Mahjongg Investigations: Under Suspicion

[h1] Criminal mahjong with some sense of detective vibes. I guess it's ok if you like some criminal stories and finding who is the culprit. [/h1]

Initially entertaining but begins to becomes a repetitive grind. I also encountered a bug that would cause me to lose the pursuit mini-game with one tile remaining. That's when I decided to uninstall the game. I don't recommend because there's simply not much to motivate me to keep going.

Mahjongg Investigations: Under Suspicion takes the familiar concept of Mahjong solitaire and transforms it into a detective adventure that gives every puzzle a greater sense of purpose. Developed by Zemnott and published by Ziggurat, the game casts players as an investigator assigned to the 83rd Precinct in Metro City, where organized crime has become deeply rooted. Instead of merely clearing tile layouts for the sake of progression, every successful puzzle contributes to uncovering evidence, exposing criminals, and gradually dismantling the operations of the city's powerful underworld leader, Don Diamante. This combination of classic puzzle mechanics and crime-solving creates a more engaging experience than a traditional Mahjong title, offering players a reason to stay invested beyond simply completing boards. The gameplay remains grounded in the well-established rules of Mahjong solitaire, requiring players to locate and remove matching free tiles until each layout has been cleared. What separates the game from countless similar releases is the way investigations are woven directly into the gameplay. Certain tiles represent clues that help identify suspects, advance ongoing case…

the melding of genre and theme here are done well and feel entirely natural. you are uncovering evidence by playing Mahjongg, very much in the way a crime scene investigator or detective would by carefully cataloging and removing various items that fit the setting. you will find alibis which reduce the amount of potential suspects, evidence which helps establish a profile of the suspect and some tips or clues regarding what other locations you should search for more evidence. once you clear a screen you get to choose another location until you feel confident enough to issue a warrant for whoever. this reminded me of midnight rescue or maybe clue. a sequel of this idea that breaks out of the standard Mahjongg formula with some weird ideas like dusting for prints on a tile or taking photos of parts of the board or single tiles and do X with it I dunno. pretty cool idea as it stands though

Bought within a sale collection, I found "Mahjongg Investigations" interesting from the screenshots, but haven't tried it until now. Glad I did it now, revealing a true casual gaming gem with some nice twists. It's Mahjongg with different stones (glasses, knives, pistols, cars), but some tiles are really special: they give clues to a case which is completely randomly generated when starting a round. These clues help you identify suspects that are presented on a seperate screen, all with random abilities like height, hobbies, hair-color, and so on. The more clues you get, the easier it becomes to identify the right person. That's hell of fun, especially because you can decide to interrogate suspects for more clues, even pushing them to commit to the crime. When doing so, the game changes to a matching/memory kind of game, giving a damn good selection of different gameplays during one thrilling detective Mahjongg case.

I've played all manner of Mahjongg games, but this one has a unique aspect in that you solve crimes as you play. It's addictive but simple and I often play while waiting for something to finish on my computer, a download, a new installation, or anything like that. It's better than doodling. Steam is telling me I've played 6658 hours, so that should give an indication of how much I love playing this game. It's a good way to practice your logic and deduction skills.