Japan World Cup is a horse racing simulator… though the words “horse” and “simulator” should be taken with a grain kilogram of salt. First of all, the riders don’t necessarily ride horses. There’s anything  from giraffes, zebras, yetis, elephants, seals, and more. Also, the riders have their own fun quirks. One of them is a ninja. Another is a pair of women that whip everything in their path. It’s absolutely insane and a joy to watch. Certainly a great way to spend your Saturday, you know?

Just a small taste of the variety of racers you can bet on

In this game, you don’t actually control any of the horses. It’s a browser based game that lets you make bets on who will win. It’s like real horse racing but… well… not all that accurate. I’ve been to a horse racing game or two, though, and this beats the real deal any day of the week.

Unfortunately, the game isn’t available to play right now, but thankfully enough people have captured the highlights on video. It has gone through three iterations (the most recent being Japan World Cup 3), and I think it has gotten better each time.

You’ll start to notice that the beginning of these are all pretty much the same. It’s the action at the end that’s worth watching (also, seeing if you can guess who wins). Try on this next video. Did you win? I definitely did not. My horse got his rear end drilled.

Let’s try again. I’m betting on the Ninja. Ninjas never lose, right?

I’m beginning to think it’s impossible to choose right…

But, it’s not ALL crazy… right? Right??? The beginning of this video is pretty normal, at least…

So far we’ve only been looking at Japan World Cup 3. Let’s look at Japan World Cup 2 – you can see that some of the racers are different… but the weirdness never changes.

Alright, so there’s no hope for any of these races to be anything like a regular horse race, so let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Things can get pretty wild.

But, what about the game? To get a better idea of how the game works, take a look at this video of someone playing it.

I gotta say, it’s the announcer that makes this game so awesome. Sure, the characters are weird and they do weird things, but if it wasn’t for the announcer (way better if you understand Japanese… but you probably can appreciate him no matter what) this game would be nothing. It’s quite impressive – I almost (just almost) feel like I’m actually there.

This game was made by Riichiro Mashima (@Gibmelson on Twitter). He’s also known for making the game “Ski Jumping Pairs” … which, of course, is also absolutely ridiculous.

To watch more videos, just do a search for “Japan World Cup 3” or “Ski Jumping Pairs” on YouTube. You will not be disappointed, and your Saturday will be properly wasted away. Enjoy!

Neeeeeh!