The Great Gaymathon Review #74: Pocket Card Jockey (3DS)

Game: Pocket Card Jockey

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Game Freak

Publisher: Nintendo

System: 3DS (eShop)

Release date: 2016

You know a game is full-on bonkers when even telling someone it combines solitaire and horse racing doesn't convey how bonkers it is.

I'm sure some of you are wondering, can a title produced by the folks (at Game Freak) who gave the world the decidedly tame Pokémon series really be all that bonkers?

Consider that a proper Pocket Card Jockey playthrough means encountering and experiencing all of the following:

* getting trampled to death by an adorable peg-legged horse
* hyping up your solitaire skills while begging an angel to send you back to earth
* coming up with silly names for steeds of all shapes (one has a fiery mane, one looks like a dragon, one is dressed like a ninja, one seems to be a robot) and colors
* breeding those equines to produce offspring that are faster, more resilient and, hopefully, have a better temperament than their parents
* racing all of the above for a colorful cast of managers (including a spoiled rich kid with a pompadour, an effervescent pop idol and an evil scientist)

Oh, and last bullet point involves quickly clearing a series of golf solitaire tableaus--which also is pretty bonkers, if you ask me.

Of course, none of the wackiness described above means much if the rest of what’s on offer is a bore. Thankfully, it’s not. In fact, Pocket Card Jockey is as addictively and delightfully fun as it is brilliantly weird.

It’s like Tetris in that it’s the kind of game that prompts you tell yourself, “just one more race. OK, maybe two more.” And the next thing you know, you have no idea where the last couple of hours went.

That’s due, in large part, to how adroitly Game Freak's designers were able to turn Pocket Card Jockey's many disparate elements into a bite-sized title that's far more than the sum of its parts.

Actually, it goes beyond that. They also were able to combine this game's many components in such a way that you rarely think of them as separate entities. Rather than thinking of this as a solitaire game or a horse-racing or -breeding game, Pocket Card Jockey is very much its own thing--kind of like how the Famicom Disk System title, Otocky, is its own thing despite blending the shmup and rhythm genres.

All that said, more than a few of this title's elements deserve to be singled out for praise. One is its overall art style, which is about as adorable and appealing as can be. Another is its control scheme, which relies almost entirely on the 3DS' touch screen--and to great effect. Its localized text, which is both darker and wittier than most will expect from a Game Freak-made release, is similarly on-point. Finally, there's its soundtrack, which may be the best to appear in a 3DS game yet.

As for Pocket Card Jockey's negative aspects, I honestly can't think of any at the moment. Some may point to the abundance of text that's offered up here, or the fact that it becomes a tad repetitive over time, but I personally don't consider them to be worthy of complaint.

If you absolutely need me to rip on some portion of Pocket Card Jockey, this will have to do: should you be anything like me, you'll put a lot of time into this digital title. Don't believe me? Consider that I spent about 70 hours with the Japanese version of the game and I've spent nearly as many hours with its North American counterpart.

In other words, you probably won't regret spending just under $7 on it--unless, I guess, you have an extreme distaste for anything that can be described as "bonkers."

See also: my Pocket Card Jockey guide and my previous 'Great Gaymathon' reviews

How to succeed in Pocket Card Jockey without really trying (or, here's what you should do if you suck at this quirky 3DS eShop title)

I've put over 60 hours into Pocket Card Jockey so far, and I previously put more than 60 hours into its Japanese counterpart, so I guess you could say I know this strange 3DS offering pretty well.

That’s not to suggest I'm some sort of Solitiba (that's the game's Japanese title) expert, mind you. Still, I’ve won more races than I’ve lost in during my 120-plus-hour playthrough, and I’ve also nabbed trophies at the majority of the title’s premier-level G1 events. As such, I’m OK with saying I’ve developed a better-than-adequate understanding of Pocket Card Jockey since I first booted up the Japanese version of the game three years ago.

If you've only just begun this digital oddity, or if you're a veteran of it in terms of playtime but not in terms of results, I think you’ll find this post full of Pocket Card Jockey tips and tricks helpful.

