- JP release: 1st August 1997
- NA release: N/A
- PAL release: N/A
- Developer: Alpha Unit
- Publisher: Imagineer
- N64 Magazine Score: N/A
- Original name: Mahjong Horoki Classic
Right after Mahjong Road 64 is yet another Mahjong Game. However, this one is a little bit more interesting as it’s a visual novel as well as a Mahjong game. For the core UI, it’s nice that the tiles are more 3D, and it’s the second best interface after Mahjong Masters. You can play matches on their own or as part of the story.
When I first booted up the game, I was quite baffled. The music on the menu, as well as the sepia-tone drawing of a woman made me think of old, seedy bars. Turns out that they managed to nail the atmosphere of the game with just the simple menu because that’s exactly where the game it set: in gambling dens in Japan just after WWII.
Surprisingly, the game starts with a content warning saying that the game is set in the “chaotic period of the war” and that “there may be some areas in which the methods of copying and expression do not fit in with modern conventional wisdom”. Mahjong Drifters Chronicles is based on a novel (which previously had a film adaptation) by Takehiro Irokawa, and is based on his own past.
The short version: After struggling to make ends meet working in a factory post-WWII, Boyatetsu (a fictional name, but based on Irokawa) ends up getting involved in Mahjong gambling dens and getting addicted to meth. It’s a brutal story as he tries to quit and make a life for himself (the real person eventually straightened out after getting a job for a newspaper). Throughout the story, you have to play mahjong, ensuring you don’t run out of money.
There is also a “cheaters” mode. Here you learn specific tricks as you play and unlock passcodes for certain tricks which can be used in the story more. This mimics a way of cheating in Mahjong done by stacking the tiles in a certain way to ensure you have a strong starting hand, but now this issue is solved by shorting machines.
As far as the Mahjong games on the N64, this is quite fascinating due to being based on a novel and featuring a grim story.
Fun
The game was not reviewed by N64 Magazine as I think they had given up on Mahjong games by this point. This is a shame because I believe this is probably the best Mahjong game on the system.
whowasphone404, GameFAQs Translation Guide
Remake or Remaster?
Out of all the Mahjong games, this one is probably worth a re-release in Japan for the unique story. It probably wouldn’t sell well enough for an official translation.
Official ways to get the game.
There is no official way to get Mahjong Drifter Chronicles Classic
Europe
Japan
North America
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
this sounds genuinely interesting. a historical drama essentially
Oh wow! Mahjong Drifters Chronicles Classic actually sounds legit cool!
I didn’t think we’d see a Mahjong game that I’d actually be interested in playing, but I think you’ve gone and found one! I’d defo play that if it were available in English 😀
The “cheaters” mode reminds me of the “Spot The Sneak” mode in Wii Party/Wii Party U; where one player is given an unfair advantage and has to play the games without making it obvious that they’re cheating. It’s a great mechanic there that I’m surprised hasn’t been replicated in many other games, but I guess MDCC came up with a similar idea well over a decade in advance!