Mahjohng may be the oldest known tile matching game, and it has won many fans down through the centuries. There are plenty of apps to please both Mahjong traditionalists and people who like to see a twist on a classic game in Amazon’s App Store, but the bestselling Mahjong Artifacts line is definitely the most popular with Amazon customers.
Mahjong Artifacts (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $4.99) – This app has over 1,300 5-star reviews. From Amazon:
The Hunt is On!
Ready to search the world looking for treasure? Mahjong Artifacts will take you on an epic puzzle-quest! The prequel to Mahjong Artifacts: Chapter 2, you’ll be occupied for hours with everything it has to offer.
This is a classic Mahjong tile matching puzzle game–match and remove two tiles with the same symbols that can be shifted either left or right without disturbing any other tiles. Clear out all the tiles to finish the layout before you run out of moves to make.
But that’s not all–Mahjong Artifacts also features special tiles with powerful abilities that open up new strategies to clear tiles. Use them wisely, and you’ll get far.
Game On!
Three game modes offer a wide variety of play experiences. Story mode features the epic artifact-hunting quest, with 25 layouts in five exotic locations. Classic mode allows you to choose from 100 layouts to clear. Then there’s Endless mode, which challenges you to keep removing tiles from an ever-rising tower. How long can you last?
Mahjong Artifacts boasts 27 beautiful backgrounds, five artistic tile sets, and music tracks inspired by ancient cultures. Exercise your planning skills and guile to take out all the tiles!
Mahjohng Artifacts Chapter 2 (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at $2.99)
Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 is highly addictive tile-matching game with millions of players on PC and other platforms. It takes tile-matching games in an exciting new direction! Pair up tiles to dismantle hundreds of layouts. Gather pearls for purchasing special powers, utilize a selection of ground-breaking powerups, earn trophies, and enjoy the game`s beautiful graphics and rich audio. There’s more than enough tile-matching action in Mahjongg Artifacts 2 to keep you tapping the screen for months!
– Additional 99 levels in Classic Mode
– Thrilling Endless Mode
– Five Tile Sets
– Ground-breaking Powerups
– Gorgeous graphics and rich audio
A more recent tile matching craze came along a few years back with the introduction of the online computer game Bejeweled, now available as an app. The huge popularity of Bejeweled clued game developers in that there was a huge demand for casual symbol-matching games, and it wasn’t long before they started showing up in droves.
Among the early hits was a game with an ancient history theme: 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. That game was never translated into an app in its original form, but it has been adapted into 7 Wonders: Magical Mystery Tour (4/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at 99 cents). The premise of this game is that you must provide workers with raw materials to build the various “wonders” by matching gems, bricks and other tiles. There are also lots of power-ups to be earned along the way, to knock out many tiles at once, extend your play time, or unlock mini-games. From Amazon:
In 7 Wonders: Magical Mystery Tour, you’ll take a fantastic journey to some of the most enchanting sites of legend and mythology. With a team of master builders, you’ll match colorful runes to collect the building blocks needed for Camelot, El Dorado, Atlantis, Shangri-La, and many others. Build all 7 Wonders and then unlock a magical 8th location, Nazca Valley!
Make bigger matches to unlock power-ups that can help you gather your resources even more quickly! Complete each wonder to add to your team of builders so that you can fully assemble your crew of Guild Workers.
Rev up your match-making know-how for a charming trip through the 7 Wonders: Magical Mystery Tour!
A speed-trial variation on the tile matching theme can be found in Treasures of Montezuma 3, (4.5/5 stars, all ages, currently priced at 99 cents) where you have only one minute to clear each stage. From Amazon:
Match tokens to unlock incredible riches! With over 200 levels, amazing visual effects, explosive audio and stunning backgrounds that shatter the boundaries of art in casual games, The Treasures of Montezuma 3 is a guaranteed blockbuster and a must-have game for match-three fans!
The Treasures of Montezuma 3 will challenge your skills in new ways as you try to rack up as many points as possible in one minute. The Magic Totems make a return, and are more powerful than ever, allowing players to pull off insane combos. By using the powers of the totems strategically, you can score high enough to earn the Magic Stars you need to upgrade your bonus items to the max! You can add even more stars by completing the clock-free puzzle stages that appear between some levels. Don’t miss out on playing the most spectacular match-three game in the award-winning Montezuma series!
People who enjoy a more leisurely pace will want to give Call of Atlantis (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99) a try. It still has timed levels, but they’re quite a bit more generous than just one minute. From Amazon:
Atlantis is calling out to a true hero to save it from deadly peril! Set out on an exciting new quest in this spectacular mix of Match-3 and Adventure. Embark on a fascinating tile-swapping journey around the ancient lands of Rome, Greece, Troy, Phoenicia, Babylon, Egypt and Carthage to acquire seven mysterious crystals of power. Once collected and put together, they are able to restore the Altar of Poseidon and save the fabled sunken continent. Fully optimized for the touch screen, the game sets new quality standards for Android puzzle games with fantastic graphics and superb sound effects.
REVIEWS:
“A solid game with good gaming mechanics,” – AndroidTapp.com
“A fantastic app for everyone who loves puzzles and adventures,” – AskYourAndroid.com
“A polished gem-matcher that combines match-3 gameplay with a little bit of story and adventure,” – TUAW.com
“The replay value of this game is pretty amazing,” – SmartPhoneApps.com
“Exceptionally polished and professional,” – AppSafari.com
