[b]mahjong: legacy of the toltecs[/b] is a mahjong collection from 2012. there's an [b]optional tutorial[/b] and a brief help screen, but it's the usual tile-matching gameplay, of course.
[b]classic mode has 333 layouts[/b], all unlocked from the start, not too shabby. there's a scroll bar, arrows on the sides, mouse wheel also works for browsing, and quitting a level puts you back to the page you were on. many modern games fail even at such basics. I wouldn't mind filters, at least to hide levels already completed, but can't have everything.
[b]adventure mode consists of 34 levels[/b], a pair for each location. no actual story, just more layouts with the difference that they're unlocked one by one and completing them [b]adds more customization options[/b]. tile colors are all unlocked, but there are more tilesets, tile shapes and backgrounds, pretty good stuff.
there's an overall level progress bar on top and counters for remaining tiles and available matches, plus a toggle to highlight playable tiles. [b]the timer is only present in classic mode, not a countdown but can't be turned off[/b], always a bummer. these days I don't bother with games that don't let me get rid of it, but I wasn't aware in this case and it's not necessarily a dealbreaker when it comes to recommendations, just an annoyance I prefer to do without.
score is the main measurement of success in adventure mode and completion time is more relevant on classic levels, but in reality neither really matter. [b]classic mode has a silver and gold time goal for every layout[/b], you might want to try and beat those, or random names on the [b]adventure scoreboard[/b], a lot less motivating.
not sure if the game only generates solvable layouts or not, I managed to paint myself into a corner sometimes, but that doesn't mean anything. no moves doesn't fail the level, nor do you get a free shake-up, but [b]shuffle, undo and hint[/b] are at your disposal in both modes. they cost varying amounts of mana in [i]adventure mode[/i] and add a penalty to completion time on [i]classic[/i] levels. [b]mana is replenished by making 3 matches quickly[/b], not an ideal way for people looking for some relaxing fun. then again, they might have more patience or wisdom to figure stuff out without assistance and [b]controls are really smooth, feels good to be able to make selections this fast[/b], as long as your eyes and brain can keep up with finding new matches.
the presentation is fine for the time but it isn't widescreen and [b]black bars on the sides are never a good look[/b]. multiple player profiles and the usual settings for separate volumes, non-resizable windowed mode (1024x768) and game cursor, plus toggle for different colors for the layers (in the customization window), very handy. everything is available while playing a level, but [b]I would've liked a toggle for points floating over every match[/b], very distracting.
all in all, it's a [b]pretty good collection with a huge amount of content[/b], even just playing each layout once will take hours and hours. there's a surprisingly low number of decent mahjongs on steam, especially if we ignore low-effort hentai and 8floor stuff, so it's good to have more, old or new. make no mistake, these guys are reskin artists as well, [b]not looking forward to the same layouts in their other games[/b], but not nearly as prolific and shameless as 8floor (I still buy their solitaires at 90% off because they're servicable, so I'm part of the problem).
