Styxdivine
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Review 1 (Niche): [DS/PSP] Chuukana Janshi Tenhoo Painyan Remix
I found a rather nice little gaming gem in the form of this unncessarily long titled game, which I will refer to as Painyan.
For a start, this seems unknown but APPARENTLY, there are two threads in gamefaqs so I guess I was wrong.
As with the title having "REMIX," it's a remake of an older version of the game.
--On with the review!
First impression: Well, it... is rather interesting in that it plays Mahjong (Japanese) in the form of 1v1 instead of your typical four-player game. Points are also your LIFE, so to defeat your opponents you have to form exceptionally good hands, which CAN be hard if you're not very good at this game. It's quite challenging since opponents often get tsumos AND there are the incorporation of special skills which CAN alter the flow of the game.
Story: Bah, story? It's just an excuse to play Mahjong and blow up crap. No, seriously. There's an ecchi mini-game after winning each round in the normal story mode. Sort of. Whatever, the plot is really... er. Non-existant. Well... you DO play as a little redhead called Rin Rinrin (same kanji, cute, but stupid) who can transform into a more adult catgirl - the Painyan. She's collecting some sort of stones for justice. Even the characters in the game are questioning that. Really, I think it's a silly excuse to have mahjong duels. Opponents you beat will also tag along and can assist you.
Graphics: The graphics are fruity. Typical anime art and graphics, though some of the sprite animations are unique and cool (especially looking at a winning tile blow up, man that makes me crack up!)
Gameplay: This is where this would-be Mahjong game really shines. Its gameplay is very unique, you can use special abilities/skills to alter the game flow in your favor. I'll list them in the next post. The opponents in the later stages have their own skills to make sure you lose and they win, too! Points are also life, so if you lose all your points, you're game Over! Thus, you must make hard-hitting hands like Hane Man, Bai Man and Yakuman to deal significant damage as just pulling off cheap hands won't do crap. It really makes you think sometimes, when to incorporate special assists from companions in the form of previously beaten opponents - ONCE you unlock their special ability - via slots or getting hane/bai/yakuman (Man gans don't count). Assists are also capped at 9 as well as the special abilities of Rin/Painyan.
Music: Man, the music. Can't have a good mahjong game without good music. The music's not bad, either. Once you complete both story modes and finish the talk scene unlocked, you can use the sound test. Trust me, it's worth it. The music's not bad at all! That and it's partially VA'd! Something that's happening more in DS games! Yes, this is also for the PSP, but I personally played this for the DS.
Replay: You can replay story modes, and once you finished the story modes, you can have free mahjong rounds with the other characters and replay the ecchi minigames.
Overall: This game is fun! I like to see my opponents squirm as I hit them with hard hands, I remember beating the final boss of the 2nd story in two rounds... Heh, that was fun. This is good for mahjong nuts and those who like anime art and scenes, as well as those who like suggestive scenes XD Really, this is not bad! But if I want to play seriously, I'd rather play Mahjong Kakutou Club DS Wi-Fi Taiou.
Gameplay mechanics in next post along with eval.
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7/7/2007, 10:59 pm
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Styxdivine
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Re: Review 1 (Niche): [DS/PSP] Chuukana Janshi Tenhoo Painyan Remix
Mechanics w/ evaluation:
I'm assuming you know how to play normal Japanese Mahjong, if not, you might want to google. Or I could give you a summary of how it's done in this game:
Starting hand is worth 14 tiles. Each turn you draw a tile and then throw one you DON'T need. Since to win, you need to have a certain combination of tiles consisting of melds (triple or straights) INCLUDING a pair (MUST HAVE). You're waiting when you have 13 tiles of a desired hand, waiting on 1 more tile based on a selection of tiles. Minimum 1 wait, obviously. You can declare a Ron if the opponent tosses your winning tile, or a Tsumo if you draw it. Remember, if you draw a winning tile, you MUST go to the menu and declare a Tsumo yourself, the game does NOT give you a prompt. Same with Riichis, which is where you sacrifice 1000 points (HP) and toss an unneeded tile to go into Ten Pai/waiting.
When a certain number of tiles have been tossed by both sides, it's Ryuukyoku. The following situations can occur:
You are in Ten Pai, opponent is in No Ten - You drain 1500 HP
You are in No Ten, opponent is in Ten Pai - opponent drains 1500 HP
Both players are in Ten Pai/No Ten - Draw
------------End basic.
