Load the Game

The popular 3DS game developed by Pokémon is now available for iPhone

• Jacob Chambers
• January 3rd, 2023

The iOS version of the cult favorite 3DS game Pocket Card Jockey from Pokémon developer Game Freak is coming.

The developer revealed on Tuesday that Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! will launch on Apple Arcade on January 20.

In 2013, the 3DS version of the cult classic solitaire horse racing game was published in Japan. It was then released in the west three years later.

In the original, players’ ability to empty Solitaire decks has an impact on how well their horse performs. In order to avoid running into other horses, the player then choose where to place the horse on the racecourse.

Up until the finish line, the player alternates between situating their horse and playing further games of solitaire. The stronger the player’s “unity” with the horse, the better combo they can construct when clearing cards.

The original received a fairly favorable response; as of right now, it has an 83 Metacritic rating.

Game Freak claims that while the racing sequences in Ride On! have been redone in 3D, the essential rules from the 3DS version will remain in place.

According to the official description, players “will jockey their way to victory by clearing cards with sequential numbers in quick succession.” “The more cards they eliminate, the happier their horse will be, which helps them refuel for races.

“The complexity of their solitary rounds depends on where their horse is on the track. They can also pick up special cards if they run over them while racing. These cards offer a number of advantages, such as raising a horse’s level, teaching them new skills, or enhancing their performance in a race.

“They will need to race furiously to secure victory once their mount is fully charged and in the home stretch. Players will be able to couple up the cherished horses they have raised on the racetrack on the farm as they get ready for upcoming races.

“The foal they produce will inherit their skills and serve as their replacement racing partner. Breed racehorses for many generations in an effort to win all the biggest, most prestigious races in the world.

One of the two non-Pokémon games created by Game Freak for the 3DS was Pocket Card Jockey. The other was the rhythm game HarmoKnight.

These games were produced as a result of Game Freak’s Gear Project program, which encouraged developers to present fresh game concepts when business was slow.

HarmoKnight, Pocket Card Jockey, Tembo the Badass Elephant, GIGA WRECKER, and Little Town Hero are the Gear Project’s to date, all of which were published after 2012.

In an interview with VGC in 2019, a senior Game Freak director stated that the firm was giving original game development more of a priority in order to expand the experience of its employees.

Masayuki Onoue, a director and programmer, claims that by taking time away from the company’s popular Pokémon series, Game Freak’s designers may return to the property “refreshed” and enhance it with knowledge learned.