Mahjong Artifacts 2
By G5 Entertainment
View More By This DeveloperOpen iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
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--- CRITIC REVIEWS ---
"The fantastic graphics and attention to detail are really what make this mahjong title better than the rest. The spot-on controls, coupled with the entertaining storyline and great graphics, make this one of the best matching puzzle games we’ve seen yet. Must have." - Heather, SlideToPlay.com
"The controls and interface are extremely well done... Mahjongg Artifacts 2 contains an extreme amount of polish. All of the graphics are well-detailed and extremely crisp" - AppVersity.com
"By far and away, the greatest asset here from a design standpoint is sheer elegance... stunning iconography, subtle animations, and a delightful musical score that changes based on the country (i.e. Tibet, Japan, India, etc.) you visit adds an authentic atmosphere of mystery and excitement that's missing from most competitors." - Gamezebo.com (PC review)
"You can definitely expect to be addicted very quickly to this game. This game takes full advantage of the ability to use the iPhone as a wide horizontal playground, providing a much better use of the screen space." – Shera, TheMomsReview.com
"This app is relaxing and you get a gaming fix at the same time. I love games like this! Presentation, overall gameplay and just the environment it tries to exude, this is a pick up!" – Daniel, TheAPPera.com
8/10, SILVER AWARD - PocketGamer.co.uk
--- GAME DESCRIPTION ---
Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 is one of the most popular mahjong games on PC now available on iPhone. 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!
- Epic Quest Mode
- Additional 99 levels in Classic Mode
- Thrilling Endless Mode
- Five Tile Sets and Numerous Backgrounds
- Ground-breaking Powerups
- Shuffle, Hint, Undo, Show Locked Tiles
- Manual zoom in/out and auto-zoom mode
- Gorgeous graphics and rich audio
NOT SURE YET? Try the Lite version - "Mahjongg Artifacts 2 Lite"!
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Check out other great games by G5 – search “g5” in iTunes Store to find us:
SUPERMARKET MANAGEMENT - manage grocery stores
MAHJONGG ARTIFACTS 1 - prequel to this game
JANE'S HOTEL - run a hotel in this time management hit
YUMSTERS! 2 - addictive innovative puzzle game!
SUCCESS STORY - addictive burger-serving game
STAND O' FOOD - exciting blend of strategy and time management genres
SUPERMARKET MANIA - G5's classic time management hit
THE MYSTERY OF THE CRYSTAL PORTAL - amazing hidden object game
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VISIT US: www.g5e.com
WATCH US: www.youtube.com/g5enter
FIND US: www.facebook.com/g5games
What's New in Version 1.4
For those who upgraded to 1.3 and the game stopped working - upgrade to this version to fix the game.
This upgrade also includes:
Enless Mode tile matching bug fix.
Higher quality image when fully zoomed out.
Deselect tile by tapping on empty space.
One million score saving bug fix.
Customer Reviews
A glossy approach to tile swapping
Matching games are out in force for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform whether they’re the plethora of Match 3 games or the memory-type pair matching kind to name a few. The game of mahjong is a tile matching game that has been played for generations in Asia, and you’ll find several worthy ones in the iTunes store. One that is worth considering is Mahjongg Artifacts 2, originally a PC game now available on the platform. Having spent some time with this title, the game is extremely polished, contains a storyline, and offers a few special touches that make it a standout among the other mahjong titles.
When I say extremely polished, Mahjongg Artifacts is exactly that. The game has high production values throughout from the neatly laid-out menus and rich soundtrack to the stunning graphics and elegant design. This is one of the more visually stunning games and arguably the best among mahjong games. The background images with a Far East flavor could easily be vibrantly reproduced postcards, while the highly decorated tiles pop from the screen.
The game of mahjong is rather simple: match pairs of tiles to clear the board. Of course, based on the elaborate layouts and tile designs, the challenge is that matches can only be made with tiles that are free on the left or right and that no other tile covers. Mahjongg Artifacts 2 follows the same concept, and you’ll need to make matches strategically so you don’t run out of moves or need to restart a level.
