This guide is written by DDT213 of GameFAQs. This may not be reproduced under
any circumstances except for personal and private use. It may not be placed
on any website or otherwise distributed publicly without the consent of the
creator of this guide. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of
any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version History
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-April 11, 2010
FAQ v1.00 completed.
==============================================================================
Table of Contents
==============================================================================
==============================================================================
I. Introduction (0100)
==============================================================================
As most of you already know, Saki Portable is a Mahjong game based on the TV
anime, Saki, which is the name of our highschool Heroine, Mianaga Saki.
Growing up in a family that plays Mahjong on a daily basis, Saki is already a
very experienced player at age of 15. However, in desperate hope to keep the
other family members happy, she developed an uncanny skill of scoring a ZERO
in each and every round which will keep her from either winning or losing the
match. This all changes after she meets the second Heroine, Haramura Nodoka,
and joins the Mahjong club. She is finally playing to win.
I will be covering both the story and the gameplay including rules and some
fundamental strategies needed to beat the game. Ok, let's get this started.
==============================================================================
II. Menu Translation (0200)
==============================================================================
As per title.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Main Menu (0210)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Story Mode
(After choosing a scenario)
________
| EASY |
|________|
________
| NORMAL |
|________|
________
| HARD |
|________|
2. Challenge Mode
3. Free Mode
(After selected)
________ ________
| SINGLE | | TEAM |
|________| |________|
4. Ad-Hoc Mode
5. Gallery
(After selected)
a. Album
b. Profile
c. Music (OP - ED - BGM)
d. Theater (OP - ED)
6. Option
(After selected)
a. Data
a1. Name (for ad-hoc)
a2. YakuMan Record (See Section III 4. on how to get one)
a3. Free Mode Record
__________________________ ________________
| FREE MODE Single | | Team |
| # - # | | # - # |
|____________ played - won | | played - won |
|_____________| |________________|
_____________________________
| Character Usage |
| TOP 3 |
|No. 1 Name --%|
|No. 2 Name --%|
|No. 3 Name --%|
|_____________________________|
______________ ________________
| Single | | Team |
____________| # - # | | # - # |
| played - won | | played - won |
|___________________________| |________________|
b. Config
c. Save (Save - Auto Save)
d. Load
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. In-game Menu (0220)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Free Mode and Ad-hoc Mode, you will be given the option to alter some of
the technicalities and rules such as the length of the match and character
abilities...etc. However, the basic rules remian exactly the same.
Match Length: East(1/4 round) - Half round
Red Bonus Tiles: Included - Excluded
QuiTan: Allowed - Veto
*Dealer Keep for East Round: No TenPai - TenPai - Win
*Dealer Keep for South Round: No TenPai - TenPai- Win
*DoBon: Allowed - Veto
Score Rounding-up: Allowed - Veto
Ability: On - Off
*: See section III-1e. (Other Rules) for details. In most cases, they do not
play a big role in the game except for the obvious Ability On/Off option, of
course. When in doubt, go with the default option.
==============================================================================
III. Rules and Terminology (0300)
==============================================================================
This section covers the rules and Know-hows, as well as some of the terms you
will see throughout this guide and in pretty much any Japanese Mahjong games.
There are 4 suits of tiles in Mahjong, for a total of 136 tiles.
-Wanzu (Characters): from 1 to 9, four tiles for each number. I will be
referring to the number of Wanzu as ''#-Wan'' in this guide. IE, 4-Wan.
-Pinzu (Dots): from 1 to 9, four tiles for each number. I will be referring
to the number of Pinzu as ''#-Pin'' in this guide. IE, 4-Pin.
-Souzu (Bamboos): from 1 to 9, four tiles for each number. I will be referring
to the number of Souzu as ''#-Sou'' in this guide. IE, 4-Sou.
-Tsuuhai (Honors): Ton (East), Nan (South), Shaa (West), Pei (North),
Chun (Red Dragon), Haku (White Dragon), and Hatsu (Green Dragon), four tiles
for each kind.
As mentioned above, there are 136 pieces of tiles in a Mahjong set. The game
starts out with each player holding 13 tiles in their hands, 10 (2x5) tiles in
the Dora pile, and 70 tiles in the pool for the players to pick up.
Suppose nobody performs any Calls, each player would have at least 17 chances
to pick up a tile to improve his hand, with the player in Dealer position and
the one to his right having 18 (17 x 4 + 1 + 1 = 70). The idea is to compose
a winning hand using these tiles before any of your opponents do, and they
will have to pay you according to the ranks of your hand. Sounds easy enough?
Now let's see how it is done.
Composing a winning hand is easy. With the 14 tiles you have (13 that you start
with, plus the one you will be picking up from the pool), you need to have 4
Sets, and 1 Pair.
A set can be either a sequence of the same suits (ie. 234-Wan), OR, 3 tiles of
of the same kind (ie. 222-Wan) while a pair is 2 tiles of the same kind.
For example:
****************************************
| 234567-Wan, 444-Sou, 678-Pin, Ton x2 |
****************************************
4 sets (234, 567, 444, 678), and 1 pair (Ton, Ton). There, we have a winner!
Other than having the right tiles (4 sets and 1 pair), your hand must contain
at least 1 ''Yaku'' (Think of it as a hand quality control). If your hand does
not qualify for an Yaku, the only way you can win is by declaring a Reach,
which is an Yaku in itself. Memorize some of the lower and easier Yaku and
build up your hand accordingly. For a complete list, see Section III-3.
There are two things in general you can do to help make the winning hand,
Drawing (picking up the tile yourself), or Calling (taking the tile from your
opponents). When the Calling option pops up in the game, the first option is
always PASS, followed by CHI, PON, and KAN in that order should they appear at
the same time.
REACH, RON, and TSUMO are set to default option whenever you are allowed to do
so (the first option is still PASS).
++++++++
| Draw |
++++++++
This one is rather obvious and is done automatically in this game. Once the
game starts, each player picks up a tile sequentially in a counter-clockwise
fashion, starting from the player that is in the Oya (Dealer) position. After
picking up a tile, player chooses one to discard, and the game continues.
+++++++
| Chi |
+++++++
This would be considered Calling. You can perform a Chi when you are holding
any sequence-to-be in your hand. For example, if you already have Bamboo 2 AND
3 in your hand, you can Chi when your opponent discards Bamboo 1, or 4 giving
you a sequence of 123, or 234.
Note that you can only perform a Chi on the tiles that are discarded from the
player on your LEFT.
+++++++
| Pon |
+++++++
This is also considered Calling. You can perform a Pon when you are holding
any 2 of the same tiles, and your opponent discards one. For example, if you
are currently holding Wanzu 99, you can Pon if another 9-Wan is discarded.
Unlike Chi, Pon can be performed ANY TIME meaning you can take the 3rd tile
from any players at the table, not just the one on your left.
+++++++
| Kan |
+++++++
4 of a kind. It is considered a set as well (even though there are 4 tiles).
There are 3 ways to declare a Kan, 1 by calling, and 2 self-made.
1. When you are holding 3 of a kind, and the fourth one is discarded, you can
call a Kan. Ex: You are holding Dots 222; opponent discards Dots 2. You can
call a Kan ANY TIME just like Pon.
2. When you are holding 4 of a kind, you can declare Kan. The 4 tiles are put
aside, you then pick up an additional tile to make up for the difference.
3. When you have declared a Pon previously, and you draw the 4th one yourself,
you can press the Triangle button and declare a Kan.
+++++++++
| Reach |
+++++++++
Whenever you are 1 tile away from making your hand, you can declare Reach.
Couple of things you need to know about Reach...
1. Declaring Reach adds 1 Yaku to your hand when you make it. In layman's terms
it means more money if you win. It also keeps you away from Yaku Nashi.
2. It cost you 1000 points to declare Reach; whoever makes his hand first
takes them all. For example: All 3 of your opponents declare Reach, and then
you make your hand before they do, YOU would take the 3000 points thrown out
by them in addition to whatever your hand is worth as the total winning.
