Wireframe 2019

Interface

wfmag.cc \ 53

Game Freak \^ Developer Profile

Pocket Card Jockey

3DS 2016

This utterly bewildering mash-up of horse

racing, solitaire, and kawaii artwork turns

out to be an unexpected winner: engrossing,

challenging, and completely adorable. We’re

hoping this one gets a port to the Switch (or

better yet, a physical release) before the 3DS’s

inevitable retirement leaves Pocket Card Jockey

a minor classic in eShop limbo.

HarmoKnight
3DS 2012
Between Pokémon entries, Game Freak
squeezed in this little download-only rhythm-
platformer. Precisely timed button presses
are required to leap chasms, collect musical
notes, and smite enemies; it’s an easy-to-grasp
formula that’s well-suited for a handheld, while
occasional shifts in perspective and dramatic
set-pieces keep things fresh.

Tembo The Badass

Elephant
PC / XBO / PS4 2015
The destructive action on display means Tembo
more than lives up to the promise of its title: the
rampaging pachyderm is capable of smashing
through walls, tanks, and armies of enemies,
leaving showers of debris in its wake. The mix
of humour with a new-found anarchic streak
makes this a hugely entertaining platformer.

Giga Wrecker

PC / Switch 2017

It’s flawed, admittedly (Wireframe gave the

Switch incarnation, Giga Wrecker Alt, a so-so 60

percent) but this physics-based platform-puzzler

still has a lot going for it. Game Freak may be

best-known for Pokémon, but it’s pleasing to

see a successful developer insist on trying

out new ideas rather than rest on its monster-

catching laurels.

08 09 10

07