Klondike solitaire online: I played Boba Club with a hoodie cat
A boba café, cards drawn with kittens and a teacher called Mochi. Polarzinho set out to prove he has patience. Spoiler: he needed help.
By Polarzinho ·
Klondike solitaire online, free and right in your browser: that's Boba Club. It's the classic seven-column, four-foundation solitaire, set in a boba tea café with cards drawn with kittens. I played a free game, beat the first campaign deal in 127 moves, opened the daily challenge and went through every setting.
Usual disclaimer: Boba Club is a house game and I'm the Polar Games mascot, so I have a front-row seat. But this is a player's report, and I'll confess right away: I asked for hints almost every turn. I played with the game in Portuguese, so the button names below are translated.
Boba Club on one screen
The title screen is Mochi, a black cat in a green hoodie, sprawled in an armchair with boba in one paw and three aces in the other. Next to him: Play, Campaign, Daily challenge, Collection, Statistics, Tutorial and Settings.
PolarzinhoA hoodie cat with tea and cards, winking at me. I related instantly. It only needed a panda hoodie.
When I pressed Play, Mochi asked whether I already knew how to play solitaire or wanted to learn. I said I knew. Proud panda.
How this Klondike solitaire works
It's the best-known solitaire: 28 cards in seven columns with only the top one face up, and the rest in the stock. You build down in alternating colours and move each suit from Ace to King onto the four foundations at the top.
Before each free game you pick how to draw. Draw one: one card at a time, more relaxed. Draw three: three at a time with only the top one playable, more challenging.
PolarzinhoMore relaxed or more challenging. I went relaxed. I'm a panda, not a hero.
If the rules are still fuzzy, the how-to-play-solitaire guide here on the blog starts from zero.
How to play solitaire: the rules
A hint that talks to you
Below the table there are two buttons: Hint and Undo. The hint lights up the right card and writes out the whole move, with a reason. A few I read: move the A♥ to the foundation, this turns over a new card; move the 2♦ onto the 3♠; draw a card from the stock; turn the waste back into the stock.
PolarzinhoThis turns over a new card. Mochi doesn't just give orders, he explains them. The kind of teacher I would have passed with.
Near the end the hint gets even smarter and thinks one move ahead: move the 8♥ to the foundation so the 9♠ can follow. And when a column was about to empty, it said so.
Campaign deal 1: 127 moves and a sticker
Deal 1 starts with a lone 8♠ in the first column and an A♥ waiting at the bottom of the last. The A♥ went up on the first move, the 2♦ went onto the 3♠, and the game got rolling.
PolarzinhoAn Ace of hearts with a kitten inside the heart. I felt bad sending it to the foundation. I sent it anyway.
Mid-game, two columns already held long runs, King down to 9 and King down to 6, and the stock had gone round more than once. The face cards are kittens too: the Kings wear crowns.
PolarzinhoTwo perfect staircases from the King down. I screenshotted it, sent it to my family and nobody replied.
I finished in 127 moves and 9:26. The win screen cheers, shows your best time and best move count, and hands over the first campaign sticker: 1 of 12.
PolarzinhoA hundred and twenty-seven moves. A real player would need fewer. I did it with style and a lot of hints, and the sticker is mine all the same.
Campaign: 12 deals with a proven solution
The Campaign has twelve deals, all with a proven solution, across three settings. Boba Café holds deals 1 to 4, marked relaxed. Studio Mint holds 5 to 8, marked focused, and unlocks with 4 stickers. City Lights holds 9 to 12, marked challenging, and unlocks with 8. Every first win earns a sticker.
PolarzinhoProven solution. In other words: if I lose, it's on me. I liked the honesty, not the conclusion.
Daily challenge
The Daily challenge brings one deal a day, picked from a bank of validated games, with a monthly calendar and a countdown to the next one. The day I played, it was the 31 October challenge.
PolarzinhoOne solitaire a day. That's roughly how much patience a panda has anyway.
Collection: settings and card backs
Stickers unlock decorations. The Collection holds the three table settings and the card backs: Boba Pop, unlocked from the start, Lucky Cat at 2 stickers, Matcha Mix at 4, Moon Cat at 6, Paw Party at 8 and Club VIP at 12. They change the look, never the rules.
PolarzinhoClub VIP at 12 stickers. I have 1. Eleven to go. I'm not counting. I am counting.
Settings to play your way
Settings have three tabs. Under Game you can switch the table to left-handed, with the stock on the left, turn on enlarged card indices, show a timer and enable quick tap, which moves a card on its own when it has only one possible destination. Under Visual you pick animation speed, effect intensity and reduced motion.
PolarzinhoA left-handed layout. I'm ambidextrous, meaning equally clumsy with both paws. Still, very thoughtful.
- H: hint.
- Z or Ctrl+Z: undo.
- Space: draw from the stock.
- Esc: menu.
Tutorial with Mochi
For first-timers, the Tutorial is a game guided by Mochi, step by step, with speech bubbles explaining each move. You can skip it any time.
PolarzinhoIt's really easy, come with me! I went. He wasn't lying.
FAQ
Is Boba Club free?
Yes. Boba Club is free to play in your browser, on a computer or a phone, with nothing to install.
What kind of solitaire is Boba Club?
Classic Klondike solitaire, with draw one or draw three.
Can every campaign deal be won?
Yes. The 12 campaign deals and the daily challenge all have a proven solution.
Does it have hints and undo?
Yes. The hint shows the card and explains the move, and Undo takes back the last move.
Can I put the stock on the left?
Yes. In Settings, under Game, pick the left-handed layout.
Boba Club pros and cons
Up for a quick game?
Boba Club is solitaire for anyone who wants a good-looking Klondike, no rush, with a cat who teaches without judging. A free game on a break, the daily deal in the morning, the campaign at the weekend. I'm off to earn sticker number 2.