Mahjong Princess is a game that does exactly what it says on the tin. No more, no less. You challenge girls to 2-player Japanese mahjong, and if you beat them you unlock an H-scene.
Art scenes are fantastic, with highly varied scenes and a wide selection of girl designs to collect.
As for gameplay, (Japanese) mahjong is a notoriously rule heavy game, and can be quite difficult for new players to learn and pick up. While the tutorial and help menu are both good reference tools, the game still requires some knowledge of defensive and efficiency strategies.
To remedy this, the game has a special mechanic where a player can spend in-game currency to rig their hand and start very close to a high scoring hand. I tested it a few times for the sake of this review-- I find it's not necessary if you know what you're doing, but still very useful if you don't.
In terms of mechanics, you can also use your currency to train your girls to up their stats. While not strictly necessary, upping your stats allows you some breathing room to make mistakes. Specifically, your starting HP is enough to be OHKO'd by a strong hand from the opponent. Since opponent HP's scale up with each successive battle, having the option to scale up your HP allows the player to trade blows with the opponent without requiring to fold when they are in riichi.
In terms of gameplay, there's a few minor inconveniences, like not being able to see your wait unless you declare riichi, or not having an option to turn off chii/pon prompts when your hand doesn't need them-- but these aren't big enough to actually impede gameplay.
In short-- the art is great. If you don't know what you're doing but you want to see the art, the game's built in mechanics give you a fair experience. But if you do know what you're doing and are up for a challenge, the game is still fun and fair just as a mahjong simulator.
Art scenes are fantastic, with highly varied scenes and a wide selection of girl designs to collect.
As for gameplay, (Japanese) mahjong is a notoriously rule heavy game, and can be quite difficult for new players to learn and pick up. While the tutorial and help menu are both good reference tools, the game still requires some knowledge of defensive and efficiency strategies.
To remedy this, the game has a special mechanic where a player can spend in-game currency to rig their hand and start very close to a high scoring hand. I tested it a few times for the sake of this review-- I find it's not necessary if you know what you're doing, but still very useful if you don't.
In terms of mechanics, you can also use your currency to train your girls to up their stats. While not strictly necessary, upping your stats allows you some breathing room to make mistakes. Specifically, your starting HP is enough to be OHKO'd by a strong hand from the opponent. Since opponent HP's scale up with each successive battle, having the option to scale up your HP allows the player to trade blows with the opponent without requiring to fold when they are in riichi.
In terms of gameplay, there's a few minor inconveniences, like not being able to see your wait unless you declare riichi, or not having an option to turn off chii/pon prompts when your hand doesn't need them-- but these aren't big enough to actually impede gameplay.
In short-- the art is great. If you don't know what you're doing but you want to see the art, the game's built in mechanics give you a fair experience. But if you do know what you're doing and are up for a challenge, the game is still fun and fair just as a mahjong simulator.