Naturally, you can NOT declare Reach if you do not have the sufficient points.
3. You can only declare Reach if you have NOT made any Calls AT ALL. In other
words, all the tiles in your hand must come from the pool and not a single 1
from your opponents.
4. Once you declare Reach, you cannot make any further changes on your hand
so think carefully what tile(s) you should be waiting for. In most cases, the
more the better chance you will have to make your hand.
5. If ALL 4 players have declared Reach at any point during the game, that
round instantly ends.
+++++++
| Ron |
+++++++
Claiming the discarded tile from your opponents to complete your hand. You
can declare a Ron on any opponent any time. If more than 1 player declare Ron
on the same tile, whoever sitting closest to the right of the player that
discards the tile has precedence over the others.
+++++++++
| Tsumo |
+++++++++
Drawing the tile needed to complete your hand. You can perform a Call if you
wish to improve your hand in the process, but you must draw the winning tile
by yourself for a Tsumo.
Here are some of the other terms and rules you will most likely run into at
one point or another.
<<< TenPai >>>
When you are 1 tile away from making the winning hand, you're in TenPai state.
You can choose to declare Reach (if you have not made any Calls), or stay
quiet and wait for a better spot or just not Reach at all.
<<< RenChan (Dealer Keep) >>>
When the Dealer wins, the button stays, and it is called Renchan. You can
change the requirement for Renchan in the rule setting screen to Win, TenPai,
or even NoTen (No TenPai). For every Renchan, there is 300 points in the pool
up for grabs.
<<< DoBon >>>
It's the rule whether the game ends or not when a player is knocked into minus
points. You can change this in the rule setting screen. Allow it, and the game
ends right on the spot, and the current leader takes 1st place. Veto, then the
player who is in minus points can continue playing til the end.
<<< Furikomi >>>
When a player discards the tile that leads to a Ron, it's considered Furikomi.
He is responsible for everything the winner is getting.
<<< FuriTen >>>
In FuriTen state, you cannot win with a Ron. You can, however, still win with
a Tsumo.
This is a rule that a lot of new players are not aware of. Not only can you
not declare Ron on the tiles you have previously discarded, you cannot Ron
with any tiles you have been waiting for at the same time. Confused? Don't be.
Here is an example:
You have in your hand 3 sets (222, 444, 678), and 1 pair (22), and a sequence-
to-be (67), which means any 5-Pin or 8-Pin would give you the winning hand.
However, if you have previously discarded a 5-Pin in this round, you CANNOT
declare a Ron if your opponent discards 5-Pin. Furthermore, because you are
waiting for 5-Pin AND 8-Pin at the same time, you cannot declare Ron on any
8-Pin either. Here is a more complex hand:
*******************************
| 2223456777-Wan, Nan Nan Nan |
*******************************
This is a monster Wait because now any of the following 8 tiles would give you
the winning hand, 1-Wan, 2-Wan, 3-Wan, 4-Wan, 5-Wan, 6-Wan, 7-Wan, and 8-Wan.
You have, as we say in poker, a whoppin' 22 outs. The bad news is, if you have
for any reasons, previously discarded any one of the 8 tiles, you cannot Ron
when they get discarded from your opponents.
<<< Yaku Nashi >>>
This is also a common mistake beginners tend to make. In order to legitimately
make your hand, you need at least 1 Han (explained in the next section). If
you do not have any Yaku at all and wish to win, you need to declare Reach,
which is a Yaku in itself. If you have already made a Call in this round, then
you need to either modify your hand or go on defensive and start discarding
the tiles that have already been discarded. This way you will not become the
victim of a Ron.
<<< Bappu (Bad Play) >>>
When a round ends with all 70 tiles drawn and nobody having a winning hand,
players who are NOT in TenPai state (1 tile away from winning) will be
penalized for playing poorly. A certain amount of points will be handed over
to the players who ARE in TenPai state.
Note that often times you are better off receiving a penalty (which is only
3000 points MAX) rather than surrendering a huge Ron to your opponent that
can easily break 10k. Following is the table for Bad Play penalties.
When ALL 4 players have declared Reach at any point during the game, the round
automatically ends. This does not happen very often.
<<< Su-Kan Nagare >>>
When the number of Kan performed by 2 or more players combined reaches to 4,
the round automatically ends. This might happen a lot if you abuse Saki's
special ability.
<<< Su-Fon-Ren-Ta >>>
If the FIRST FOUR discarded tiles (one from each player) are all of the same
Winds (ie. East, East, East, East), the round automatically ends. This one
does not happen all that often either.
This game is all about scores, and knowing how many points your hand is worth
can make a LOT of decisions seem like a no-brainer. More importantly, in some
Challenges where you only have a very limited amount of time to make a 30,000
points comeback, you REALLY need to know this stuff to win.
In Mahjong, Oya (Dealer) is a profitable, but risky position to be in. When
you win as the Dealer, your winning is increased by 50%. However, when someone
win by Tsumo, the Dealer also pays DOUBLE the other players would.
Han is a unit used in combination with Fu to calculate how many points a hand
is worth. Counting Han is easy. It is the sum of the number of Yaku you have
in your hand. Just add 'em up! For example, your hand contains the following
Yaku:
Fu is the other unit used to calculate scores. Counting Fu can be a lot more
tedious compared to Han. The good news is, when you reach 5 Han or more, Fu is
omitted from calculation, and it is considered a Mangan (See section 2d for
details on Mangan).
Any winning hand automatically gets 20 Fu to start. Additional Fu can be gained
by fulfilling different requirements shown below. After calculation, results
round up to the nearest 10 unconditionally.
-Winning: Fu is added when you win in the following fashion
_________________________________
| Type of Win | # of Fu |
|_______________________|_________|
| Ron without Calling | 10 |
|_______________________|_________|
| Tsumo | 2 |
|_______________________|_________|
-Waiting: Fu is added when you win with the following Waits
___________________________________________
| Type of Wait | # of Fu | Example |
|_______________________|_________|_________|
| Kanchan (middle) | 2 | 68 |
|_______________________|_________|_________|
| Penchan (terminal) | 2 | 12, 89 |
|_______________________|_________|_________|
| Tanki (single) | 2 | East |
|_______________________|_________|_________|
-Three/Four of a Kind: Fu is added by having the following sets in your hand
____________________________________________________________
| Type of Three/Four of a Kind | # of Fu | Example |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Chuuchan Minkou (opened 2-8) | 2 | 33+3 (Pon) |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Chuuchan Ankou (closed 2-8) | 4 | 333 |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Yaochuu Minkou (opened 1,9, Honor) | 4 | 11+1 (Pon) |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Yaochuu Ankou (closed 1,9, Honor) | 8 | Haku x 3 |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Chuuchan Minkan (opened 2-8) | 8 | 555+5 (Kan)|
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Chunchan Ankan (closed 2-8) | 16 | 2222 |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Yaochuu Minkan (opened 1,9, Honor) | 16 | 999+9 (Kan)|
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
| Yaochuu Ankan (closed 1,9, Honor) | 32 | Ton x 4 |
|_____________________________________|_________|____________|
-Pair: Fu is added by having the following pair in your hand
________________________________________________
| Type of Pair | # of Fu | Example |
|__________________________|_________|___________|
| Any Dragons or Winds | 2 | Haku x 2 |
|__________________________|_________|___________|
| Double Winds | 4 | East x2 | <--- Dealer in East round
|__________________________|_________|___________|
Now, an example for those who are a bit confused by all the talbes:
As mentioned above, knowing the difference between a monster hand and a
garbage hand can make a huge difference in short rounds, namely the East-only
rounds. Now you have learned how to calculate both Han and Fu, it is time to
put them together and calculate EXACTLY how many points your hand is worth.
