Publisher: Tik Games
Developer: Creat Studios
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now
Review by: James Dolbeare

It takes a lot of staying power for a game to remain popular for more than a century. Mahjong has been around for about 2500 years, so by any account, the game has enduring appeal. But can a game like Mahjong succeed on a next-gen gaming platform such as the PS3? TikGames and Creat Studios think so. With Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom, the developers have brought Mahjong to the Playstation Network, and have added some new flourishes to boot.

The game is divided into four modes: story, multiplayer, infinity and motion. The object in each mode is to find matching pairs of tiles. Every mode resembles a variation on Mahjong Solitaire, except that you control the cursor with the D-pad rather than with a mouse. The “Tales” referred to in the title are segments of narrative spliced into story-mode matches. However, the story really has nothing to do with the gameplay; it simply acts as an incentive for you to move through to the next level.

In multiplayer, you try to find pairs faster than your opponent does. In motion mode, tiles move as if on a conveyor belt around three sides of the board. The object is to eliminate all of the tiles before they reach the end of the belt, where a dragon breathes fire on them and ends the game. In infinity mode (you guessed it), the tiles just keep coming. Forever. Apparently “Until You Get Bored” mode just didn’t have the right ring to it.

All flourishes and sparkles aside, you’re essentially matching pictures as fast as you can. It’s like a game of Go Fish in which you can see your opponent’s cards and the cards explode when you get a match. Most of the intricacy that has made Mahjong popular is lost in this translation of the game.

Mahjong Tales isn’t without some appeal. It’s a fun sort of puzzler that you might play online and become addicted to after a long day at work. But after a few minutes of struggling with the D pad to get the cursor to move both faster and more accurately, you’ll be wondering why you’re playing it on the PS3 instead of on a computer with a mouse. There’s nothing more frustrating than a puzzle game in which you can see the solution but can’t get the controls to keep up with your brain; Mahjong Tales deals this in spades.

Still, putting aside the cumbersome control scheme and the simplicity, Mahjong Tales is fun. It’s just no more fun than a lot of games you can play for free online. If you’re looking to play a fun, simple puzzle game, you don’t need to spend $10 to do so.

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