When the 3DS eShop closed again in March 2023, we had been unhappy for quite a few causes. We had been unhappy on the considered dropping the fantastic Digital Console library. Unhappy on the prospect of by no means seeing the little orange bag mascot once more. Unhappy on the understanding that we might quickly be returning to the silent eShop of the Change with out a background jingle in earshot. However most of all, we had been unhappy that an entire swathe of avid gamers would miss out on the chance to play Pocket Card Jockey — a solitaire-based horse driving sim which a number of of us at Nintendo Life have described (with out a trace of irony) as Recreation Freak’s greatest sport.
To be clear, not all of us had been in the identical boat. We awarded the unique a ‘Good’ 7/10 again in 2016, however what was a cussed mule for some was a prize pony for others.
Just a few months earlier than the eShop closure, the Pokémon developer remade this 3DS gem for cell. Apple Arcade’s Pocket Card Jockey: Journey On! launched in January 2023 with recent three-dimensional visuals and a brand new management scheme to account for the drop from two screens to at least one, however other than these nips and tucks, it was the identical outdated bizarre, charming, and dangerously addictive sport that we had adored again within the 3DS’ hay-day. This was fantastic, after all, but it surely wanted to come back to Change and after a 12 months’s cell exclusivity, come to Change it has.
We’ll be clear proper out of the gate: Pocket Card Jockey: Journey On! is a pleasure. Those that performed the cell model will discover few modifications right here, however for many who have not performed because the 3DS days or who have not performed in any respect, this unusual mixture of solitaire and horse racing is a blast. It is a surefire method to put a smile in your face and we are able to see this one being a go-to methodology to whereas away the hours because the Change begins to point out its age.
For brand new riders (or if it is simply been some time because you final saddled up), let’s trot via the fundamentals. Pocket Card Jockey: Journey On! is, at its coronary heart, a horse racing sport. You decide a horse, give it a comical title, after which put it via its paces in a collection of races to enhance its stats and pull within the trophies.
The place it will get bizarre is the way you management your pony pal: video games of solitaire. If you wish to race nicely, you may must clear stacks of playing cards throughout the time restrict. Get all of them gone and your horse will acquire power, hearken to your steering, and expertise a temper increase; go away some on the desk and issues will shortly get ugly.
It is a mixture that sounds unusual on paper, however in observe, it simply works. The principles of solitaire are barely tweaked to make sure extra rounds are received below the time stress — simply transfer up or down in numerical order as a right for card color — and the act of driving the horse is simplified right down to a collection of ‘Consolation Zones’ which increase your horse’s temper and power accordingly.
Each components of the gameplay are streamlined, to a sure extent, however that is to not say that there is no problem right here. Completely different racing divisions will include a unique degree of competitors, driving in the next Consolation Zone ups the reward but additionally will increase the chance with a harder sport of solitaire to finish, taking a wider line throughout corners avoids any undesirable collisions but additionally drains your horse’s stamina for the house straight. It is a easy idea, however the gameplay loop hides depth aplenty.
The principle goal (in case you can say {that a} sport like this actually has an ‘goal’) is to win each race on the market. Trophies are locked behind sure situations (the horse’s age, intercourse, and so on.) and the method of getting again round to races and trophies that you simply missed is considerably arduous, requiring both turning to a brand new horse or breeding one to fulfill the set situations out of your retired mounts. Trophy hunters might wrestle to attain 100% completion, however the promise of bettering your horse’s talents and unlocking new abilities in each race retains issues firmly on the ‘only one extra run’ aspect of addictive gameplay.
Thus far, so 3DS. However Journey On! has a few new options that might be notable if you have not performed because the dual-screen days. On the forefront of the modifications is a brand new management scheme which strikes every thing into one subject of view. Very similar to the cell model, monitor positioning, solitaire, power storage, and the racing ‘cutscenes’ all happen on a single display screen, whereas the 3DS unique put the latter two on the highest show.
Journey On! on Change could be performed totally with contact controls, in case you’re a fan of handheld play, with the inputs permitting for snappy card choice and pin-point precision together with your horse’s monitor positioning. Recreation Freak has additionally launched a brand new Pleasure-Con / Professional Controller scheme to account for the console’s hybridity.
This methodology depends on you leaping between playing cards with the left stick and deciding on them with no matter face button you need earlier than flipping out of your reserve pile with the suitable stick. It is slightly clunky and the on-screen arrow which designates your present place lacks the contact controls’ fluidity when eradicating consecutive playing cards, however such is the wrestle of translating contact inputs to the large display screen.
Velocity may not be the largest hurdle within the first couple of races, however we discovered ourselves closely favouring the contact controls for quicker inputs within the extra aggressive derbies or racing within the sport’s on-line play — a mode that provides a surprisingly secure competitors towards a world element, albeit with a few further buffering wheels to make sure each jockeys are on the identical level within the race.
These buffers are dropped within the single-player mode, which runs fairly easily. We seen the odd body drop throughout animations when a big deck of playing cards is dealt, however this by no means intruded on the gameplay itself, happily.
The cell sport’s visuals additionally make the bounce over to Change right here, with new 3D horse and jockey fashions changing the 2D unique. It is not going to gallop onto anybody’s listing of best-looking Change video games in a rush and we would be mendacity if we mentioned that we did not miss the charming cutout method of the OG visuals, however it’s under no circumstances harsh on the attention. The unique stylings can nonetheless be discovered within the menus and post-race cutscenes, which helps soften the blow.
Balancing additionally ideas in a extra player-favourable course in comparison with the 3DS model. These with recollections of unfairly misplaced races and stupidly overpriced gadgets needn’t worry, the Change has taken the identical tweaks as its cell counterpart to maintain issues heading in the right direction.
Bar these nips and tucks, Journey On! is identical charmer that we noticed on 3DS. The writing continues to be top-tier stuff and had us as soon as once more chuckling at its universe of wacky horse house owners and jockeys regardless of it being the third time that we had seen the dialogue in motion. Oh, and the music (the music!!) continues to be filled with extra bangers than a sizzling canine stand — the backing monitor to G1 division races stays a spotlight of depth.
Conclusion
Pocket Card Jockey: Journey On! doesn’t come to Change with a swathe of bells and whistles or make a number of modifications to Recreation Freak’s weirdest mash-up. It is a easy port of the Apple Arcade model — which, in itself, made only a few modifications to the 3DS unique — however with a sport this nice, that is no dangerous factor. Positive, not a lot has modified since 2016 (even much less since 2023), however this charming hybrid card-racer is totally price taking for a trip wherever you possibly can. Giddyap.