Review: Mahjong Adventure

Who is ready for an old classic but revamped into the modern world of handheld gaming? Well, Mahjong Adventure is here to save you! But Xen? Mahjong is an old game? Why are you talking about it? Good question, and to that, I can only say that Fantastico Studio gave you the perfect reason to check out this old gem on the Nintendo Switch! So let’s buckle up and go over why Mahjong Adventure is an excellent pickup for your on the go puzzle needs!

We played Mahjong Adventure for 5 hours on the Nintendo Switch

What we liked!

• Nostalgia: This point might not apply to all of you, but for those who have ever played Mahjong before, this will come as no surprise. These puzzle/strategy game from back in the days brings back memories. And I, too, looked at this and thought it was just a simple version of “connect the matching pictures.” But playing it thoroughly this time, it really is not like that. You need to think like a strategist! The key to completing levels is to see if matching equal pairs is the best plan, and you are not only clearing out a single part of the play area. But I will let you figure the rest out for yourself.  
• Sound Design: As old and classic as it is, an excellent throwback game has to come with a great sound stage in mind. And I must say that Fantastico Studio really did it well. You have some soothing melodies at the start of the game, paired with some excellent power-up sounds. Later on in the puzzle, you will get a bit more stress and present music to let you know that you are about to lose points if you continue longer. Just a well thought out set of sounds!
• Tv mode: The very first moment I played this game, I thought to myself, what does Mahjong on the switch bring to the table that a tablet can’t do? I am used to playing this with an input device that’s eighter a mouse or my finger. Well: TV MODE. You can dock your switch and use a controller to play the game. This might sound like a minor thing, but I must say, it helps a lot in having an excellent overview of your tiles.

Somewhere between

• The power-up system: I must say, I never thought that on a classic game like this, the addition of all of these incredible power-ups would make such a significant impact. But I must say, it sure does! Each power-up has it’s own price to be purchased and has an effect on the gameplay. It’s just a little sad that, if you still fail the level, that you lose the power-ups used to try to solve the puzzle. Also, the power-ups’ price is a tad high, but more on that in a minute.

What we disliked

• Economy: Here we go! The economy feels somewhat off. For a game that is being put on the Nintendo Switch, your target audience is casual players. And with that, you won’t get many people that will look to continually 3star this puzzle. I might be mistaken, of course, but this is just how I feel. And if you don’t 3star your puzzle, then you are not getting enough gold to be buying power-ups every try. Heck, you can only buy one if you are lucky, but most of the time, I didn’t have the money. Completing 2 puzzles would get me there, or trying a few times would get me some gold. Instead, I could use each power-up once (with my earnings from the last level). Or maybe decide I don’t want a specific power-up and spend the leftover coins on more of another type.

CONCLUSION

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