Halloween Night Mahjong is a Halloween-centric mahjong game that uses Halloween as its main selling point. This game can be bought on Steam and other gaming websites. Whilst it is available on various platforms, this game is actually a straight-up port of a ‘free-to-play’ iPad game. The only difference between Steam and the App Store is cost. The App Store version is free but has microtransactions. On Steam, it lacks microtransactions and is £ 12.79 at the standard price. As expected, my review is based on the Steam version.
The game’s concept is simple and easy to get into. In blunt terms, this game is essentially matching 2 of the same picture in a mahjong format. However, I feel the tutorial holds players’ hands too much, especially for someone who has played a mahjong game before, though you can skip it if you wish. It’s also the same tutorial featured in other games by the developer, such as Mahjong Magic Journey.
But as simple as it is, getting into the game itself is easy. This game isn’t as straightforward as it seems on paper. Many people might think the objective is to clear the board. But instead, your objective is to match all the golden tiles on the board in as few moves as possible. This game increases in difficulty the further you go. This is especially true on multilayered levels, where you can end up with pieces you don’t need.
On top of that, the game expects you to earn 3 stars on each level. You earn stars by meeting quotas on each level. You earn one star by meeting each quota in 3 different fields. These include making a limited number of moves, obtaining all the golden tiles, and earning enough gold coins in each level. Each level also has different requirements.
But this game is, in a sense, a luck-based game. This is because you depend on the game providing suitable tiles so you can make moves. If you have a set that gives you no moves, you must use the reshuffle button. I found saving this ability for that situation particularly useful in getting you out of having unsuitable tiles. This is frustrating because the game makes you so dependent on it to meet level requirements. On some levels, it may take multiple attempts to complete. This is because of the randomised tiles and whether they work in your favour. I also think this makes trying to achieve 3 stars on every level particularly challenging.
However, I dislike how it strays from the Halloween theme. In-game, many levels are set up to look like a pile of tiles. I wonder why these levels are in the game. The levels in question have nothing to do with Halloween. In fact, most levels are set up in ways that aren’t relevant to Halloween. The game also doesn’t use Halloween tiles by default; it uses the standard tiles from other games. But I think the game’s audio is repetitive. I feel that because there are only a few different tracks and sound effects. Over time, it gets annoying, and after a while you end up turning off the sound.
I don’t like that the game (in Steam’s description) offers a story about a witch inviting you to play mahjong in an old mansion. I am taking this directly from the Steam store description (as seen above). The game makes no mention of playing mahjong. I saw pictures of different locations on the level selection page. However, there is nothing about a story, or even a slight reference to one. So if you are expecting a Halloween-centric puzzle game with a story, look elsewhere. This game is just a selection of mahjong levels, nothing more, nothing less.
In my opinion, the game is ok if you’re into mahjong content-wise. However, I would avoid playing this game. Primarily because I don’t think it’s worth the original asking price of £12.79. Which I think is way too much for a port of a free-to-play iPad game.
