Developer: LSJ Productions, Art In Games Ltd., East Asiasoft Limited
Publisher: LSJ Productions, East Asiasoft Limited
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Another World Mahjong Girl – Review
Over the years we have featured quite a few titles from the Pretty Girls series, and these games were often fairly entertaining, albeit a bit shallow. When we came across Another World Mahjong Girl, we were under the false impression that this was actually the next installment of that series, and thus we were curious to see what it had to offer. We were surprised however, as this quirky little title felt more complex in many ways, while also being a lot less accessible.
Story
Even though there is a story in Another World Mahjong Girl, it does take the backseat, and it follows typical tropes of busty babes who are in for a challenge. We do have to commend the developers for actually adding proper bios for the different characters you’ll encounter. If you’re looking for more than just a Mahjong game with sexy anime ladies, then you’ll be in for a treat, if you already have some prior knowledge of the official Mahjong rules.
Graphics
Graphically, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Another World Mahjong Girl. The UI is clear, the board is clearly visible, and the voluptuous ladies are well-designed. The overall animations of said damsels are a bit static, but even so, everything looks clean and good. We might even dare to say that things look quite a bit better than the Pretty Girls games, which also featured a lot of fanservice. We could clearly see that the game was a port, however, as the main map still had a traditional cursor and the highlighting of the selected buttons was not always done clearly.
Sound
The sound design is decent. You’ll have a relaxing tune playing in the background while your character shouts out a few terms, and the opposing character does the same. There is not much more to it when it comes to the actual gameplay. You can also ‘discipline’ the girls, however, which is implemented very awkwardly. Even though the game is still rated as PEGI 12, we wouldn’t suggest young teenagers playing this title with the sound on in the same room as their parents. During the discipline segments, or even when winning matches, the girls moan, which might turn a few heads.
Gameplay
Another World Mahjong Girl is a Mahjong game, with a few twists and with a varied cast of attractive anime girls. This game made us think of the Pretty Girls games, which are also published by East Asiasoft Limited. In the game, you’ll play matches of Mahjong against AI opponents in order to progress through the game and unlock more girls to play with. It’s all pretty straightforward stuff if you know the rules of Mahjong. In this case, we are talking about actual Mahjong, and not the Western version where you simply remove two tiles with matching symbols from the board. Mahjong in this case is more like a competitive card game, where you’ll have to make combinations on the board and pick the right tile to place down. Even though it was clear that the game expected players to know some of the rules already, we did hope that a proper tutorial was implemented to help us on our way. Sadly, the tutorial in the game is quite horrendous, and you cannot even properly view it when you want to.
Truth be told, there is not that much more to say about the game. All in all, everything works as it should work, there are a few cute girls on the side, and things aren’t too bad if you’re familiar with the rules. The thing is, and we have said the same thing about the Pretty Girls titles, this is just a fairly generic Mahjong game with lovely ladies plastered on the playing field, and that’s about it. Sure, the discipline mechanic does add a bit of depth, as it can grant you temporary power-ups, but it also feels very basic. If you’re into this, you’ll probably scratch that cute girl Mahjong itch, but if you’re not, you’re probably better off playing on a free-to-play Mahjong website. The Switch port of this title also does not support touchscreen controls.
Conclusion
Another World Mahjong Girl isn’t a bad game per se, it’s just a very shallow experience. You’ll be treated to a classic Mahjong game with busty ladies and a few power-ups, and that’s about it. The game is only accessible to those who are already familiar with the rules of Mahjong, as the in-game tutorial is quite bad. If you are a fan of the theme, we suggest that you learn how to play the game elsewhere before delving into this one.
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