JanCard – try this different kind of Card Game app with elements of Mahjong & Poker

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JanCard is a crazy and exhilarating card game with a similarity to Rummy, Mahjong, Canasta and Poker. The idea of the game is to collect ‘melds’ or rather, card combinations, in order to win the hand. Each hand has a series of rounds and you receive a card on each. In turn, you must then lose a card. Featuring quirky characters and genuinely impressive sound effects I think the game has great potential, however, it does need a small tweak…
Price: Free, $2.99 for full version
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Medium Maturity

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Great graphics and animations!
• Great sound effects!
• Complex gameplay!
• Fast and responsive!
• Challenging!

Cons

• Game instructions are almost incomprehensible.
• Background music is pretty bad (although you can turn this off).

Features:

JanCard is a clever and engrossing card game with a cast of quirky animal characters and slick gameplay. Much like poker or rummy, you have to collect winning hands. These hands come in a variety of ways: consecutive numbers, even numbers, odd numbers, matching numbers, etc. When you win the hand you also win chips. There seems to be a complex scoring system here but it’s a little tricky to comprehend. The game comes with a full tutorial, but the language I feel has not been translated well and it doesn’t make much sense.
This aside, and with a bit of practice, you can just about work out the main rules. After being dealt your 5 cards you receive another in turn. You then have to dispose of a card and so on. If the dealer lays an open card you want, you can press ‘Challenge’ to acquire it (again the system of acquiring it is a little beyond my comprehension via the tutorial). If you complete your hand with this Challenge card you ‘Win’. If you complete the hand without it you should ‘Jan’!, from what I can tell from gameplay.
While it is a little confusing to start with, a few games in, it does begin to make sense. As this is a review, I wanted to get the most out of the game, so I persisted. However, as it is right now, I’m unsure other gamers would be as patient. It’s a shame however because, this translation issue aside, it’s a superb little game. It’s very quick and responsive, the animations and graphics are extremely good for a card game. As you accumulate wins and points you unlock more tables and games to play. There are a variety of crazy animal characters you play against and these get more competitive as you progress.
I’m really pleased that the game doesn’t patronise gamers by giving them the upper hand- it’s genuinely challenging and often tough to win a hand. Some hands only last a few deals before one of the animal players win. JanCard is brightly coloured and could probably pass for a children’s game if it wasn’t for the complexity and similar vibe to Poker. If there could be a revision of the instructions, utilising a coherent translator or service, JanCard could be a real winner. It has loads of potential and is very engrossing for a card game.

Watch on Mobile

JanCard – Opening menu, complete Lesson mode to unlock Casino mode

JanCard – Guitar playing crested penguin is the winner!

JanCard – Great animations and slick gameplay

JanCard – Win!

JanCard – Fire-Elephant wins!

JanCard – Card sets

JanCard – End of hand

JanCard – Tutorial

JanCard – Character selection. A chubby canary in a hula skirt? Why not…

JanCard – Settings

JanCard – Landscape mode

Fun Factor:

The best advice would be to sit through the tutorial and not be put off by the confusing instructions. Pick up what you can and then play a few games to grasp more rules. The whole ‘Challenge’ card thing was a little tricky for me until I realised the implications. Because you’re surrounded by these brightly coloured animals, it’s weird, but certainly fun. The game is also very responsive, so rounds fly by and it’s very engaging and compulsive to ‘play-one-more-hand’.

Addictive:

I enjoy card games but they do not always transfer well to the Android platform. The recently reviewed Solitaire was one exception to this and I would suggest that JanCard is another. If you enjoy games like Poker or Rummy, you’ll certainly find this all the more compelling than non-players. If you have the time and patience to be persistent I think you’ll find this far more addictive than you might realise. It’s very casual and easy to fire up and play a few hands.

Graphics:

For a card game it’s very good indeed. Rich colour and animations which are superb. I loved the dealing animations and the bewildering victory poses of the winners. It’s all quite quirky but fun and really well developed.

Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:

The background music, a kind of chintzy Jazz-piano, is the sort of music that would make you leave a restaurant. If, however, you check out the settings and un-tick the BGM (Background Music) tab it goes away! Conversely, the sound effects are awesome! Rich and varied the “Jan!”, “Challenge!” and “Winner!” exclamations are a highlight. The effects work really well with the game.