The Phenomenon
Anyone who is familiar with the Macarena knows that trends come and go, but one trend has showed surprising staying power: Mahjong Solitaire. The game, also known as Shanghai Solitaire, started gaining momentum in the 1980s, and while it arguably peaked a few years ago, it's still very present and popular today. If you're a fan of the tile-matching game, get ready to take your game online with Mahjong Towers Eternity, where you'll truly be tested.
For the small handful of people who are unfamiliar with the popular game, Mahjong Solitaire is played using small, rectangular tiles, each depicting a different picture. They are arranged in various patterns, usually four tiles deep, with the goal being the removal of all of the tiles. To do this, you must select matching tiles. You can only highlight ones that are unobstructed on either the right or left (or both). It is possible to stalemate, if you are unable to make matches out of any of the available tiles. If this is the case, you must restart or reshuffle, but you do have a limited number of reshuffles.
A Variety of Gameplay
To keep the tile matchin' action fresh and exciting, you're given three gameplay modes to choose from. These modes are:
- Classic: This mode presents you with the traditional (or classic) mode of Mahjong Solitaire. Great for die hard fans or players just getting into to. It also has great lasting appeal.
- Speed: In this fast-paced mode, only the tiles that can be currently matched are visible. While this might make the actual play a little easier, the added emphasis on speed ramps up the tension ten-fold.
- Concentration: The mode for the true master, concentration mode blacks out all of the tiles, only allowing you to see the one that is currently selected. This one is daunting, for sure, but you get a 3x bonus for everything!
Online Interaction
The internet is a vast, diverse web of people that are just oozing with potential, and this product makes the absolute most of it. The online element allows people to create and submit their own Mahjong puzzles for others to download. Since the core rule revolves around matching tiles, this gives players the freedom to arrange them in various patterns of their liking. By turning to the public, Mahjong Towers Eternity offers some of the most unique and challenging puzzles to be found.
The beauty of Mahjong is in its simplicity, which is why it's so easy to create puzzles that conform to the traditional rules. Once you get the hang of the game, which honestly shouldn't take you more than one match, you'll be creating your own puzzles and sending them out to people all over the world. During my time online, I glimpsed puzzles modeled after castles, grocery carts, and the Houston Skyline.
A Must for Fans
Fans of the popular matching game are in for a treat! If you've completely worn yourself out on the game, taking it online is the next logical step, and all the Mahjong players in the world will be waiting to give you an experience like never before!