Practice really does make perfect--None of the advice that follows will make a lick of difference if you're rarely able to complete Pocket Card Jockey's solitaire rounds. So, if you suck at golf solitaire, do one or both of these things: restart your game and go through its opening tutorial as many times as is needed for you to feel comfortable with its oft-confusing components. Or, take advantage of the training mode that’s accessible via the main menu screen. I actually put a few minutes into the latter every time I boot up this Game Freak-made title—both to warm me up a bit and to give myself the best possible chance of winning a bunch of races once I transition to the real deal.

Focus from the word go--At the beginning of a race (during the "Start Solitaire" phase), keep a close eye on the cards that fall from the top of the screen. Specifically, do your best to not lose sight of the card that contains five blue spheres. Then, aim for it to get the best possible start—which in the case of Pocket Card Jockey means kicking things off with as much "Unity Power" as you can. That said, don't dally. It’s better to choose a less desirable card (one with fewer than five spheres on it) and earn a less impressive start than it is to not choose one at all and face a miserable start from which you and your foal probably won’t be able to recover.

Know when to stick to your comfort zone and when to stray from it--When I first published this post a couple of weeks ago, I suggested ignoring the advice shared in the game's tutorial, which posits that players should do their best to stick to Comfort Zone Lv. 3 while on the racetrack. I said that because although aiming for Comfort Zone Lv. 3 can pay off dearly (you enter the invincible-esque “Super Unity” mode by successfully clearing the solitaire tableau), it also can cause you and your trusty steed to quickly crash and burn. Why? The solitaire rounds within Comfort Zone Lv. 3 are the toughest to complete (those in Comfort Zone Lv. 1 are the easiest), and if you leave too many cards on the table, so to speak, you risk finding yourself atop a runaway horse. As a result, I initially thought it was best to stay within Comfort Zone Lv. 2 as much as possible due to the fact that the solitaire hands there are more difficult than those in Comfort Zone Lv. 1 but are more lenient than those in Comfort Zone Lv. 3. Later, I amended that recommendation to "somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of the time."

My current opinion on the matter is that you should aim for Comfort Zone Lv. 3 as often as you're able--as long as your solitaire skills are up to snuff. Doing so lets you rapidly build up your "Energy" meter and also allows you to suck up as many special item cards as possible--both of which play an important role in winning races. If you have a hard time clearing the solitaire tableaus in Comfort Zone Lv. 3, though, avoid this strategy. Instead, try this: move into Comfort Zone Lv. 3 while on the straightaways, and transition into Comfort Zone Lv. 2 whenever you start to round a corner.

Don't put the card before the horse--During a race, grab as many of the horseshoe and lightbulb cards as you can--they're the only way to level-up your horse and increase its speed, strength and skills, after all--but don't go crazy. Sometimes they're enticingly placed in positions (within the jagged red-orange-yellow portions of the track) that will leave you vulnerable—aka, hit you with a "turning loss"—while rounding a bend. Speaking of that fiery curtain that descends onto the field every few rounds, feel free to venture onto it after you clear a hand of solitaire while in Comfort Zone Lv. 2 or 3, as this is the only time you can do so without being penalized.

Boost or bust--One of the keys to winning Pocket Card Jockey's tougher races is to pick up at least one of the boost cards (the ones with a blue flame in the center) as you gallop around the track. They provide you with some additional oomph during the home stretch and can be the difference between coming in first and missing out on it by a nose. A related piece of advice here: use your boost cards as soon as possible on the straightaway. Just make sure the no other horses are in your way before you hit the associated button, as although these cards are supposed to let you push them out of the way, they don't do it 100 percent of the time in my experience.

Boxes are for video games, not jockeys and ponies--Just before the homestretch, make sure your horse is in a position that makes it unlikely it’ll get boxed in by its competitors. Usually this means moving it to a higher spot on the track (as opposed to hugging the inside edge). Being surrounded by other steeds isn’t such a big deal if you manage to snag one or two of the above-mentioned boost cards that pop up each race, as they help you break through such bottlenecks. Fail to grab one, though, and you can kiss the current race goodbye if you find yourself tied up.

