Calling this Balatro with Mahjong isn't doing it justice. Despite being in very early access still, Aotenjo has rapidly shaped up to be just as addicting to me as Balatro is - if not perhaps a smidge more so, nailing a lot of the same factors whilst bringing in *vastly* increased possibilities for creative and wacky deck gimmicks of your own creation. I've pushed the Abandoned Deck to its limits in gold stake, building it into everything from Straight Flush setups to infinite Aces, but even the potential it bears fades in comparison to Aotenjo's. With some 100+ patterns to choose from - the vast majority of which can stack together - you can run some truly bonkers gimmicks ranging from familiar concepts like a Pure Straight x Full Flush combo, to all-green mixes based on the actual colors on the tile art, to milling and duplicating one tile so much that you can play a full hand of 4 quads + a pair of just one tile type. Even Jimbo won't let you run an 18-of-a-kind!

With development in progress and an exciting roadmap ahead, I'm really looking forward to seeing where Aotenjo goes next - even as I continue to sink deeper into the pits of Mahjong madness. This is my first true Mahjong-based game and now that those tiles & patterns have their hooks in me, I'm bound to start playing others.

Calling this Balatro with Mahjong isn't doing it justice. Despite being in very early access still, Aotenjo has rapidly shaped up to be just as addicting to me as Balatro is - if not perhaps a smidge more so, nailing a lot of the same factors whilst bringing in *vastly* increased possibilities for creative and wacky deck gimmicks of your own creation. I've pushed the Abandoned Deck to its limits in gold stake, building it into everything from Straight Flush setups to infinite Aces, but even the potential it bears fades in comparison to Aotenjo's. With some 100+ patterns to choose from - the vast majority of which can stack together - you can run some truly bonkers gimmicks ranging from familiar concepts like a Pure Straight x Full Flush combo, to all-green mixes based on the actual colors on the tile art, to milling and duplicating one tile so much that you can play a full hand of 4 quads + a pair of just one tile type. Even Jimbo won't let you run an 18-of-a-kind! With development in progress and an exciting roadmap ahead, I'm really looking forward to seeing where Aotenjo goes next - even as I continue to sink deeper into the pits of Mahjong madness. This is my first true Mahjong-based game and now that those tiles & patterns have their hooks in me, I'm bound to start playing others.