Lost Lands: Mahjong

There’s something about elves that attracts trouble, as it seems, because they are almost always persecuted in some manner. Classic elves live in tune with nature, so maybe others consider them just a bunch of weak tree worshipers. However, they are also immortal and incredibly skilled with a bow and arrow, which makes them formidable warriors on the battlefield.

Lost Lands: Mahjong is a puzzle game with an obvious emphasis on Mahjong mini-games, in which your task is to help a nation of elves find another home for themselves, after their old one was devastated. The gameplay is pretty straightforward and simple, but unfortunately you might be frustrated by the microtransaction gimmick, which prevents you from playing for too long.

As mentioned before, the story is nothing special, and it’s actually exactly the same as in Lost Lands: A Hidden Object Adventure, which is a bit disappointing. Granted, they are both free, but the microtransactions cast a negative shadow on everything, even if they are not mandatory. Hence, the land of elves is destroyed by war, and they must settle on a different island with your help.

It’s not all Mahjong, on the other hand, since you’ll be playing various other mini-games as well over the course of the story. Whether you connect colored dots or try to find some sort of pattern, the experience is pretty dynamic. There are multiple locations you can unlock and visit, and each location holds multiple rounds of Mahjong, and they can yield different rewards.

Unfortunately, the good aspects are not very numerous, and you’ll soon find yourself banging your head against the microtransaction wall. Hence, you can only play the game if you have enough energy to do so, and the said energy runs out pretty quickly. Obviously, you can purchase more using real money, or you can quit the game and wait a few hours for it to replenish by itself.

In the end, Lost Lands: Mahjong is nothing more than Lost Lands: A Hidden Object Adventure with Mahjong instead of hidden object scenes. However, that would be entirely fine if the gameplay was worth it, but you won’t get the chance to enjoy it for very long until you have to get your credit card out.