Mahjongg Artifacts 2 has three game modes: Quest, Classic and Endless.
Quest is the story mode which will take you through 25 levels in search of artifacts through 5 different locations in Asia and Europe as well as an imaginary land. The storyline involves the search for a lost explorer and the recovery of artifacts. Presented through a series of comic book panels before each level, the storyline isn’t particularly strong, but it provides an additional twist to the game. Each location has its own set of tile sets. The objective is to clear enough of the board to locate two golden tiles that once matched, complete the level. Also as you make matches, you earn pearls which can be used for functions such as hints, undo moves or board shuffling. As you complete levels, a map keeps tracks of progress as does a separate board for monitoring artifact pieces collected.
Classic, which has 99 levels, and Endless offer the standard tile matching games where the objective is to clear the board. Both offer 5 differently themed tile sets and 25 different backgrounds based on the tiles sets found in Quest mode to choose from and numerous board layouts that will undoubtedly challenge you. These tile sets and backgrounds are unlocked based on progress within Quest so you won’t have access to them until then. In Endless, unlimited layers of tiles are provided so you can match to your heart’s content. The key problem with these modes is the lack of an autosave/autoresume function so that a game in progress can be saved if a call comes in or a game needs to be put on hold. This is a significant issue for some, and I hope the devs address this soon.
The game has various special touches that deserve pointing out. First off are the perks available to help you along.
Lifting—moves any tile to the top
Shuffle—shuffles all tiles
Joker—removes all tiles of a specific kind off the board
Pearl—when matched with any tile, gives additional hint, undo moves and board shuffling function
Swapper—switches the places of two tiles
Magnet—moves a tile to the place of the magnet
As mentioned previously, match the two gold tiles and you immediately move to the next level.
The second part worth highlighting is the elegant game screen. At the bottom of the screen are several icons. In the bottom left corner is a tiki statue that when tapped, zooms in and out of the tile screen. I do find this to be somewhat of a minor issue because with tiles that are small, a zoom pinch function would probably work better. However, you can still drag around the screen to the desired location. By the way, tapping a specific spot or tile will bring up a magnifying glass to zoom in on wherever you drag it. Next to the Menu button is the Eye. By tapping on the Eye, it will highlight which tiles are free to be matched. Next to that are the hints, undo moves and board shuffling buttons, which require pearls to make them work. These pearls are stored in a container located in the bottom right corner, replenishing when you make matches, and depleting when accessing the functions I mentioned.
The game also has achievements which reward you for clearing boards, the swiftness with finishing a game, and the ability to complete a game without using undo moves, hints or board reshuffling. Random achievements pop up every so often, and it would have been ideal if an achievement section had been included so the player has a clue of potential milestones.
Mahjongg Artifacts 2 is really the cream of the crop when it comes to mahjong games from the presentation to the challenging gameplay. While the storyline is a good, yet weak feature, the Asian theme is well incorporated throughout for an immersive experience.
Going Blind
At first glance, a visually attractive display. At second glance, visual impairment begins. After about 10 frustrating minutes, the game ceases to be playable and crosses over into the realm of annoyance. The developers need to eliminate the outer frame with its well defined buttons and concentrate on enlarging the tiles and making them well defined. As long as the playing surface resembles a colorful array of chicken-scratch, I recommend you stay away for the sake of your vision. If I were an optometrist, I would hope that all my patients played this game to help offset the cost of my yacht and Ferrari. Sorry!
Finally!
This is my favorite Mahjong game, and it's about time it made it's way to the ipod!
Actually, I never thought it would happen. On the PC and Mac, it always looked so good, I didn't think it was possible to do a faithful port.
I am very impressed with the tranisition. It's every bit as beautiful as it's original version was.
Highly recommended for those who like 'Shanghai' or 'Mahjong Solitaire'.
Blows away every other one in the store!
Five BIG stars and a huge thanks to G5!
- Category: Games
- Updated Dec 04, 2009
- Current Version: 1.4
- 1.4 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested)
- 17.2 MB
- Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
- Seller: G5 Entrtainment AB
- © 2009 G5 Entertainment AB
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.0 or later.
