The latest title in the Pretty Girls series by EastAsiaSoft, Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire is a PG-13 rated Mahjong game. Yes, there are anime babes in the background but at best (or at worst?) they will dress to their bikinis. As a Mahjong game, eh, it is a Mahjong game. As a game with a focus on seductively dressed females, there are other more lewd options available.
It is hard to knock this casually paced Mahjong title because it only costs $5 and it doesn’t make much to earn that Platinum Trophy. If you never played Mahjong, it is a simple tile matching game. As long as one tile is free, meaning it isn’t sandwiched between other tiles or covered with a tile above it, it can be clicked, and then matched with the same tile with other click. Once two tiles are matched, they disappear until all tiles are removed. After a board is cleared, the anime babe will sport a new outfit. Rinse and repeat until all babes and their outfits are unlocked.
This is a casual puzzle game through and through as there are no leaderboards, no penalty for getting anything wrong, no move counter, and no timer. The soundtrack is also easy-going and plays into the gentle nature of the go-at-your-own-pace gameplay. The square button shuffles the pieces if you are about to get stuck and the triangle button also highlights tiles that can be matched. Granted, the player can only use these quality of life features a few times per stage but glad they are there. Unfortunately, there is no un-do button so if you complete that last pair and there are no more moves available, the game instantly forces a game over and a complete restart.
Visually, the game looks fine, sporting bright colors and a pleasant palette. The biggest complaint are some pieces look a little too similar, especially in the later stages as the piece count grows. There is a gallery once that girl’s stage has also been completed and the cursor is easy and fluid to control. Unfortunately, the game hard locked on me once and I had to reset, losing my progress in the process.
Honestly, I found myself enjoying the super laid back puzzle experience way more than I thought I would probably because of its relaxing nature. The anime girls are not even that scantily dresses so there isn’t too much to be embarrassed about either. Once you unlock all the outfits, which only takes a couple hours, there is little reason to come back. But Platinum Trophy hunters will definitely want to take note.
Not As Weird As: Alveole
Better Than: forcing 3D into Mahjong
Don’t Forget About: Mina and Michi
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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