Customer Reviews

Mahjong: Journey Quest for Tikal

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have played several different Mahjong games on DS and have found this one to be the very best in every way possible. The tiles are big, colorful, bold, clear, and very easy to see. If you don't particularly care for the default set (which you see in the product description above), you can easily unlock all 4 other tile sets in the first few levels of the game. The last set you unlock is also very very nice on the eyes. The second one you get is the traditional Asian style one for purists who prefer that set.
The music in this game is so beautiful I actually turned it up to listen to it and it is CD quality full orchestration. If someone was sitting next to you while you were playing this, they would be dumbfounded to know that is video game music. I love it!

The gameplay is really nice and relaxing. They give you a 20 minute timer to play a single board which is beyond adequate as I have never taken more than 6 or 7 minutes while playing at a very relaxed pace. (This is in regards to adventure mode. I have not yet tried Classic mode).
The adventure mode takes you to various places with all different tile layouts each step of the way, and beautiful images to enjoy on the top screen.

The game is never too hard, thanks to 7 types of bonus tiles that appear randomly on each level and greatly help you out when you are stumped. My favorite of those bonus tiles is the Joker tile that allows you to match it with a tile of your choice.
I also love that the top screen tells me how many matches I have available at any time. Even better is an undo button that never penalizes me if I make a move I wish I hadn't. There is also a reshuffle button that I love to use when necessary.

In Classic mode, this game offers 9 different modes within that: Standard, Countdown (20 mins to remove all tiles on board), Point Race (remove tiles as fast as possible), Remember (symbols on tiles are displayed briefly when you touch them), Exchange (symbols on two tiles are swapped every five seconds), Shuffle (You have to match a pair of tiles within 20 seconds or the whole board will change), 10 Seconds (you have to match at least one pair of tiles every 10 seconds or you'll lose 50 points each time), Match (you can temporarily store one or two tiles on a special board so you can reach other tiles easier), and Freecell (try to find the tile displayed on the board within 10 seconds to remove it).

So whether you like adventure mode (the only one I prefer), or like to jazz things up with unique challenges under the classic mode umbrella, this game really packs a lot of tile matching fun. And for stat lovers like me, I was delighted to find it even has a page for your Statistics - telling how many layouts you have done, your best time in a game, the number of hints, shuffles, and tiles used, and best of all it tells how long you have played it total.

This Mahjong Journey is one I am incredibly delighted to have taken!

I thought the original Chinese character Mahjong was hard! The symbols on this version was tougher but even more addictive than the first time I played this game. If you like Mahjong, this title will definitely keep you occupied for hours on end. I do hope there's more where this came from!

I very much like the concept of this Mahjong game. I own Mah Jong Quest Expeditions for the DS and quickly bored of that game, as I felt there weren't that many different puzzle layouts. This game has tons of different layouts for you to solve (99 in adventure mode and 66 in classic mode), as well as the added bonus of specific challenges that you can choose to complete. And, there are three difficulty levels, so you can always change your level if you find it too easy, or change the amount of help you want to receive during the game.

The reason this game only gets three stars is the size of the tiles. Would it have killed the manufacturer to make the tiles just a little bigger? I was having such a great time playing this game, curious to see what layout was next or what piece of the mystery would be revealed next, but had a headache after three layouts and had to put the game down. What a bummer!

Overall, I think this is a good game to add to your collection if you are a Mahjong fan, but just don't plan on spending long spans of time playing it.

I find this game easy to use and very addicting. I love Mah Jong and have been trying to find a decent one for the Nintendo DS.

I did get through the challenge part pretty quickly (about a week at about a 1/2 hour a day) but there are enough layouts and difficulty levels that it remains fun for a long time after.

I found the blocks easy to read and after you solve the challenge, you have a wider selection.

There is nothing flashy to this game but it's fun to play.

The game comes with basic mahjong. In 'adventure mode' there's a skippable backstory (no bearing on the game) which leads you to sixty levels of mahjong with 'bonus' tiles that do various things (switch tiles, eliminate tiles, etc).

In 'Classic Mode' there's just mahjong, some with house rules (memorizing tiles before the faces disappear, tiles switch places, etc). These come with an option of level difficulty and tile faces if unlocked.

I have yet to figure out how to unlock anything and the only flaw I can find is the tiles are a bit small.

I love to play Majong, but there was only a small amount of games that were incorporated into collections.

This game is really good if you like Majong. There are many different games to go through and it isn't too bad on the eyes with the new Nintendo DSi XL! This game has several different tile sets that "unlock" along the way. There is of course the true Asian tiles and the others are different. There are several "types" of Mahjong (I didn't know there were so many types of Majong). There are two sections one has about 100 layouts the other contains 60+. You can pick your difficulty levels and try to score more points each time you do a level. You can use helpers along the way like shuffles which I believe I will need when playing the difficult level. You can pretty much dictate the games you play by choosing the levels, tiles, backgrounds and layouts in Classic Mode.

I would recommend this game to anyone who loves Majong. Playing it on Nintendo DSi XL even better!

If you have already played Mahjongg Mysteries: Ancient Egypt then DON'T get this game. The 2 recently released mahjong games for the DS are virtual clones of one another. The differences are superficial and minor.

In "Adventure" mode (which is in no way adventurous) there are a few screens of dialog setting up the "adventure" story at the start of the game. Then a couple at the end of the last level (level 60, the 60th game board) in adventure mode when it says you are done. Those screens of dialogue and the design of the tile sets are the only real differences in the 2 games.

In "Classic" mode, there are a variety of tweaked mahjong solitaire games to play. The varieties (and their names) are identical in the 2 games (Mahjongg Mysteries Ancient Egypt and Mahjong Journey Quest for Tikal). You can choose difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Hard). Another reviewer has described these various tweaked games well, so I won't say more.

Overall, I liked the tile set better in Mahjongg Mysteries Ancient Egypt, so I liked the game a bit better than the Quest for Tikal game. But you definitely shouldn't get both.

My grandkids have some many games for DS than I do. But since I don't have time to play them, I order for the kids. I can always borrow them when we come for a visit. Thanks for having this type of game, they enjoy it alot, they had to show me what to do in each level. Thanks, Ms. Stephens

I usually play Mahjong to relax. But as said by other reviewers,i would agree and say that:
1- the tiles are way to small
2-the music makes me mute my ds because i find it very annoying
3-i bought this game because i needed a game to relax and i wanted a Mahjong "like " for on the go...NOT a good choice. It is so tiny you have to strain your eyes, and it does give you a headache.
terrible terrible game the only good thing about it would be the top screen graphics of a tiki paradise like but even those are not that great... I seriously regret buying it, and i thought i'd let other people know.

Enjoyed the game very much. It came in the condition stated and expected. I have been playing it ever since, on a daily basis.