the path, but also not repeat the same symbol on each level and on the slopes. Each increment in the difficulty is natural, challenging, and forces you to re-think your game plan. No other game has such a smooth and exciting slope (there I go again) of challenge that barely add any complications in terms of rules.
1 – A Nice Cuppa
No other game embodies what Simply Solo line as perfectly as A Nice Cuppa. It’s a warm, cozy and fairly simple game where you’re trying to organize your line of cards (the steps to the perfect cuppa), by revealing and executing the worry cards underneath them. It’s sort of an action programing game, and quite an easy one to grasp and start playing.
But, what makes this special is that you never have a decision space too small that is obvious or too big that is harrowing. It’s always this perfect mix of challenge and accomplishment, a slow but steady experience that will blow you away, but slowly. Like sips in your favorite cup of hot and tasty beverage in a chilly winter’s morning.
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