Mahjong

DevilishGames states the terms in a single line: combine tiles of the same type, and keep completing levels until you run out of time. No story map is described and no scoring system either, which puts the whole game on that one pressure. The explanation of dead boards sets out the same mechanics on one page.

The consequence is a run structure rather than a campaign. The description ties every level to the same running clock, so what ends the attempt is time rather than any particular board defeating you. Clearing a layout without dithering is therefore the whole skill, which is presumably why this one is filed as a skill game rather than a puzzle. Mahjong Sunset builds the layers into another arrangement.

The board renders at 800 by 500 — a squat, wide frame that fits a broad, shallow arrangement rather than a tall pyramid. Freeing the lower rows early matters in Frenzy as well.

1. Start the level and find two tiles of the same type that are free to take.
2. Combine them to clear the pair and open what lies beneath.
3. Empty the layout, then carry straight on into the next level.
4. Keep going until the clock runs out — that, rather than a failed board, is what stops you.

• Move first, plan second — with the clock as the only opponent, an obvious pair taken now beats a perfect pair found late.
• Learn the shallow stack — the 800 by 500 frame spreads tiles wide, so scanning left to right finds more than scanning down.
• Do not stall on one symbol — if a match will not show itself within a couple of seconds, look elsewhere and come back to it.
• Treat each level as time spent — clearing DevilishGames' boards cleanly is what buys you the next one.