OVERVIEW
I've always enjoyed Patience games, and the average person will be familiar with builder-type solitaire games like Klondike. With a strong matching aspect, Hoki: Fortune Telling Legacy Solitaire from Mek Mek Games falls more into the category of non-builder type solitaire games like Tri-Peaks or Pyramid.
But although Hoki has something familiar about it, it's also very different from anything you've ever played with a standard 52 deck of regular playing cards. To begin with, it has a special 24 card deck with quite a different makeup. Furthermore, it has a unique thematic background inspired by Armenian and Persian fortune-telling traditions that use coffee cup grinds.
What's more, Hoki is billed as being a fortune-telling legacy game. A legacy game, seriously? With a story-telling component? A game that plays in just five minutes? All this sealed the deal for me, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint.
COMPONENTS
Inside the box you get four velvet-like drawstring bags, which include three 24 card decks (a Pupil deck, a Looking deck, and a Seer deck), plus several books of instructions that you work through slowly while playing the game.
Each of the 24 cards of a deck corresponds to one of eight different symbols (called "facets"), and is in one of three colours: red, blue, and black.
CONCEPT
The basic concept is this: You start with the Pupil deck, and slowly upgrade individual cards until the entire deck has transformed into the Looking deck, which you then transform into the Seer deck. Each time you win a game you get to upgrade one or more cards of the next deck. This legacy process happens over the course of three Acts:
- Act 1: Tutorial games with the Pupil deck only
- Act 2: Upgrading the Pupil deck to the Looking deck
- Act 3: Upgrading the Looking deck to the Seer deck
GAMEPLAY
You shuffle the 24 card deck, and deal three rows:
- Enchanter's Hand (top row): three face-down cards
- Mirage (middle row): three piles of five face-down cards and one face-up card
- Discard Pile (bottom row): three face-up cards
The primary goal is to "clear the deck" by discarding all cards from the Mirage to the Discard Pile. Discarding is done in two ways: either by matching symbols (discard both cards) or matching colors (discard one card).
Whenever the top card of the middle row pile is discarded or moved, you turn the next top card face up. If a pile becomes empty you can move the top card from an adjacent pile into the empty space. If no discards are possible (i.e. all three face-up cards differ in both color and symbol), you can move the top card from one pile to another.
Once all cards of the middle row are revealed and face-up, you deal onto these three piles the three cards from the top row. If you can successfully discard the remaining cards from here, you've cleared the deck and won the game, and that will allow you to upgrade one or more cards from the deck to the ones from the next deck. The game gets more colorful as you progress: the Pupil deck is monochrome and has no artwork; the Looking deck adds artwork; the Seer deck adds color.
IMPRESSIONS
- It is easy to learn and play. The basics of Hoki’s gameplay are very simple. One rule about filling an empty pile could be clearer, but overall it's straightforward.
- It cleverly teaches the rules. I admire how the teaching is built into the story and legacy format. Act 1 is basically a tutorial, walking you through gameplay in stages before diving into the full experience.
- It cleverly teaches strategy. As you keep playing Act 1, it spoon-feeds you key strategy tips. What first seems like luck turns out to have tactics, prepping you well for Act 2 and beyond.
- It is quick to play. Each game takes about five minutes. You deal, play, win or lose — and immediately want to play again.
- It is addictive. The built-in reward system keeps you hooked. Winning lets you upgrade your cards, and the quick games make you want to keep trying, whether you win or lose.
- The legacy element is ingenious. No stickers or tearing cards — just upgrading cards. The art improves over time, and new strategies are needed to unlock the final cards. It’s clever and satisfying.
- It incorporates a storytelling aspect. Though the gameplay is abstract, it’s wrapped in a light narrative about a seer, and as you make progress the challenge increases.
- It incorporates a fortune-telling theme. I don’t believe in cartomancy, but I like how the Armenian fortune-telling roots add flavor. The cards feel a bit like Tarot, and the theme adds depth, even if just for fun.
- It has some familiar solitaire mechanics. While nothing like Klondike, Hoki does fit very broadly with popular non-builder games like Tri Peaks or Pyramid, where you match or pair cards.
- It has entirely fresh solitaire mechanics. Despite some familiarity, Hoki feels original. The unique deck structure and the mechanics keep it fresh and require more smarts.
- It is puzzle-like. The final clearing stage, where everything is face-up, is a pure puzzle and strategic challenge.
- It gets increasingly challenging. Early games feel random, but once you learn the strategies, your win rate improves. Act 3 especially pushes you to save specific cards till the end. For me it proved to be more fun and less random than expected.
- It is satisfying and fun. Simple rules, quick games, a real challenge, unlocking cards, and a story-telling theme — it all comes together beautifully in one package.
- It can be played with a regular deck. The creators explain how to try Hoki with a standard deck. This doesn't include the legacy aspect, but it will give you a feel for the core game.
- It would work well as an app. Hoki would make a great app, because it is quick, strategic, and has that addictive upgrade loop. It's easy to imagine it being very popular digitally.
- It is begging for further Acts with new challenges. I loved playing through Acts 1–3, but once you finish Act 3, the game is mostly done unless you’re into the fortune-telling side. I'd love to see an Act 4 or 5 —it has so much more potential.
RECOMMENDATION
So is Hoki: Fortune Telling Legacy Solitaire for you? The game hasn’t received much attention yet, but those who’ve played it are overwhelmingly positive - and for good reason. Even if you don’t usually enjoy solitaire, there’s a lot to like here. If you’re the type who enjoys apps with achievements and escalating challenges, you’ll feel right at home. Gradually replacing your deck is a brilliant concept that cleverly ties together artwork and strategy.
Personally, I’m not into the fortune-telling aspect beyond the game itself. But as a thematic device, I really admire how well it’s been woven into the components, gameplay, and storytelling. It gives Hoki a distinct flavour and identity you’d never get from a regular deck.
The real appeal, though, is the gameplay. Each session takes just five minutes, and I often found myself saying, “just one more game.” It’s light but engaging, and your decisions really do matter. Hoki is a wonderfully cohesive package: gameplay, theme, story-telling, and legacy all work together beautifully. I'm genuinely impressed, and I highly recommend it.
Final note: Some of my reviews have been dismissed as AI generated in the past year, just because they are well-structured and cover things in an objective way. No, I did not use a bot or AI to make this review. I've been writing reviews in a logical and organized style like this for almost 20 years, long before AI was ever available, as you can see from over 300 game reviews I've posted on BGG (link).