The formula for calculating a Tsumo winning from each player is as following:
******************
| Fu x 2^(2+Han) |
******************
So a ''50 pu 3 Han'' Tsumo from a Non-Dealer player would be worth
50 x 2^(2+3) = 50 x 2^5 = 50 x 32 = 1600 (taken from other Non-Dealer players)
Dealer pays double. 1600 x 2 = 3200
Total winning = 1600 x 2 + 3200 = 6400!
If you are the Dealer, your winning increases by 50%.
6400 x 1.5 = 9600, in which case, the other 3 players will have to pay you
3200 apiece.
In the case of Ron, the player who discards the Ron tile is responsible for
ALL the points the winner is getting (ouch!).
As I mentioned in section 2b, once a hand reaches 5 Han, or more, Fu is no
longer taken into calculation, and the hand is considered a Mangan. What is a
Mangan anyway? Think of it as a rank for quality big hands. You do not use the
formula to caulculate the winnings for Manga because they have their own sets
of payouts.
As the count of Han goes up, the names for different ranks of Mangan changes
as well. Here is a look at what they are called and how much they are worth
respectively.
Each Dora tile is equivalent to 1 Han when it comes to score calculation.
However, Dora tiles are NOT considered as Yaku themselves even though they are
listed together. Your hand would still need to have at least 1 valid Yaku in
order to win.
Note that 1 more Dora is revealed upon each Kan, and declaring Reach would
allow you to flip over a tile in the Dora pile when you win. This is called a
''Ura-Dora'' (Inside Dora), which can further increase your winning IF you are
lucky enough to hit.
I am pretty sure you have seen them when you are playing. Some of the tiles
are marked red instead of the normal color. What are they for? Simple answer,
more money!
They only appear within the Fives (5-Wan, 5-Pin, and 5-Sou), and they are all
considered as Dora tiles. Of course, each of them is worth 1 Han as well.
Other than that, they make no differences whatsoever as far as gameplay goes.
Note that if the tile revealed at the beginning of the round is a Four, a red
Five would be worth 2 Han (1 for being the Dora tile, 1 for being a red tile).
Taking advantage of Dora and Red tiles can turn your seemingly garbage hand
into a monster with very little effort.
Yaku is the soul of a hand. You cannot win unless your hand qualifies for at
least 1 Yaku.
The higher the Yaku, the more points you will get when you win. Of course,
higher Yaku types can be very difficult (some near impossible) to compose in
this game so you should always think about where you are going with your hand.
Define your hand early and give yourself plenty of time to play accordingly.
Another straightforward Yaku. You can declare Reach anytime during the game
when you are 1 tile away from winning given that you have not made any Calls
at all. Cost 1000 points to do so.
After declaring Reach, make your hand in the next drawing cycle, which includes
1 discarded tile from each opponent, and your own upcoming draw, a total of 4
chances.
Sets are all sequences (123); No calls made; Pair cannot be Winds that
correspond with the round Wind or your own; Waits have to be open-ended, not
gut-shot.
**********************************
Hand example | 234 567-Wan, 34567-Pin, 22-Sou | (Waits: 2, 5, or 8-Pin)
**********************************
Declare Ron on the tile your opponent attempts to make an additional open-Kan.
This is what Yumi did to Saki in the tournament, an EXTREMELY rare Yaku (less
than 0.1%)
Hand containing ONLY sets of 3 or 4 of a kind that are consist of 1s, 9s, or
Honors; No sequences allowed.
**********************************************************
Hand example | 111-Wan, 111-Pin (Pon), 999-Sou, Ton x3 (Pon), Haku x2 |
**********************************************************
Hand containning 2 sets of Dragons, and 1 pair of Dragons
************************************************
Hand example | Haku x3, Chun x3, Hatsu x2, 234-Wan, 789-Sou |
************************************************
Hand consist of exactly 7 pairs; only worth 2 Han in a Mangan hand, otherwise
worth only 1 Han. A special Yaku without the 3 sets + 1 pair combination.
**************************************
Hand example | 22 44 55 77-Wan, 11 44-Pin, 99-Sou |
**************************************
A very special and rare Yaku. You would almost never see one. It has nothing
to do with what you are holding in your hand. Instead, it takes into account
of what you have DISCARDED.
If in your discarding pool you have ONLY 1s, 9s, and Honors, you win when all
70 tiles have been drawn. Again, 1s, 9s, and Honor tiles ONLY.
Hand consist of 1 suit and 1 suit ONLY; worth only 5 Han if Calls have been
made previously. This Yaku is your friend when you are trying to make a quick
comeback because it guarantees a Mangan at least, and Calls are allowed.
**************************
Hand example | 111 234 678 999 55-Pin |
**************************
YakuMan is the big daddy in Mahjong! Any YakuMan is worth 32000 points for a
Non-Dealer, and 48000 for the Dealer. In a regular game, each player starts
with just 25000 points. In other words, a direct hit (Ron) can bring down any
player just like that.
Being the monsters they are, YakuMan's are hard as hell to put together, and
oftentims you need a bit of luck to get the tiles needed with just 17 draws.
Hand consist of 4 sets of CLOSED 3/4 of a kind, meaning no Pon's or open-Kan's
are allowed.
******************************************
Hand example | 222 666-Wan, 555-Pin, 888-Sou, Chun x2 |
******************************************
THE easiest YakuMan type (in comparison anyway) of them all. Remember, all the
tiles you must draw yourself, no Pon's or open Kan's allowed. Tsuruga's Kaori
made this hand with her beginner's luck (and she thought it was ToiToi) in the
tournament.
Dealer ONLY. If the 1st tile Dealer draws completes his hand, then the hand
automatically gains YakuMan status regardless of its contents. In other words,
you can only achieve this by being extremely lucky. It's not everyday you get
dealt the winner is it?
Mathematically, the probability is 1 in 330,000 rounds!
Non-Dealers ONLY. If the 1st tile a Non-Dealer draws completes his hand, then
the hand automatically gains YakuMan status. Same as TenHou, there is not much
you can do besides being lucky.
Hand consist of 19-Wan, 19-Pin, 19-Sou, and 1 of EVERY Honor tiles, plus ANY
of the above mentioned 13 tiles, which means you can have as many as 13 Waits
with this hand!
**********************************************************
Hand example | 199-Wan,19-Pin,19-Sou,Ton,Nan,Shaa,Pei,Haku,Hatsu,Chun |
**********************************************************
My favorite YakuMan. It is relatively easy to make, and just look at it! How
awesome does this baby look? Having a great name is just icing on the cake.
On a side note, Yumi ALMOST made a Kokushi in the tournament against Saki!
Hand consist of sets and pair of ALL the 4 Winds. DaiSuushii has all 4 sets
while ShouSuuShii has 3 sets and a pair so Mathematically, ShouSuuShii is abit
easier to get, but they are both YakuMan.
************************************************
Hand example | East x3, South x3, West x3, North x3, 22-Sou | <-- DaiSuuShii
************************************************
*************************************************
| East x3, South x3, West x2, North x3, 567-Wan | <-- ShouSuuShii
*************************************************
Hand consist of Honor tiles ONLY; Calls allowed, 7-pair allowed.
***************************************************************
Hand example | Ton x2, Nan x2, Shaa x2, Pei x2, Haku x2, Hatsu x2, Chun x2 |
***************************************************************
Hand consist of only Souzu 2,3,4,6,8, AND Hatsu (Green Dragon); Calls allowed.
Souzu 1,5,7, and 9 are NOT allowed in a RyuuIiSou because the tiles are not
entirely green thus contradicting the meaning of the Yaku, which literally
translates to ALL GREEN.
Hand consist of 1112345678999 of the same suit, plus any of those 9 tiles. The
idea of ChuuRenPouTou is that basically any tile from that suit would give you
the winning hand thus the name ''ChuuRen''. Beautiful Yaku. Extremely rare.
****************************
Hand example | 1112345678999-Wan, 4-Wan | <--- seems messy?
