[h1]A free-to-play mahjong solitaire game that felt way too short. :/[/h1]
[h2]Introduction[/h2]
[i]Mahjong Fest: Sakura Garden[/i] is a free-to-play mahjong solitaire game developed and published by Star Mill B.V. You're introduced to a beautiful Sakura garden, and you are tasked with restoring the garden to its former beauty and helping to promote it to tourists. Basically, you do so by completing levels and using the gems that you earn from doing so to purchase items. To complete levels, you have to match mahjong tiles (and there can be variations, such as matching golden tiles or finding red tiles) and you have power-ups that can assist you, such as reshuffle and hint functions. Depending on how well you clear the board, you can earn up to 3 stars per level. As I mentioned earlier, completing levels earns you gems, but it can also earn you coins, which allows you to purchase refills for power-ups in case you run out. In addition to these levels, there are the occasional levels which are mini HOG scenes or spot-the-differences. At the time of this review, no Steam achievements or trading cards are available, and the game won't count towards a user's global total until it's out of "profile features limited".
[h2]Review[/h2]
Even though I don't play them as often as I'd like, I enjoy a good mahjong solitaire game, so I was surprised to receive a review copy for this game. However, as you can probably tell, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked, so let's go into the details.
[h3]Gameplay[/h3]
The gameplay is fine. I had no problems matching mahjong tiles and completing the HOG and spot-the-differences scenes, especially with the help of power-ups. There is a good tutorial that explains the basic mechanics of the game for those who are unfamiliar with mahjong solitaire gameplay. However, next is where I have an issue, and no, it's not the lack of Steam achievements although it certainly wouldn't hurt to have them. I was under the impression that this was a complete game, but it actually isn't. This is more like a demo. If you want the actual full version, you have to purchase the DLC for it, which didn't come with the review copy that I received. Without the DLC, you'll only be able to play the first 20 levels, but with the DLC, you'll have access to 132 levels and be able to fully complete the garden. I probably wouldn't have had as much of a problem if this game had been labeled as a demo.
[h3]Art and Music[/h3]
Despite that some of the art was used with AI (it's disclosed on the store page), I think the style is fine. It does feel a bit impersonal, and I would have preferred a human touch, but the mahjong tiles are nicely designed, and I like the combination of colors.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3743175130
As for the music, the tracks are fine. They're fitting with the theme of Sakura blossoms, giving off that feeling of being in Japan. The one issue I have is that the music volume cannot be adjusted. It blares way too loudly, and I have my computer volume on the low end, so it wouldn't hurt to have a volume slider.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Would I recommend [i]Mahjong Fest: Sakura Garden[/i]? It's probably obvious by now, but unfortunately, I can't. If this game had been promoted more as a demo, I might have different feelings, but you need to purchase the DLC to fully enjoy the game. Of course, if you enjoy the base version, then you'll probably want to pay for the DLC. It's fine for a mahjong solitaire game, but it doesn't add that wow factor that makes me want to get the DLC. I might sound harsh in saying so, but I really wanted to like this game and just couldn't.
I would like to thank Star Mill B.V. for the review copy, and I hope that my review helps a bit when it comes to developing and promoting games in the future.
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