The Simplicity of Smitten and a Little Solo Puzzle to Enjoy
Arrange cards into a connected scene by carefully activating effects and planning how to balance each turn in Smitten.
There isn’t a lot to say about Smitten, except that it offers a simple and quick sort of puzzle every now and then! The solo mode is about managing a pair of hands and setting up each side to successfully place a card. Although there isn’t a lot of depth and not much going on in general, this is a fun little one to revisit from time to time. Such pretty card art, too!
Game Overview
Game Name: Smitten
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Inside a small box is a folded sheet of instructions and a deck of 18 cards. The goal is to fill a pair of grids, but making sure to time the card effects is crucial! Play time is over in a matter of minutes, often with some interesting or tense moments to work through. Winning feels great!
First Play
September 26, 2025
Complexity
1
Latest Play
October 4, 2026
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
26
Play Time
5 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
22" x 16"
Low Score
N/A
Filling in a Grid
Each partner has 2 face-up cards and 1 face-down card, which is enough to create interesting turns. Effects of a chosen card must be followed, but not a placed one.
So it becomes a neat puzzle of figuring out which effects are the best ones to trigger, along with which cards can actually be placed! Everything must be connected in each grid.
There is a little bit of variety, though I wouldn’t say this one offers any sort of difference between plays. It’s simple!
And when I’m looking for something that doesn’t require too much thought, this one is about as easy as possible.
Identifying Challenges
More than the others, I’ve found the cards valued 2, 3, 6, and 9 often prove to be the hardest to deal with. They must be played carefully when their effects must be triggered.
Is it a coincidence that the hardest ones have some of my favorite art, though? Ha ha! If it isn’t apparent, the grid that will be completed features a complete, connected scene.
I don’t own all of the games from the publisher, yet it’s fun to recognize the familiar characters and animals.
Pretty sure I managed to never activate the effects of the value 9 card during any of these plays. I call that a success!
A Completed Grid
Victory seems to come around either very easily, or with some effort. My first couple of plays ended with wins!
I sometimes forget to take a moment to admire the full grid. It’s right there on the box cover and isn’t exactly a surprise, but seeing it in its full size is pretty awesome. Pretty!
Despite my immediate wins, my next attempts all ended horribly. It’s possible to lose in about 30 seconds, which happened to me a few times. Some poor choices and luck.
Yet it takes almost no time to reset, so I kept playing to seek out the next victory. Hilariously, it wasn’t to be this session!
Smitten and Smitten 2
I own both versions of the game, but still only feel drawn to the original. The brighter artwork is more appealing to me.
The card effects are also much simpler in the original. It falls in that simple space where it seems to shine. The second one is still great, yet is a tiny bit too much for me.
No matter: These take up almost no space and I may very well find that I want to increase the complexity someday.
Playing is quite static, and it’s not like anything I’ve talked about is different from my initial post a year ago. Yet… No surprises means more comfort, so no complaints here!
When There’s Not Much to Say… And That’s OK!
Writing up this post, I feel like I repeated a lot from my initial thoughts. There isn’t much more to report on aside from how many times I managed to win. But I don’t think this is a game that set out to do too much. It’s comfortable in its own skin, and I think that translates into a level of comfort when playing. It’s very simple and pretty without any frills. And it works!
Session Overview
Play Number: 19-26
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 2 Wins & 6 Losses
The funniest play happened when both partner hands had identical face-up cards, and not necessarily the ones I wanted! The value 3 card betrayed me many times, like when I built up both grids and could place every card except a value 1. Guess what I drew? Ha ha! This might not be the most exciting game, nor much more than a simple set of choices, but it’s still a pleasant little solo puzzle. Maybe I should try out the hard mode or aim for a winning streak!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
6
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- The artwork is bright and colorful, and seeing the fully connected scene at the end is a lovely little moment.
- Puzzling through the best ways to manage the cards is easy but still meaningful, with some important decisions.
- Taking a risk with face-down cards can be exciting, as this is very luck-based and doesn’t often work out well.
- Not a lot of table space is required, as even the completed grids are compact, and cards can even be partially stacked.
- Play time lasts a few minutes, with setup and cleanup taking almost no time at all with easily memorized rules.
- Since a card is removed during setup, there is some variety and suspense around which card is missing from play.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There isn’t anything particularly exciting or unique about each play, and the game feels very repetitive quickly.
- Luck plays a central role in the order of the cards, although it’s very easy to reset and play again by just reshuffling.
- It can be tricky to find the right difficulty level, as it may feel too easy or far too difficult with the requirements.
- Some degree of solving the puzzle is present so that it becomes clear which cards to play early on or near the end.
Victory Conditions
Complete Both Grids
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played Smitten recently? Do you have a preferred way to play or a challenge you set out to achieve? It’s a very simple solo experience, yet I like how it doesn’t ask for too much. A few important choices, a dash of luck, and a few laughs over the art are all it takes! There isn’t anything surprising or different about the game, yet I still enjoy it for what it is.
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