****************************
******************************
| 111, 234, 456, 789, 99-Wan | <--- Sorted out version
******************************
==============================================================================
IV. Character Profile (0400)
==============================================================================
This section covers each character's background, personalities, and of course,
their special abilities. The characters are categorized by their respective
schools, and are listed from left to right, top to bottom as shown in the game.
A nameless highschool with a Mahjong club that was at one point facing the fate
of revocation. With the addition of Yuuki, Nodoka, and Saki, Kiyosumi finally
makes its first appearance at the Provincial Best 4.
In this game, Kiyosumi is the only school with all 5 characters having their
own special abilities.
1. <<< Miyanaga Saki >>>
**********************************
| Special ability: RinshanKaiHou |
**********************************
Freshman of Kiyosumi. In contrast to her shy looks and personality, she is a
very experienced Mahjong player.
Being the heroine, Saki has the best special ability in the game bar none. On
top of drawing the winning tile from Dora pile, she has a tendency to start
with a hand that contains a least one or more 3/4-of-a-kind.
2. <<< Haramura Nodoka >>>
*********************************
| Special ability: Digital Mode |
*********************************
Freshman of Kiyosumi. Champion of the national junior highschool Mahjong
tournament. Also a very well-know figure on the internet for her digital-like
playing style. She detests superstition and luck when it comes to Mahjong.
Internet nickname: Nodocchi.
Nodoka's special ability is the Digital Mode where the quality for her dealt
hand and draws improve considerably. It will activate after you win a hand.
There is also a ''discard assistance'' which will indicate which tiles the AI
deems the best to discard.
This is great for beginners, but as you gain more experience, you will find
out that the discard choices AI makes are not the best ones in a lof of
situations. It also does not take Furikomi into consideration so don't rely
too much on it.
3. <<< Kataoka Yuuki >>>
********************************
| Special ability: EAST POWER! |
********************************
Freshman of Kiyosumi, also Nodoka's old junior highschool friend. Stock phrase
''....jo'' and ''...dajee''. She often dominates the East round with her fast-
paced playing style, but quickly falls behind in the upcoming South round.
Terrible at math and calculating the risks.
Yuuki makes a formidable opponent sometimes when she is in the East round,
especially when she keeps the Dealer position. Once her ability wears off, she
is pretty easy to play against. Of course, if you are using her, you will want
to keep the button for as long as you can.
4. <<< Takei Hisa >>
********************************
| Special ability: Hell's Wait |
********************************
Senior and the president of the Mahjong club and Student Council. She is the
total opposite of Nodoka as far as Mahjong playing style goes. She believes
that because of her weird luck, she actually has a better chance at winning by
betting on the less probable side, which she always does. This style, of
course, has brought up arguments between Nodoka and her.
Hisa's a great character to use. Hell's Wait means the less tiles available to
make your hand, the more likely you will pick up one. This guarantees that you
will always win eventually unless you are drawing completely dead (opponents
holding all the tiles you need).
On the other hand, this means she can be quite the nuisance as an opponent.
She will constantly declare Reach in lightning speed, then quickly Tsumo, and
there is not much you can do about it.
5. <<< Someya Mako >>
********************************
| Special ability: Memory Lane |
********************************
Sophomore. Speaks with a Hiroshima accent. A competent player with a special
ability to connect the match she is playing to the ones she has seen in the
past. She is also good at making Somete (Honitsu, Chinitsu).
Mako's ability is like a safety net. When it is on, you will know what tiles
are dangerous to discard (because she has seen it before!!). Not a bad skill
at all. She is also not that much of a nuisance like Hisa or Saki when she is
your opponent.
The school that brought terror to last year's tournament beating the famous
Kazekoshi Joshi mercilessly. With exactly the same roster as last year,
Ryuumonbuchi has advanced into this year's Best 4.
1. << Amae Koromo >>
***************************
| Special ability: Haitei |
***************************
Young looking girl with a mysterious background. According to the professional
player Fujita, Koromo is one of the three that is ''blessed by the tiles''.
In contrast with her looks, Koromo is a top-notch Mahjong player who has
actually beat the professionals.
Koromo's ability is a two-parter. First, it worsens your opponents draws,
giving them tiles they do not need thus quickly leading the game to the end.
Then, should you be in the position to draw the last tile, it will make your
hand. Unfair? It is. Just the part worsening your opponents' draws is broken
enough. Needlessly to say, Koromo is unstoppable as an opponent.
In the duration of the special ability, you will also know when your opponent
is in TenPai state. His hand will turn red. Icing on the cake~
Last, but not least, Koromo is not a kodomo!!
2. << Ryuumonbuchi Touka >>
*************************************
| Special ability: Medatsu...DESUWA |
*************************************
Sophomore. Her grandfather is the superintendent of the school. She is actually
Koromo's cousin. She is the type of player that gets stronger when up against
tough opponents. Sharing the similar digital playing style, she sees Nodoka as
her nemesis and vows to bring her down because she believes nothing brings her
to the center of the attention quite like this.
Great character. Her ability increases the chances of getting an Ippatsu after
decalring Reach considerably, AND you get to know when your opponent is in
TenPai state just like Koromo's ability.
3. << Kunihiro Hajime >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Sophomore. Touka's personal maid. She stopped playing Mahjong after getting
caught cheating in a tournament when she was in elementary school, but Touka
saw the potential in her and brought her alongside.
It's a shame she does not have any special ability. I was expecting some sort
of a cheating scheme. I mean, who's to say Saki and Hisa's special abilities
are not cheating anyway? They certainly look like it. So why the hell not?
4. << Sawamura Tomoki >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Sophomore. A very calm and quiet person. Likes computers and often brings a
PDA and NB with her. A true walking library. She's another character without
a special ability.
5. << Inoue Jun >>
*****************************************
| Special ability: Controlling the Flow |
*****************************************
Sophomore. A mannish girl who refers herself as ''Ore'' (usually only guys use
this).
Jun has the ability to control the flow of the game by making uncanny Calls,
which has proven to mess up Yuuki's plans many times in the show. In the game,
when you make a Call, you will draw a tile that improves your hand in the next
turn. Player who gets Called by you will draw a tile he does not need.
Interesting character to play with. Her ability does not really stand out as
much as say, Saki and Touka's abilities, but it is a nice countermeasure
against them.
The prominent all-girl highschool. Known for having systematic Mahjong ranking
within the institution. Also a familiar face in the Provincial Best 4. It has
been dominating in the tournaments until last year in which Ryuumonbuchi
suddenly took over.
1. << Fukuji Mihoko >>
*********************************
| Special ability: Sapphire Eye |
*********************************
Senior and captain of the Mahjong team; ranks 1st in school. Very well liked
and trusted by her fellow team members for her strengths in Mahjong as well as
her caring personality. She excels at all kinds of housework, but is a total
clutz when it comes to anything remotely mechanical.
Mihoko's special ability is her right eye. She usually keeps it closed, but
as the game proceeds to South Round-3, she will open it, which grants her the
ability to know the SUITS of the tiles in her opponents hands.
Red = Wanzu (Characters), Blue = Pinzu (Dots), Green = Souzu (Bamboo), and
White = Tsuhai (Honors).
You can easily tell what suits of tile(s) your opponents are collecting, or
waiting for during TenPai state by counting the number of each suit they have
in their hand. A very nice skill to rely on.
2. << Ikeda Kana >>
********************************
| Special ability: Last Resort |
********************************
Sophomore and 2nd in ranking. She respects Mihoko from the bottom of her heart
and will do anything to win this time because it is the last tournament for
Mihoko. She is a very strong-willed girl who never gives up.
Kana's Last Resort activates when she has less than 10,000 points, upon which
she will be dealt a quality hand that is Mangan OR BETTER. You can tell by her
cat-like scream at the beginning.
This ability pretty much guarantees that you will never be in the last place,
at least not for long. Once you fall below the 10k mark, you will be given a
hand that will put you right back to where you started. Quite suitable for her
personality, wouldn't you say?
