Mixed feelings, that is what I get from this quirky title. All the aspects of an awesome game are there; humour, originality, a great soundtrack and nice gameplay. However, as you probably have seen the score, there are some huge drawbacks. The biggest one is this game is unfair, unreasonable even. Because you can race a perfect race and still lose. But more on that later, let’s first start what this game is about.

Pocket Card Jockey is a solitaire game set in the fast world of horse racing. Yes, this is a strange combination and the game itself knows it, judging by some of the witty lines by the characters in the game. But it is a combination that works up to a certain level. In short, you get a horse which you need to guide through various phases of its life. First is Growth Mode, where your horse gains experience by racing, levels up and maybe acquires some skills. When it turns 4 years old it is time for Mature Mode, where you will use your fully trained horse to try and collect as many trophies by winning races. Finally you can retire your horse to the farm, where you can use it to breed new price winners. Or you can use other people’s horses through QR codes. So if you want to breed your horse with that foxy little mare from your friend’s game, you can.

It's like breeding in Pokémon... except with horses!

 After you die in the introduction (Yes, really. I already said this was a quirky game right?) you get a chance to redeem yourself by becoming the champion of horse racing. You are not that good in horse racing though, so the good angels let you race by doing something you ARE good in; solitaire! Kudos to putting effort in a story that actually tries to explain why you play solitaire on the horse racing track. After a tutorial you are given your first horse and it is time to start the actual racing.

A race exists of three parts. The start, where speed is key and you need to think fast. Next up are a number of “normal” solitaire rounds where you try to clear all cards (there is some time pressure here but not as much as in the start segment). In between these solitaire rounds you get a chance to move around the playing field, and you need to take a LOT of things into account. Are you going to run in the middle to get some power-up cards or do you stay close to the centre for a short turn in order not to tire out your horse? Do you run in the comfort zone in order to gain more energy needed for the home stretch, or do you position yourself close to the vanguard? Do you use your energy to reposition or do you store it for more speed in the end? There is a lot to think about.

Intense scenes of Horse Racing on the top screen...

...accompanied by Solitaire on the touch screen.

After a couple of these rounds it is time for the big finale, where you go all out on the final straight. Your horse gets an enthusiasm level up to 100, depending on how much energy you have stored. The more enthusiastic, the faster the horse. But even here you need to play it tactical. You can use your horse’s leftover energy to spur him/her, or maybe you picked up some boost cards along the way. However, it is not always a good idea to go all-out. Your horse may grow tired, or you may throw away resources. Left-over cards and stamina are converted to experience points in Growth Mode, so using up every boost is a bad idea since your horse won’t level up.

And the N-Europe best-named horse award goes to...

There are even more aspects to racing which I haven’t touched (for example, there is a shop which lets you buy useful items), but the point is clear that there is so much more to do in a race than just solitaire. This makes the game surprisingly in-depth. But here’s the catch. Even if you run a perfect race, with full enthusiasm, a lot of boosts and a good position, you may still lose. Otherwise, you can screw up completely and somehow come in first or second. And this is the most frustrating aspect of the game. Your efforts are not always rewarded with victory, and you may have spent quite some time on shaping your horse. But then you lose on critical moments without it being your fault, and you just feel the time and effort you put into it disappear into the drain. And this is unforgiving in a game. It is not the kind of losing that feels fair, like in Monster Hunter where you die 10 times before finally figuring out how to dodge that annoying blow. Because even in a perfect game, there is the chance of losing. Some people may be able to play through this unfairness and maybe think it is fitting in a game based on a gambling sports, but I want to be awarded for my efforts. Especially with time being scarce and my game catalogue being big, I want results, goshdarnit!

That feeling of elation when pure luck finally pays off!

But despite this big flaw, the game itself is quite good. The soundtrack for example is magnificent, energetic and fits great with the horse racing theme. The touch screen works intuitive for both the solitaire and the racecourse segments. And the characters and presentation of the game are just fun. The horses look cute, as does the overall presentation of the game. Expect no fancy graphics (not even 3D), but it looks nice enough, and most of the time your attention will be on the touch screen anyway. However, if you look up during a race, you sometimes may find a drop in framerate which is, well, to be expected of Game Freak, but still unbelievable in a non-3D title.

Look at the different horses though, gotta race 'em all!

It is difficult to draw a conclusion for this game. You can easily sink dozens of hours into it; more if you are a completionist and want to collect all the different trophies, puzzles and special horses. I myself couldn’t put the effort in, because of the unforgiving randomness in the matches. If this doesn’t bother you, the verdict down here may seem harsh. For me however, it is a dealbreaker. A last word of good advice: Try the demo! Not only is it long and does it give a good idea about how the game plays and works, but you can also take your horse from the demo to the real game.