Sometimes the oldest games are the best and there’s a whimsical charm to playing a game that comes with a slower pace, no guns and something that doesn’t require a game controller. Solitaire Mahjong is one of those games and if you have memories of playing it with family or even friends, then chances are you might jump at the chance to play it again. Even if you’ve never played the game before there’s a strong chance that you’ve heard of it before, now you can play it on your Android smartphone, and even compete against others. Read on to find out more.
Description: For those that have played the game before, perhaps on older games consoles or through another app, you’ll know that playing Solitaire Mahjong is very much a solitary experience. That’s not the case here though, you’re pitted against others and you’re challenged with beating other players by racking up points than your opponent in the allotted time period. You pay for entry into tournaments against others through the use of tickets, you’re awarded a certain amount of “bonus tickets” when you start playing the game and you can buy them for a small fee later on.
How it Works: To get started, you’ll have to quickly download the game from the Play Store. After that you’ll be asked to either sign-in or set-up a new account. There’s no need to enter any serious personal data and the process doesn’t take long at all.
As soon as you have an account ready to play with you can take a look at the tournaments on offer. There are two types of tickets used to enter tournaments, “Bonus Tickets” and normal tickets. A normal ticket costs $1 to buy. You can enter the instant tournaments with the bonus tickets, of which you are given 10 when you first start playing the game or you can use normal tickets to enter the jackpot tournaments to win even more money.
When you play the game, it plays just as you might think Solitaire Mahjong to play, simply match titles together to earn more points. The more of them you match, the more points you get. The idea is to raise more points than anyone else to walk away away with the winnings:
When playing, you get 9 Minutes to match as many tiles as you possibly can, if you’re having trouble seeing the tiles, you can pan and zoom quite easily:
Your score is listed in the bottom-right corner of the app and when you finish the current game you’re playing, it’ll work out just which one of you has come away with the highest score:
At the end of each game it’ll let you know which player has won. Seeing how close you come to winning can encourage you to carry on playing, over and over again. I know when I first lost I wanted to play over and over until I finally won a match.
If you want to try something that pays out a little better, you can always try the jackpot tournament, however you will to purchase tickets to do so:
If you ever get stuck, and find yourself needing to look up the rules of how to play Solitaire Mahjong you can always take a look in the help section of the game:
Opinion: I have memories of trying to play Mahjong games on the PlayStation back when I had ran out of other games to play. I was a lot younger then and all I wanted was to play games with whizz-bang games with great 3D graphics. Now though, I can appreciate a slower pace and a game that requires a little more thought. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge PC Gamer but it’s nice to play something a little traditional in a setting that really works.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – The game works well and rounds are 9 Minutes each which is quick enough to play whenever you have a little time to yourself or play game after game.
- Features (3/5) – Solitaire Mahjong isn’t for everyone and I’m sure a lot of people won’t find the game a lot of fun but, it’s a good game that brings a little nostalgia into modern gaming.
- Theme (4/5) – Everything looks good and the tiles themselves are easy enough to distinguish from others, besides you can pan and zoom quite easily.
- Overall (4/5) – Definitely not a game for everyone but, those that fancy a quick challenge and want to play something a little more traditional will enjoy this.
Pros
- Distinguishing between tiles is easy enough and the game has a good-looking theme.
- Addictive gameplay will have you coming back time and time again.
- 9 Minute games are quick to play on the move, but long enough to keep you interested.
- Ability to win prizes is always a good thing for a traditional game like this.
Cons
- Definitely not a game for everyone, it is an old Chinese game after all.
- A quick and simple explanation of the rules would be welcome.
Conclusion: For those looking for a game with a little more focus on gameplay instead of dazzling graphics, Solitaire Mahjong offers a good alternative with a welcome change of pace. It’s definitely not a game for everyone but, if you like the idea of something simple to keep you entertained then there’s definitely nothing wrong with this game. Having said that, it can get a little mundane after a while. For bite-sized fun on the go this is a really great option and it doesn’t ask too much of the player either.