3. << Yoshitome Miharu >>
*****************************
| Special ability: Prudence |
*****************************
Sophomore. Well-behaved girl, and one of the top ranked Mahjoing players in
Kazekoshi. Nickname Miharun.
Miharu's Prudence grants you a second chance when you Furikomi, meaning when
you discard a tile that will give your opponent a Ron, you can cancel it, and
choose another tile instead. You will hear her say ''Abunai'', and the tile
you attempt to discard will not be thrown out. You can use this effect once in
EVERY draw cycle.
This ability is actually quite overpowered because it pretty much guarantees
that you will never take a direct hit from anybody, which makes her the perfect
score defender in team match. However, it does not work that well against those
who have the abilities to Tsumo the tiles they need to win (ie. Touka).
4. << Bundou Seika >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
The only freshman in Kazekoshi's team. Inspired by Mihoko, she worked from the
bottom of the rankings to the 5th in mere months.
5. << Fukabori Sumiyo >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Sophomore and a high ranked Mahjong player in Kazekoshi. A very quiet person.
Same as Kiyosumi, Tsuruga is a rather nameless school in the Mahjong world,
and it is also their first appearance in the Provincial Best 4.
1. << Kajiki Yumi >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Senior, a very collected and tactical player. Excels at adjusting her playing
style according to her opponents and quickly adapt to the situation. Under the
rather calm, emotionless exterior is actually a very passionate person. She's
often called Yumichin by her fellow team member Kanbara.
My favorite character in the show. Among the four 5th player from each team,
she is the only one without any *coughCHEATINGcough* special abilities yet she
managed to hold her own pretty damn well.
Her feat includes winning with ChanKan which literally took Saki's hand away
from her, and almost made KokushiMusou in the next hand. Very impressive. No
wonder professional player Fujita keeps mistaking her for the president of the
Mahjong club (that title actually belongs to Kanbara).
2. << Tsuyama Mutsuki >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Sophomore. The next president of the Mahjong club after the seniors graduate.
An earnest and quiet person.
3. << Senoo Kaori >>
************************************
| Special ability: Beginner's Luck |
************************************
Kanbara's childhood friend. Sophomore, and a total Newb. Kanbara brought her
into the Mahjong club for the sole reason of having enough members to
participate in the tournament. A rather timid girl.
With her special ability, there is a certain chance that you will get dealt a
YakuMan hand every now and then. Broken? You bet!
4. << Kanbara Satomi >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Senior, and the president of the Mahjong club. She walks everywhere with a
silly smile on her face. Stock phrase ''WAHAHA'' in a monotone. ^_^
Despite being the president of the club, she leaves her dear friend Yumichin to
handle everything because she believes that Yumi's wits and tactics will bring
victory upon them.
5. << Touyoko Momoko >>
*********************************
| Special ability: Stealth Mode |
*********************************
The freshman who was scouted out by Yumi. Because of her extremely weak sense
of presence, she is always overlooked even though she is standing right next
to that person. Using this to her advantage, she has developed a skill over
the years that can completely hide her presence. It would be as if she wasn't
even there playing.
Momo's ability activates at South Round 1, during which her actions will be
half hidden. She no longer annouces her Calls and Reach, and you will have a
VERY narrow window to make a decision whether or not to make a Call on the
tiles she discards. It's not a particularly powerful ability, but it sure is
a lot of fun to use.
On a side note, her icon in Character Profile is half hidden as well until you
move the cursor there.
The following 3 characters do not belong to any one of the four highschools in
the Best 4. They are unlocked upon beating the last 3 challenges in Challenge
Mode.
1. << Fujita Yasuko >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Professional Mahjong player; also does the commentary in the tournament. She
is known for her ability to sabotage whoever is in the lead. Sadly, such
ability is not reflected in this game.
Her characteristics include Goth fashion, long smoke pipe she always carries,
and her love for pork chop rice.
She can be unlocked by beating challenge 19 in Challenge Mode.
2. << Sugino Ayumu >>
**********************
| No special ability |
**********************
Maid of Ryuumonbuchi family. She was the designated substitution for Koromo.
Beat challenge 20 in Challenge Mode to unlock her.
3. << Yumeno Maho >>
****************************
| Special ability: Copycat |
****************************
Underclassman of the junior highschool that Nodoka and Yuuki graduated from.
She is also a beginner in Mahjong. Unlock her by beating challenge 21 in
Challenge Mode.
Maho's ability is quite unique. She randomly picks one from all the characters
at the beginning of each round. As an indication of which character's ability
she copies, she will annouce it with a line. Here's a look at what they are.
+++++++++++++++++
| Rinshan desu! | <-- Saki's Rinshankaihou
+++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++
| Digital Mode desu! | <-- Nodoka's Digital Mode
++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++
| Sokkou desu! | <-- Yuuki's East Power
++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++
| Aku machi desu! | <-- Hisa's Hell's Wait
+++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Kikenhai ga wagaru desu! | <-- Mako's Memory Lane
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++
| Haitei desu! | <-- Koromo's Haitei
++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Aite no hai ga wagaru desu! | <-- Touka
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Natte Nagare wo Kaerun desu! | <-- Jun's Flow Control
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Takame de ippatsu kuru kamo desu! | <-- Kana's Last Resort
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++
| Shinchou ni ikimasu | <-- Miharu's Prudence
+++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Yakuman ga kuru kamo desu! | <-- Kaori's Beginner's Luck
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Maho wa makeruwakeniwa ikimasen! | <-- Momoko's Stealth Mode
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
==============================================================================
V. Story Mode Walkthrough (0500)
==============================================================================
Story Mode is divided into two parts. The first part walks you through the
tournament while the second part talks about an event, which I believe is a
game original (I don't recall seeing any of it in the show) that takes place
afterwards.
Of course, there WILL be spoilers involved so read at your own risk!
The 3 options appearing after you choose a scenario is the difficulty level.
-EASY
-NORMAL
-HARD
EASY is indeed quite easy. It will tell you what tiles to keep and what to
discard. It even goes as far as NOT letting you discard the tiles you need to
make your hand so just follow the assistance and you will make your hand in no
time. This also means there is absolutely no challenge for this difficulty.
NORMAL is, of course, the middle ground. I find it most fitting for anyone that
is neither a beginner nor a hardcore Mahjong player like myself.
HARD can be insanely difficult as it so kindly suggests. Not only does every
opponent seem to make their hand at lightning speed, your characters' special
abilities also don't seem to work all that well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Part 1 (0510)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. | Scenario 1 : Encounter |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Saki (19000)
-Opponents: Kyotarou (18000), Nodoka (27300), Yuuki (35700)
-Round: South Round 1
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
It's Saki's first summer as a highschool student. On one occassion, Saki saw
the ever gorgeous Nodoka walking by her. Next thing she knows, she is being
dragged to the school's Mahjong club. The story between the two begins.
-Tips:
None. This chapter is fairly easy. It's to give you an idea just how powerful
Saki's special ability can be (make sure you Kan a lot XD). The only one that
could be of a problem to you is Yuuki as she sometimes makes her hand before
you do.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
2. | Scenario 2 : Showdown |
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Saki (8900)
-Opponents: Nodoka (31000), Mako (31000), Yuuki (29100)
-Round: East Round 3
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
It has been a long while since Saki last played Mahjong. It was also the very
first time she played with people other than her family members. She wonders
why she has this tingly feelings in her stomach even though she thoght she
hated playing Mahjong...
+++++++++++++++++++++++
3. | Scenario 3 : Fiddle |
+++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Saki (10500)
-Opponents: Fujita Pro (25700), Nodoka (33100), Cafe guest (30700)
-Round: South Round 2
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
Saki hasn't had many chances to talk to Nodoka since she joined the Mahjong
club. One day, Saki subconsciously scoreed a zero on purpose to keep everyone
happy like she does when playing with her family. Noticing that, Nodoka had a
face-to-face talk with Saki. They promised each other to win the qualification
round and go National. From now on, Saki plays to win!
