Who knew there were so many ways to play Mah Jong? I used to play it on our Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) when I was a kid. Mah Jong here refers not to the Chinese four-player game played on a table. The tile set is the same - bamboo, dots, Chinese characters, flowers, and others - but in computer games, Mah Jong refers to the single-player game where you match pairs of tiles until the board is cleared. Only tiles with no tiles above them, and their left and right sides exposed, can be matched; therein lies the challenge.
Of course, that’s all that I thought the game was, until I played Mah Jong Quest III. They’ve introduced special tiles that make this more than a simple pair-matching game. From butterflies that pull tiles up one level, to firecrackers that can blow up walls, to magnets that swap a tile to the magnet’s location - the variety of powerups they’ve included is amazing. And if you think a classic game of Mah Jong shouldn’t be touched, think again - these special tiles actually add more strategy to your game, making it less a quick “same old” routine to a longer, “I have to figure this out!” experience.
They wrap this all up in a story mode where your character Kwazi grows up, literally from an infant up to an old man with a family. At each year of your life, you play a game with your magical Mah Jong set; at the end of each stage, you’re asked to choose between three “sentiments” that outline your personality. These little pop quizzes shape your character as you struggle to find “balance” in your life, and the story unfolds according to your choices.
The elaborate story is an interesting way to play Mah Jong, but if you’re just looking for a plain old game, there’s a Tournament mode (online multiplayer), Freeplay, and Variations (including a one-minute-match Extreme Mah Jong for the hardcore players). With hundreds of puzzles, there’s really nothing more you’d wish from a Mah Jong casual game. Let’s just hope you’ve got the time and the patience to play them all!
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asian balance of life chinese hard iwin mah jong quest match tiles matching multiplayer online pair puzzle sequel story tile
Article by Luna Cruz
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(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