I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but save your spending cash for the $10,000 puzzle pieces--Early on, it makes sense to spend some of your winnings on the items--carrots, gloves, riding crops--sold at Chirp's Happy Horses shop. They can give you the edge you need to place in those initial races. Later on, though, Chirp's prices go through the roof. Should you still buy one of the above-mentioned products when they cost $10,000 or even $30,000? Not in my opinion. Instead, I suggest saving up your dough until you have enough to buy one or more puzzle pieces. Without spoiling anything, they'll end up providing you with bigger boosts than the above-mentioned accessories ever will. At least, that is, until you complete all of Pocket Card Jockey's puzzles. Once you do that, stop buying pieces and blow your hard-earned cash on carrots, gloves and the like, especially before you're tossed into one of the title's G1 races.

Just breed--Although it's possible to take one of the game's generic steeds and turn it into one that runs away with the King's Gate trophy, that's far more likely to happen if you spend some time breeding your best stallions and mares. Don't just randomly pair up two of them, though; choose two that have similar characteristics and peak times, have won a ton of races or have the best stats and skills. They will produce the most powerful foals. Also, keep your eye out for offspring who have one, two or three stars in their bios. These fillies and colts are the strongest, so include them in the equation whenever possible.

This ain't no place for ageist jockeys--I've read quite a few comments on line that recommend passing on Pocket Card Jockey's mature mode and instead focusing on its growth mode. I disagree. A lot of good can be gained from the former, even if it doesn't help you level-up your current undulate. First, it allows you to win more money that can be blown on the pricey puzzle pieces mentioned above. Second, it lets you win more races. In particular, it lets you bolster your collection of GI trophies--and that's what you need to do if you want your horses to retire champions. Which you do want, of course, as the easiest way to produce the best Pocket Card Jockey companions is to breed champions after they've been sent to the farm.

Are any of you also enjoying--or at least playing--Pocket Card Jockey? If so, please let me know in the comments section below if you agree or disagree any of the pointers I've shared above. Also feel free to share your own tips and tricks related to this 3DS game.

See also: previous Solitiba and Pocket Card Jockey posts

You bought Pocket Card Jockey from the 3DS eShop yesterday, right?

Those of who without a 3DS probably are thinking, what, you want all of us to buy it, too?

Actually, I do. Granted, I'd suggest picking up a 3DS system beforehand--you know, so you can actually play it--but once you've taken care of that little detail, yes, I think you should purchase this wonderfully charming and surprisingly deep game.

For the rest of you, if you haven't yet nabbed the Game Freak-made Pocket Card Jockey from the 3DS eShop--publisher Nintendo put it up for sale, carrying a $6.99 price tag, yesterday--what's holding you back?

If it's that you aren't sure you'll enjoy it, well, I can understand that--to a point. After all, it isn't every day that you're presented with a game that dares to combine (golf) solitaire with a horse-racing sim.



That said, a Pocket Card Jockey demo has been available for more than a week now. (I wrote about it here, in case anyone is interested.) It's free and offers 15 plays, which is more than enough to figure out of its strangely addictive gameplay is your cup of tea or not.

And if that's not enough for you? Read this old post of mine. Don't fret that it says it's about a game called Solitiba; that's just Pocket Card Jockey's original Japanese title.

Anyway, in that write-up I blather on a bit about the five things I like best about digital time-waster. (I mean that in the best possible way, naturally.) I barf up some similar statements at the end of this post, by the way--in case you're looking for more encouragement.

If you're not, because Pocket Card Jockey's already taking up space on your 3DS' memory card, please share your impressions of it in the comments section below.

Drop whatever you're doing and download the Pocket Card Jockey 3DS demo now

When a little game called Solitiba hit the Japanese 3DS eShop back in July of 2013, I snapped it up as soon as I could.

I did that for a few reasons. One, I knew the title had been made by the folks at Game Freak—best known, of course, for the world-conquering Pokémon series. Two, it had previously made headlines for attempting to combine two disparate genres: horse racing and puzzlers (solitaire, specifically).

Add to that Solitiba’s undeniably adorable art style and, well, you’ve basically got a game that’s “right up my alley,” as that stale old saying goes.

How far up my alley is it? Well, I’ve since put more than 60 hours into it so far, if that tells you anything.

On a related note, I've already put about three hours into the demo of Solitiba's North American localization--which is known as Pocket Card Jockey in this neck of the woods. (Actually, I believe that's the name it goes by in every region outside of Japan.)

Which means, of course, that I'm enjoying the English version of the game quite a bit. OK, I'm enjoying it a lot.