After getting a terrible beat from the professional player Fujita, Saki
realizes that she has to get better in order to help the team finish first in
the qualification round. She also heard of the name Amae Koromo, a Ryuumonbuchi
student who managed to beat the pros in the past. The Mahjong club is going on
a field trip for secret training!
-Tips:
This is the first time we get to use Nodoka (w00t!). The winning condition
is a little bit different this time around; we have to finish 1st. Also, this
stage lasts a full East round til someone goes broke. My advice is, for the
first hand, make an easy, small Yaku and quickly take it down to activate
Nodoka's Special ability, Digital Mode.
After that, it's pretty much a cakewalk. Don't let up and keep pounding them
by playing fast. Don't be afraid to make Calls as long as you've got a Yaku.
That way, you will stay in Digital Mode, and they are not gonna be able to
fight back.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5. | Scenario 5 : Maiden Appearance |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Yuuki (64600)
-Opponents: Mutsuki (82000), Jun (136400), Mihoko (117000)
-Round: South Round 1
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
It's Kiyosumi's maiden appearance in the team tournament. Our heroine team
has just successfully beat 5 schools in the qualification rounds and advanced
into the Best 4. Saki can't wait to play against the tough opponents next day
at the final table.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
6. | Scenario 6 : Beginner |
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Mako (72900)
-Opponents: Kaori (108200), Miharu (139200), Tomoki (79700)
-Round: East Round 3
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
Yuuki is struggling against Jun in the 1st round at the Best 4 final table,
courtesy of a series of uncanny Calls Jun made, and quickly falls behind by a
large margin. When it looks like things couldn't get any worse, Yuuki suddenly
remembers what Hisa told her at the field trip: Instead of thinking about the
improbability and giving up, stay positive and do what you CAN do.
* 2nd round *
It's Mako's turn to play. As it turns out, everyone at the table is wearing
glasses! After a few hands, the players quickly found out that at the Best 4
final table, there is a beginner!? This sure comes as a surprise to everybody.
While Mako tries her best to connect the hands to the ones in the past, she
keeps getting this weird feeling that there is something wrong with it; Kaori,
the beginner is what's wrong with it! This soon proves to be fatal as said
beginner makes a Yakuman without even knowing it while Mako's sitting in Dealer
position. She ends up paying double.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
7. | Scenario 7 : Shredded |
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Takei Hisa (102900)
-Opponents: Hachime (96100), Seika (99200), Satomi (108200)
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
The game proceeds into the 3rd round. Hisa wakes up with a terrible hand
5 tiles away from TenPai. Believing in her own unique playing style, she
eventually turns the garbage into TenPai. She has a choice of making it so
she has 5 kinds of tiles that can make her hand, OR, she can turn the hand into
a Hell's Wait, meaning she's dead to just ONE single tile. She chose the latter
without a blink of an eye. Of course, this surprised the hell out of everyone
watching on the sideline.
After Hisa declares Reach, Seika finds herself in TenPai state. All she has
to do is choose the tile to discard. Having seen Hisa's record, she KNOWS that
Hisa is capable of doing something weird and waiting for a bad draw. However,
her instinct got to her and she decides to go with the seemingly safe tile,
which to Hisa's delight, gives her the winning hand.
Hisa keeps dominating the whole table with her unique playing style, and no
one seems to have the solution. She single-handedly brings Kiyosumi from stuck
30k back up to up about 3000.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
8. | Scenario 8 : Awakening |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Nodoka (119800)
-Opponents: Sumiyo (80700), Touka (116800), Momoko (75500)
-Round: East Round 3
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
* 1st Half of the 4th round *
After Hisa's performance, Kiyosumi is sitting in the 1st place for the very
first time. Game continues to the 4th round.
Being a digital style player herself, Touka has developed a strong sense of
rivalry towards Nodoka even though such emotion is very much one-sided. She
has vowed to take down the idol Nodocchi if it's the last thing she does. On
the other hand, Nodoka remains calm and collected as the match proceeds.
After Nodoka makes a few small hands, Touka discovers a teeny tiny change in
Nodoka's facial expression: Nodoka's face turns slightly red, and she seems to
be a lot more relaxed as well.
The Net Legend Nodocchi awakens !!
This, of course, is all the more exciting to Touka because after all, what's
more fulfilling than beating Nodoka while she is at her absolute best? Just
thinking about it makes her quiver (you should've seen her face in the show).
However, excitement is not enough to stop Nodocchi. The first half is about to
come to an end, and nobody has made one single hand except for Nodoka.
This certainly is unacceptable to Touka. SHE is supposed to be the one in
the center of the attention, not Nodoka!! She then ditches her digital plying
style and declares Reach on a hand that is already big enough WITHOUT Reach,
for the sole purpose of drawing attention to herself. Fortunately, she is able
to make her hand without much trouble. Nodoka's pefect game is no more.
Having stopped Nodoka's perfect game, Touka finds herself 1 tile away from
making yet another big hand. Much to her delight, she declares Reach. Almost
at the same time, a Ron is called, on the tile Touka just discarded!? For a
digital player like Touka to Furikomi, it almost seems impossible; nevertheless
first half of the 4th round comes to an end.
Kazekoshi's Fukabori turns out to be the only one who has yet to win a single
hand in the first half.
* 2nd Half *
Into the 2nd half, Touka just Furikomi yet AGAIN to the same player, Momoko.
Because of her lack of presence, Momoko can literally makes it seem as if she
wasn't even at the table. Nothing she does, nothing she says will ever get
picked up by the other players. She is completely camouflaged. Touka even goes
as far as questioning whether Momoko has declared Reach out loud like she is
supposed to even though Momo is sitting 2 feet away from her the whole time.
As Momo plans the big comeback for Tsuruga, Nodoka suddenly declares Reach.
Believing in her own Stealth Mode, Momo decides not to let 1 Reach slow her
down, and discards a dangerous tile. Nodoka's answer? Ron. Mangan!
Now it's Momo and team Tsuruga's turn to be surprised. Someone just saw right
through Momo's Sealth Mode. Shocked and in disbelief, Momo asks Nodoka how she
is able to see the tiles, in which Nodoka firmly replies: I can see EVERYTHING
clearly!
The game continues as Hisa ponders by the sidelines; exactly which is more
unscientific? He who can turn invisible, or he who can SEE the invisible?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
9. | Scenario 9 : Friends |
++++++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Saki (87800)
-Opponents: Yumi (101400), Kana (46900), Koromo (163900)
-Round: South Round 3
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Story:
* 1st Half *
At last, the match is near the end. Kiyosumi is sitting comfortably in the
lead going into the final rounds, courtesy of Hisa and Nodoka's outstanding
performances. The field trip seems to have worked wonders as it helped Nodoka
play as if she was sitting in front of a computer at home.
Every other team is shocked to see Saki as Kiyosumi's last player, but not
quite as shocked as when they see Saki makes a Rinshankaihou, an Yaku so rare,
it only happens 1 in about every 400 hands. Just when everbody is wondering
whether or not that was a fluke, Saki proves it was no fluke by doing it again
right in the next hand. That's now 2 in a row for an Yaku with just 0.28%.
Everything seems to be going in Saki's way, and she is on her way of making
her 3rd Rinshan. Having noticed that, Yumichin decides to go against the odds
and prepare a little something something for Saki.
''KAN !'', as Saki proudly announces, Yumi stops her right on the track,
claiming that Kan does not count. Yumi then explains to a confused Saki that
she declares Ron on the tile Saki is about to make the Kan with!
CHANKAN - an Yaku even more rare than Rinshankaihou is what Yumi just did.
It is only allowed when your opponent attempts to make a Kan, then you use that
exact tile to make your hand. In case anyone doesn't know, the probability of
that happening is 0.05%.
