A cult classic 'Horse Solitaire RPG' from the developers of Pokemon is being freed from its 3DS prison

Pocket Card Jockey is finally being freed from its 3DS prison, and making the jump to iOS devices later this month.

Just earlier today, it was revealed that Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! would be coming to the Apple Arcade subscription service later this month on January 20 (thanks, Polygon). The beloved cult series from Pokemon developer Game Freak is finally being freed from the shackles of the Nintendo 3DS system, and coming to a brand new platform for the first time.

Pocket Card Jockey is - and stay with us here - a mash-up of a tactical horse racing simulator and a solitaire battler. You begin by breeding stables of cutesy horses, before racing them against other jockeys on tracks, with critical moments in each race being decided by rapid games of solitaire.

It all sounds barmy, yes, but it works brilliantly. Pocket Card Jockey was first released by Game Freak in Japan in 2013, and would take three years to launch for western audiences in 2016. By all accounts, it's become something of a cult-like hit for Nintendo players in the years since.

Here's hoping Pocket Card Jockey manages to achieve newfound attention from audiences when it comes to iOS devices on January 20 via Apple Arcade. Elsewhere for the subscription service, romance choice-based game Episode XOXO comes to Apple Arcade this week on January 6, while image puzzler Illustration joins the roster on January 13. 

Check out our best iPhone games guide if you're looking for other gems to get stuck into before Pocket Card Jockey arrives on the service.