It's not perfect, mind you. A case in point: the text seems a bit stilted at times, as if the people who worked on that aspect of the game hewed more closely to the original script than maybe they should have done.

Granted, the powers that be at Nintendo probably didn't want to devote tons of time, money or energy to this project, and its localization team was tasked with translating a ton of text, so I won't be too tough on anyone for that slight miscue.

At any rate, I highly recommend downloading the Pocket Card Jockey 3DS demo as soon as you're able. And after you've played it for a while, come back here and tell me what you think of it. (Also, if you need advice, just ask. I'm more than happy to help.)

See also: 'Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released its quirky 3DS eShop title, Solitiba, outside of Japan'

Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released its quirky 3DS eShop title, Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse), outside of Japan

How do I love thee, Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse)? Let me count the ways.

Actually, let me count the hours--as in, the hours I've spent playing this Japan-only, Game Freak-made 3DS eShop title that, as I'm sure you've heard me say before, adds a bit of zip to the traditionally staid horse-racing genre by infusing it with some lightning-fast rounds of solitaire.

The tally so far, by the way, would be just under 25 hours. That's how long I've played Solitiba, I mean. Which, admittedly, is a bit ... extreme. What can I say? I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

Which is why, as I state in the header above, it's a damn shame this game has yet to be released outside of Japan.

Here are five more observations related to why I believe that to be the case:

It's addictive--I guess that could be gleaned from my earlier revelation that I've spent 25 or so hours with this sucker so far, but that's not all there is to Solitiba's addictive nature. For instance, there's the fact that this is one of those titles that, even when all you plan to do is pick it up and play it for five or 10 minutes, you end up playing it for far longer than that. In my case, that usually means playing it for 30 to 40 minutes, it not longer, which is kind of crazy when you consider we're basically talking about a gussied-up game of solitaire.

It's adorable--All you need to see for proof of this bullet point are the screenshots that are scattered throughout this post. I especially love the looks of Solitiba's pudgy little horses, although I wouldn't have minded if the artists at Game Freak had conjured up at least a couple of "girly-looking" ones to balance things out a smidge. (I mean, why don't any of them sport pink or purple coats? There are a number of blue and yellow ones, after all.)

It's deep--Despite the fact that I've described Solitiba as being one part horse-racing sim and one part solitaire on at least three or four occasions now, there's far more to this digital title than that. Winning or losing has to do with more than just completing a hand of solitaire. How a player positions his or her steed throughout a race can lead to success or failure, for example, as can either picking up or passing up on the many "item" cards that are scattered about each track.

It's got a surprisingly awesome soundtrack--In fact, I've yet to hear a tune that I would describe as anything other than great. The standouts on Solitiba's soundtrack, though, go well beyond great, with two notable cases in point being the ditty that opens this video and the one that can be heard starting at the 8:04 mark of the same medley.

It's really easy to screw things up due to the slew of unintelligible menus--And by that, I mean that if you don't know some amount of Japanese, it can be far too easy to, say, delete your save file--which is a headache that's made even more painful once you realize that you're going to have to go through the game's far-too-wordy-for-its-own-good tutorial once again.

See also: Dengeki Online's Solitiba guide, Japanese3DS.com's review and Sosostris.com's write-up

Game Freak is releasing a Solitiba soundtrack on Nov. 7 and I'm going to buy the hell out of it

I know what at least a few of you are thinking right now: "How do you buy the hell out of something?"

I don't know, to tell you the truth, but I'm going to figure it out between now and Nov. 7, which is when the folks at Game Freak, makers of those Pokémon games you've probably heard about (along with a number of other gems), will release a soundtrack for Solitiba--aka Soliti Horse, aka the game that's currently eating up most of my precious free time.

Anyway, I'm guessing the two or three of you who also are feeling this Japan-only eShop game will be happy to hear copies of its soundtrack are being sold for just 2,700 Yen (about $25) via shop.2083.jp--although it seems Amazon Japan will sell them eventually as well.

Want to hear a bit of said soundtrack before committing your hard-earned dollars to it? Here you go:

By the way, if any of you are curious to learn more about this addictive digital title, which wackily combines elements of solitaire with those of an adorable horse-racing sim, keep your eyes peeled for a post I'll be publishing early next week.

See also: 'Would somebody please translate these Solitiba (3DS) screens for me?'