Right, on with the mechanics!
In Story Mode 1, when you lose or win, you can get a slot machine where certain combinations earn you certain things. The 2nd reel is the only variable one dependant on the 1st reel.
1st reel: Painyan (unique skills), Nakama (friends), Hazure (fail)
2nd reel Painyan: Tenjou Tenge, Life Up, Enemy Attack, Amatsurugi Zettou, Gekkafuushin
2nd reel Nakama: Assist +1, Assist +2, Zeal, Life Up
3rd reel: Atari/Win, Hazure/Fail
Painyan reel are all skills covered below except for Life Up and Enemy Attack. Nakama reel are:
Assist +1/+2 - self-explanatory
Zeal - decreases the count needed to unlock a friend's skill, covered below.
Life Up - self-explanatory
----------------end Slots
Special Skills/Assists
There are certain skills that can make your beating the crap out of your opponents in Mahjong easier. Firstly are Painyan's special skills.
--Painyan
Tenjou Tenge - Heaven and Earth
This is really beneficial in that it gives you a chance to finish your opponent in one shot. Literally for the early stages. Painyan makes your hand an instant double Yakuman - Tenhou and another Yakuman, like Suuankou (Four closed triple melds) or Daisangen (three closed triple melds of the three Dragon tiles Haku, Chun and Hatsu).
Amatsurugi Zettou - Heavenly Sword's Absolute Blade
I believe this allows you to win on your last draw, but I've forgotten its effect.
Gekkafuushin - God of the Moonflower Seal
This makes your opponent's winning tile disappear. Only works for Ron, not for Tsumo.
--Nakama Assist (in parenthesis is the stage they can be used earliest)
SUZUNE (Stage 2~)
Increases the worth of your hand by an amount based on percentage. I think it's 25%.
YAYOI (Stage 3~)
Incorporates a Dora 3 into your hand, it's always a closed triple meld.
MITSURUGI (Stage 4~)
Whenever you declare a kan (Open 4 of a kind), he makes the dora indicator flip positive so it makes your hand worth Dora 3. When used in tandem with Yayoi's assist, it makes your hand worth Dora 8. Priceless if you KNOW you can win.
TANUKO (Stage 5~)
When you're in Ten Pai, and your winning tile has already been dealt, Tanuko's skill allows it so you can Ron from that dealt tile.
MARIE (Stage 6~)
When your opponent is going to declare a Tsumo, Marie's skill makes it blow up. Literally, since it's tossed as a greyed, smoked mess. You can even Chi (open straight) , Pon or Kan from it!!
REKKO (Stage 7 until 9)
On the very last draw, her skill gives you a win. That is, IF you're in Ten Pai. This gives you instant Haidei.
--enemy Skills
Some of your opponents also have special skills to hamper your own progress in winning.
Hajamaru - Tsumo agari kyoushou!
Hajamaru summons a giant frog to make you throw your drawn tile. He tends to do this JUST as you have a tsumo win (thus the name). Sometimes, he does it to your benefit.
Youko - Ron agari tomena!
Youko uses a lightning spell to prevent you from winning via a Ron, thus you must win through a Tsumo or Furiten.
Kyuubi no Kitsune - Raijinshourai
Kitsune (aka Rekko) calls upon lightning to give her a winning tile through Tsumo. Since she reveals her hand in doing this, you can counter this either by letting her slide if it's a cheap hand or using Marie's assist if it's a big hand (as was the case when I tried to prevent her from winning a San'ankou).
-----------end SKILL
EVALUATION
These elements added to an already challenging game makes strategy very important, since the opponents also have unholy luck, declaring tsumos very early. I spent an hour trying to defeat Hajamaru since his skill prevented me from progressing my hand. Though you can easily beat this in a day like I did, it's still fun to see their expressions and the fact you can tell if their tiles are bad or not in their opening phrase. If they sound concerned, their tiles are bad or your tiles are good! Furthermore, they have funny reactions when you use a Nakama Assist or Painyan skill. For example, Kyuubi says "Yamero bakaaaa!" in a really dramatic fashion. Overall, this makes what COULD have been very boring VERY fruity and unique.
Something I'll keep in my DS for a LOOOOONG time! Oops, did I say keep?!
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7/7/2007, 11:21 pm
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