While everybody is at their own mind games, there is but 1 player who is not
amused by all this - Amae Koromo! As it turns out, Saki's playing style really
disappoints her. She was expecting more from Saki the way people have been
talking about her.
Koromo then shows the rest of the table what it is like to never draw the
tiles you need just so you can watch HER do a little trick called Haitei, a
rare Yaku that involves drawing the last tile in the pool to make your hand.
Hooray! Another Yaku with a probability less than 1%.
Things quickly go from bad to worse as Koromo continues to dominate the
table with Haitei even though our tactical genius (I mean it) Yumichin manages
to give Saki a Ron on purpose to move Koromo off of Dealer position and break
the chain. That's not all, Koromo then shows the table that she is not just an
one-trick pony by changing gears and making a big hand at lightning speed.
First half ends with Ryuumonbuchi in a commanding lead over the rest of the
schools. Things aren't looking too good for our heroine.
* 2nd half *
After the players are done having little pep talks with their respective
''loved ones'', we are back to the final table as the second half of the game
commences.
Having thoughts about what Fujita told her during half time break about her
not playing Mahjong but BEING played by Mahjong, Koromo decides to have a lil'
fun and take all the remaining points away from the last place Kazekoshi,
leaving Kana with exactly 0 points, not more, not less, zero exactly.
According to the rule, the game ends when a player goes minus, not reaches
zero so Kazekoshi is spared. But having zero point means that the other 2
schools cannot Tsumo to win. That will put Kazekoshi right into the minus, and
since whatever they have cannot possibly make up for the 60000+ point
difference with just 1 hand, Ryuumonbuchi would take the title right there.
While Koromo proudly admires her own work, Saki seems to have something else
planned. At the other end of the table, Kana finds herself with a big hand,
and all she needs to do is draw the last winning tile. Much to her dismay,
Saki just makes a Pon on the last 6-Pin she needs and takes away all her hope.
But what's that? ''KAN !'', a few draws later, Saki announces an open-Kan,
and you know what that means...Chankan!! Ron, Dora x7, 16900! Saki breaks into
a smile as she calmly hands her point sticks over to Kana. She planned this all
along. Now Kana has some points to play with again. In other words, Saki can
Tsumo now. Following so far? That means Rinsahnkaihou is back!
Having just gotten the points from Saki, Kana decides that it's not over
until she says it's over! She successfully makes a hand that is worth 1100
points. However, she decides to take a pass.
Next draw, she makes a minor change on her hand, and now it is worth 2000
points; again she opts to pass instead of declaring Tsumo.
This time she picks up a Dora tile, which puts her hand to a total worth of
4000 points. No, this is still not enough, says Kana.
Over and over again her hand improves until finally she declares Reach, and
what do you know, the winning tile comes flying at her right on the next draw.
Time for damage report:
13 Han, Kazoe freaking Yakuman, ladies and gentlemen, 32000 points!
After Kana's little firework, the situation still looks pretty bad for the
3 losing schools, but they know 1 thing now: Koromo is NOT unbeatable! Yumi
quickly proves that by making a Ron on Koromo for 12000 points. See what
staying positive can do to your game? Never give up, people! ^_^
With over 90000 point difference, Saki decides that it's time to fight back.
However, she confuses everybody by making a few VERY small hands, which will
eventually pushes the game into South Round 3 with Saki sitting in the Dealer
position.
Can Saki really make a miracle comeback with just 2 rounds to go? Finish the
scenario and find out!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Part 2 (0520)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
VI. Challenge Mode (0600)
==============================================================================
There are 21 challenges in Challenge Mode, 18 to start with, and 3 that can be
unlocked by beating the 1st part of Story Mode. Each challenge will unlock a
character's costumes, and/or the illustration in the gallery.
++++++++++++++++++
1. | Challenge # 1 |
++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Saki (67900)
-Opponents: Mihoko (114800), Jun (130400), Mutsuki (86900)
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Finish 3rd or better
-Unlockables: Saki costume set
-Tips:
Nothing much, this is an easy one since you only need to finish 3rd. Just
sit there and let Saki's Rinshan special ability do the work for you.
This should be fairly easy as well. Play fast and quickly make a small hand
to activate Nodoka's Digital Mode, in which you will have a very easy time
making your hand.
Watch out for Koromo. With her special ability around, it can be difficult
sometimes to gather the tiles you need. Try to keep the Dealer position for as
long as you can to fully make use of Yuuki's ability.
This one can be a bit tougher. Yuuki is quite the nuisance if she manages to
keep her Dealer position, and of course there is Saki too. Play fast against
Yuuki and push her off of the Dealer position, and go from there.
Any time we have Yuuki in the opponent list means we have to watch out for
her Dealer position. Fortunately for us, Touka has one of the best offensive
special abilities in the game. Make sure you do NOT make any Calls at all, and
wait for the tiles yourself to declare Reach. That way you are pretty much
guaranteed an Ippatsu in your next draw which automatically translates to 3
Han (Reach, Ippatsu, and Menzen Tsumo).
Arggg, this is one of the 3 toughest challenges you will play. You start in
3rd place 34000+ points away from the 2nd place Kanbara, and since it is in
South Round already, you don't have much time to catch on. On top of all that,
Hachime does not have any abilities at all.
My advice is aim for a big boom at the very first hand; try to make it as big
as you possibly can. And if you cannot succeed, simply start over instead of
wasting any more time on the lost case. Picking a starting hand with potential
is also recommended.
Don't get hasty and make a lot of unnecessary Calls, or compromise yourself
into a small hand. Wait for a good starting hand, a good spot with easy Waits,
and declare Reach for the hopes of hitting that inside Dora, as well as the
extra Han from Menzen Tsumo and a chance of getting an Ippatsu.
If you feel like you must make Calls to improve your hand, make sure that
you KNOW where you are going with it. Chinitsu, Honitsu, Toitoi...etc. Don't
just Call first, then face the predicaments and disappointments later.
Remember, small hands will only take more away from the limited and precious
time you have to make a comeback with.
Dora and Red tiles are also a key. A small hand such as TanYao with 7 Dora
is worth more than a big hand like Chinitsu with no Dora. Remember that. My
buddy once had 10 Dora in his hand and a set of Chun. His hand was already
worth a SanbaiMan (24000) without any fancy Yaku to boost.
As far as opponents go, Satomi poses the least threats out of the 3. Seika
has this annoying tendency to make pitiful garbage hands and push the game
forward while you can certainly use more time. The most competent player is
obviously Hisa, the one with an offensive special ability. She can also goes
on a rampage if she gets to keep Dealer. If you are lucky enough, you may see
her pulling down Satomi for you although I wouldn't count on it.
Last, but not least, don't let the frustration get to your head. It took me
at least 10-20 attempts before I finally got lucky and beat it (more like my
plans paid off) so take a break if you feel that your patience is running thin.
Back to back tough challenges. The differnece between you and the 1st place
Saki is over 33000 points. Same as challenge 8, the game begins in South Round
so you do not have much time to catch on.
The good news is, Mihoko's ability activates on South Round 3 so you would
have an easier time during the last 2 rounds, and I am not sure if it is just
me, but I feel that Mihoko's hand and draw qualities are notches better than
Hachime's in general.
The bad news is, well, your opponents are WAY tougher than the ones you have
in challenge 8. Koromo's Haitei ability can really puts you on a tough spot
where you just can't seem to draw the tiles you need. Furthermore, both Saki
and Koromo has a much higher Tsumo rate than players like Satomi and Seika so
be prepared to see some big swings.
My advice in general would be the same as for challenge 8. Try to make a big
hand right off the bat. However, since your ability activates on Round 3, you
could just hang in there and make a few small hands to cope through the first
2 rounds, THEN make your big comeback right before the game ends. That's what
I did.
Another concern is that since all your 3 opponents are pretty much on equal
footing as far as score goes, any one of them making a hand could very easily
increase the gap between you and the 1st place so try not to let that happen.
