A new mahjong game has just launched on Windows devices called Mahjong Secrets. The game uses a combination of traditional mahjong gameplay and hidden items to set itself apart from the numerous other mahjong games out now such as Microsoft’s own Microsoft Mahjong, which is a lot of fun and incorporates cloud saves, daily and monthly challenges, Xbox Achievements, and leaderboards to create a full-featured experience.
Mahjong Secrets may not have some of those extra features but it does contain over 100 different mahjong layouts (much more than Microsoft Mahjong), hidden object puzzles, mini-games, and even a storyline that progresses as more puzzles are unlocked.
The game also features a more medieval focus with castles and princesses which is refreshing due to the mainly Asian design influence of other mahjong games out right now. Mahjong Secrets is out on both Winodws 8 and 10 devices as well as Windows Phone. There is no cross-buy unfortunately, so users will have to buy it the PC/tablet and phone versions separately if they want to play it on their different devices.
Mahjong is a game that originated in China around 500BC and is traditionally played by four players. The sheer variety of game pieces may look intimidating but the gameplay is surprisingly simple with the main aim being to collect as many matching pairs of pieces as possible. It’s kind of like the card game snap but with the majority of the cards being viewable at the same time.
Like card games and board games, mahjong is suited incredibly well for reinterpretation as a video game on touch devices. The medium creates a fairly accurate representation of the game on screen and also allows for more visual variety. While the traditional pieces feature Chinese characters, birds and bamboo, many digital versions offer customized themes using animal, space or other creative imagery.
Are you playing a mahjong game on a Windows device? Which one do you recommend? I’m a big fan of Microsoft Mahjong myself. Share your recommendations in the comments below.
