level structure | controls | options
BASIC INFO:
Title ....... Shanghai (North America, Japan)
Players ..... 1
Genre ....... puzzle
Subgenre .... matching, tile removal
Platform .... Game Boy (1990)
STORY:none
GAMEPLAY:
This is a bare-bones game of Mahjong solitaire. Upon starting a game, you are presented with a randomized puzzle in the classic "turtle" pattern.
That's pretty much it.
There is a nice piece of sprite artwork on the title screen, and a kickin' rad dragon when you complete a puzzle.
THOUGHTS:
Mahjong Solitaire in monochrome on a tiny screen is really hard on the eyes. Besides that, If you have a portable device that has internet connectivity, you already have this game.
Besides that, there are many other versions of Mahjong Solitaire that are, frankly, much better. Shanghai Pocket (a dual mode Game Boy Color game) immediately springs to mind as being very similar to this game, but offering the advantages of color and multiple puzzle layouts. I also really enjoyed Mahjong Quest Expeditions for the DS, which has one less notable feature (you cannot change the tile type) but many new features, not the least of which is touchscreen functionality.
LEVEL STRUCTURE:
There is only one "level," and you are taken directly to it upon starting the game.
CONTROLS:
D-pad .... move cursor
select ... menu
start .... doesn't appear to do anything
A ........ select
B ........ deselect; cancel
OPTIONS:
In the menu you can access by pressing select, you have access to an OPTION menu and a BGM menu. The OPTION menu allows you to select HINT (shows you hints), PLAYBACK (undo), and FACE (allows you to change the tileset to symbols more familiar to Western audiences). BGM allows you to choose the background music from among 3 choices. Unfortunately, you cannot turn the music off.
EXTRA NOTES:
Apparently, the use of the name Shanghai in reference to Mahjong Solitaire is trademarked by Activision. Activision does appear in the game's opening credits ("original copyright (c)1986 Activision, Inc.)
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