Easier said than done, I know, but don't waste any more time on an obviously
lost case if you see something like Koromo making a BaiMan for 16000 points
right off the bat. It will be easier if you just start over.
++++++++++++++++++++
10. | Challenge # 10 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Kana (0)
-Opponents: Miharu (33000), Seika (34000), Sumiyo (33000)
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Finish 1st
-Unlockables: Kana costume set
-Tips:
Do the Math! This challenge can be considerably easier if you just do some
simple calculation on your hand. Kana's special ability gives you a great
starting hand when your score is lower than 10000. What this means is, you can
create an 1-shot KO by carefully planning for a SECOND big hand.
You start with 0 point, which takes away Reach opportunity. Score difference
is about the same as the previous 2 challenges, 33000-34000 points. Even if
you manage to score a BaiMan or even a SanbaiMan (unlikely), chances are you
are still behind by a few thousand. So what I did was, make a smaller hand at
the beginning (Mangan for 8000 points), wait for the Dealer position, score a
BaiMan for 24000 points, which instantly put me on top.
Remember, as long as you keep your score lower than 10000 points, Kana's
ability activates, meaning you get a chance to select from all the beautiful
premium starting hands and take your shot from there. That sounds much better
than screwing around with average hands hoping to get lucky, doesn't it?
After you get to the 1st place, you would still need to either finish the
whole rounds (South 4), or finish someone off. The former is the easier to go.
Since none of your opponents are really capable of making a really big hand,
you do not have to worry about someone suddenly steal your win. However, if
you see the Dealer making a hand and keeps her position, it's better to push
her off of it as soon as possible, preferably in the next round. AI tends to
ride that rush from time to time so keep that in mind.
++++++++++++++++++++
11. | Challenge # 11 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Yumi (90300)
-Opponents: Saki (105700), Koromo (168200), Kana (35800)
-Round: South Round 4
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Unlockables: (Kaju) Yumi costume set
-Tips:
None. The hardship is finally over. Tough as the opponents are, the winning
condition is just to make your hand. Scores do not matter in this one.
++++++++++++++++++++
12. | Challenge # 12 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Momoko (25000)
-Opponents: Sumiyo (25000), Tomoki (25000), Seika (25000)
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Finish 1st
-Unlockables: Momoko costume set
-Tips:
None. Wanna see how poorly characters without special abilites fare against
one that does? You've come to the right place! Once you are in Stealth Mode,
you are pretty much unstoppable.
KAN! That's all there is to it. This one is actually pretty fun because all
the players at the table are capable of making a huge hand. It all comes down
to who manages to do it first and the most. Remember, save a Kan for later if
you are holding more than one 4-of-a-kind in your hand. This can lead to an
easy Rinshan.
++++++++++++++++++++
16. | Challenge # 16 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Mihoko (25000)
-Opponents: Kana (25000) x 3
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Finish 1st
-Unlockables: Mihoko & Kana illustration
-Tips:
Oh god, I love this one. It's a Kana-fest. The best way to do it is to make
your hand by Tsumo so you equally chip the 3 Kanas' points away, then finish
it with a final blow so they do not end up having godly hands to start.
Overall, this is not hard at all.
Any time you are up against Koromo, you should watch out for her Haitei.
The best thing you can do is to keep the Dealer position for as long as you
can. The other two characters are nothing to worry about so this one shouldn't
be too hard to beat. Playing fast is the way to go.
++++++++++++++++++++
19. | Challenge # 19 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: (Fujita pro) Yasuko (25000)
-Opponents: Saki (33100), Cafe guest (22700), Nodoka (18500)
-Round: South Round 4
-Winning condition: Finish 1st / Make a comeback!
-Unlockables: Fujita pro playable
-Tips:
You have 1 game and 1 game only to make a comeback. The difference between
you and Saki is just over 8000 points, which means a Mangan won't do it unless
it comes from Saki.
For a character without any special ability, Fujita pro tends to have a nice
starting hand as well as pretty good draws to go with it so it should not be
too hard to make a big hand out of it. The time limit does not matter much as
you can simply start over if you cannot make your hand.
For those who do not have a firm grasp on score calculation, you need at
least 4 Han to make a Mangan, 6 to make a HaneMan. When in doubt, refer to the
Yaku list to make sure you have enough Han to make the comeback.
++++++++++++++++++++
20. | Challenge # 20 |
++++++++++++++++++++
-Player: Ayumu (25000)
-Opponents: Saki (25000), Nodoka (25000), Yuuki (25000)
-Round: East Round 1
-Winning condition: Make your hand
-Unlockables: Sugino Ayumu playable
-Tips:
Tough lineup, easy as hell winning condition. I do not see any problems with
it. Any hand will do so just make a small hand and be done with it.
This one can be extremely difficult to beat, or it could be extremely easy.
Why? Because Maho's special ability is totally randomly. If you are lucky and
get an offensive ability like Hisa or Saki's, then you will beat this one in
no time.
Me? I picked up Saki's ability and made a SuuAnKou (YakuMan, 32000 points),
and then after a few hands, another HaneMan for the win, courtesy to Saki's
Rinshankaihou again.
Similar to Challenge 8, 9, and 10, the difference between you and the rest
of the table is over 33000 points. Fortunately for us, we have plenty of time
to make the comeback, and just enough points to declare Reach. Plus Maho's
random abilities, we have everything we need, in a way.
Refer to challenge 8-10 above for general strategies. Other than that, I
would suggest resetting until you start with Saki or Hisa's special ability.
Those 2 are by far the best ones you can have. Also refer to Maho's ability
list in Character Profile if you are not sure which one you got dealt with.
==============================================================================
VII. Unlockables (0700)
==============================================================================
There is really not much to unlock in this game. A few costumes and CGs, and
3 secret characters are about all we are getting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. CGs and Costumes (0710)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For all the CGs and costumes, you can unlock them by beating Story Mode and
Challenge Mode.
There are 3 secret characters you can unlock. Finish part 1 of Story Mode, and
the 3 corresponding challenges will appear in Challenge Mode. Beat them, and
you get the secret characters.
++++++++++++++++
3. | Yumeno Ayumu | (Nodoka and Yuuki's underclassman from jr. highschol)
++++++++++++++++
-Beat challenge # 21
==============================================================================
VIII. Frequently Asked Questions (0800)
==============================================================================
1.
Q: Why can't I Call win (Ron)?
A: 2 possibilities, you do not have any Yaku, and/or you are in FuriTen state.
Refer to the Rules and Terminology sections for more details.
2.
Q: What does this option mean?
A: You should be able to find everything you need to know in the Translation
section.
3.
Q: What's XXX's special abilities?
A: See Character Profile for details. Every character is listed by their
respective highschools.
4.
Q: Anything to unlock?
A: Yes, several. You can unlock all the CGs and costumes in Story mode and
Challenge Mode. For the secret characters, clear the first part of Story Mode,
and then the last 3 challenges in Challenge Mode.
5.
Q: I have beat everything. What should I do next?
A: Congratulations! Now find some buddies that share the same interest or move
on to another game. Frankly, Mahjong is not meant to be a long-lasting game if
you are playing by yourself.
6.
Q: I cannot beat XXX! She is so cheap!!
A: I know. A lot of times the situation seems pretty unfair. Switch to a lower
difficulty or follow the tips I have mentioned in this guide. Do know that
Mahjong is a game of skills AND luck. Keep trying!
7.
Q: Why did you write this guide? Obviously, no one cares about this game.
A: Well, you're reading it. That's someone right? Besides, I write stuff just
because I feel like it. Others' interest does not concern me the least.
==============================================================================
IX. Credits & Acknowledgements (0900)
==============================================================================
-Alchemist
for making this game.
-GameFAQs
for hosting this guide.
-Wiki
for the reference on various rules I was not sure about.
-ambstrike
-lord_phr0zen
for the information they have posted on the message board. Thanks guys!
-Paul and Eric
for taking the interest in Mahjong and playing the game with me.
