Pocket Card Jockey, from Pokémon’s creators, comes to Apple Arcade

What’s a great way to start a new year? You arrive at work to find that the obscure video game you loved with a passion but forgot about is returning.

It is the same with me. Pocket Card Jockey, a cult title by Game Freak, the creators of Pokémon. Pocket Card Jockey mashes up horse racing and solitaire — unaccountably, but to brilliant effect — and was first released in Japan in 2013, with a western release following in 2016. Apple announced the release of this game. Get your Pocket Card Jockey on the Move! Apple Arcade will soon offer its subscription service Jan. 20, with an iOS release. This means that an iOS update is likely, and Apple TV or Mac are also possible, although they have not been confirmed at this time.

Pocket Card JockeyIt is a role-playing horse-racing game where you breed, collect, and race a group of adorable, short-legged, racing horses. Key moments can be played out in rapid rounds of solitaire. Golf solitaire is a basic variant of the game. You clear a table by selecting cards with a higher or lower value than your previous cards. This game is very entertaining, and it’s not hard to imagine why.

Grid View

Go on! gives the races a 3D makeover which I’m not sure is You are quiteAlthough it’s just as charming as the 2D drawings, I still like it. Otherwise, it seems many of the original’s features are present and correct, including horse romance and breeding, tactical track positioning, on-track power-ups, and a substantial campaign.

Funny enough Pocket Card Jockey has appeared on iPhone before — it had a short-lived, Japan-only release on Apple’s smartphone in 2014. Mobile always seemed like a natural home for the game, so it’s a delight to see Game Freak bringing it back to phones.