Bonus: How to win at Super Real Mahjong: Venus Returns
As mentioned before, we want to win any hand possible, as fast as possible. There is no reason to score high, nor to play defense as you would in the standard four-player game. This will be a brute force method.
(This is not my proper review of Venus Returns, just something I thought I would rattle off quickly while the iron was still hot on this subject. A lot of people seem to need it all of a sudden.)
My socials have been exploding, blue dot ringing off the hook, since I bought the new Super Real Mahjong Venus Returns game on release and posted a picture of a 3DO game box. As a result of being on the Discourse for this game, I’ve seen a lot of people who want to play it but either don’t know how to play mahjong or can’t beat the computer.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m a pretty active and accomplished competitive riichi player online and IRL. One of the ways I learned, many years ago, was playing the Super Real Mahjong arcade games on MAME. (I, uh, don’t really suggest it as a learning method.) So I might be able to help. If anything, I’m over-equipped to help.
Step one is you learn riichi mahjong.
No, seriously, learn mahjong
Despite the game’s advertising claims— and this is probably why you are here— Super Real Mahjong Venus Returns really does expect you to be able to play riichi mahjong at a reasonable degree of competency if you want to win. The auto mode plays badly on purpose, as a joke. The “casual” mode you’ll be playing is merely less frustrating than the competitive “very hard” mode and the faithfully rigged “original”. If anything, Casual mode seems to give you pretty favorable tiles.
Perhaps the developers will eventually patch in easier game modes, but it will take less time and effort to learn basic riichi than it will to complain on the Steam forums until they do.
I’m not going to explain the extreme basics of gameplay, because there’s more than enough of that info out there. Get four sets and a pair, okay? Rather, I’m going to focus on the stuff that’s actually going to get you a win in this particular game.
If you happen to read Japanese, I recommend Torara’s Mahjong Classroom, a learn-by-doing experience that I think is much more effective than reading tutorial text. However, the best tutorial system in English is Riichi City’s extremely extensive suite of learning tools. For books, Daina Chiba’s Riichi Book 1 will lead you down the beginning of a deep rabbit hole.
(Despite not featuring any straightforward nudity, be aware that many of Riichi City’s premium characters and animations can actually be much more sexually graphic than Super Real Mahjong ever gets. Still, if you’re playing this game, I doubt that RC's excesses will send you running.)
Once you’ve learned how to handle the tiles, I can give you the battle plan.
