Card-Jitsu: The Best CP Mini-Game?

The other day I awoke thinking of something that I have not thought about in years...Card-Jitsu. Yes, the glorified "rock, paper, scissors" mini-game featured in Club Penguin. The more I thought about it, the more I missed it. But why? What made Card-Jitsu so fun?

Club Penguin home screen

I can not talk about Card-Jitsu without first talking about Club Penguin. Club Penguin was first launched in 2005 by New Horizon Interactive (eventually becoming Disney Canada Inc.). It was an MMO (massive multiplayer online game) set on Club Penguin Island. Players created their own penguin and were free to explore the island, play a variety of mini-games, decorate their igloo, and chat with other players. I'm not going to sit here and talk about how great Club Penguin was as that is a topic for another day, but Card-Jitsu remains perhaps the most iconic mini-game the late game produced.

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Original Club Penguin map featuring hidden locations

If you grew up playing Club Penguin, then you know that Card-Jitsu was not always featured in the game. In fact, the history of Card-Jitsu and the Dojo is quite interesting. The picture above shows the original map featured in Club Penguin. The locations circled in red were actually hidden locations that could only be accessed by hovering over them. These locations were nothing more than a cool set piece but over time were expanded upon.

The Dojo as it appeared in 2008

Card-Jitsu was introduced in 2008 and the Hidden Dojo was transformed into an official map location. There was a secret entrance on the side of the Dojo called the Ninja Hideout that was only accessible to players who had achieved the Ninja rank. Sensei would greet the player, give them a starter deck, and introduce them to the game.

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Belt Progression Chart

The ultimate goal of a Card-Jitsu player was to obtain rank of Ninja. In order for a player to become a Ninja, they first had to climb the belt ladder. This was achieved by simply grinding out matches against other players. Once a player received their black belt, they had to challenge and defeat Sensei to earn their Ninja Mask and access to the Ninja Hideout. The path to Ninja served as a way to keep player retention as there was always a higher goal to be working towards which also provided a physical in-game item for the player (their belt). The belts served as a ranking system which also provided a competitive aspect of the game outside of the actual game itself.

Card-Jitsu Rules

As I previously stated, Card-Jitsu at it's core is simply "rock, paper, scissors", a game children are taught very early in their lives. You win the game by collecting each element in a different color, or three of one element in a different color. If players choose the same element, the card with the highest power number was the victor. The concept of collecting elements after the initial "rock, paper, scissors" phase provides an element of strategy that is absent from the game it derives from. Sure, there is randomness to the game, but strategizing your play based on what elements you or your opponent needs is engaging and gives you a sort of control over an otherwise random guessing game.

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Animation for a snow element victory

There is nothing more satisfying when playing a game than absolutely humiliating your opponent and the animations in Card-Jitsu are certainly not lacking. With every element win, the winner of the round throws snowballs, water balloons, and squirts hot sauce at their opponent triggering a player animation showing the opponent in distress. This is just a fun little touch to the game that rewards the player instantaneously for winning the round.

Example of a power card animation

Decks also came equipped with "power cards". These cards had a significantly higher power number and also had a special victory animation tied to them. These animations were often very over the top and even featured notable characters from the Island (like Aunt Arctic featured in the above image).

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A player challenging Sensei

Lastly, let's discuss the battle music. Music is an essential element when setting the mood for something and boy does Card-Jitsu deliver. The music has a driving alternating staccato beat which provides a tense and jittery excitement. Club Penguin was known for it's catchy upbeat music and the battle theme served as a stark contrast in tone, while also maintaining the catchy melody of the game's other themes.

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On perhaps one of the darkest days in gaming history, Club Penguin servers were shut down on March 30, 2017. Club Penguin Island was launched in it's place, however, due to poor reception and upset fans, was discontinued the following year, but have no fear! There are still multiple ways to play Card-Jitsu today due to fan ports and remakes on both PC and mobile devices.