Hiking Mahjong

Camping gear rather than suits: tents, lanterns, compasses, boots and mess tins spread across a board with a trail backdrop. Hiking Mahjong asks for two identical pieces with two open sides, and it adds a restriction most connect boards do not have — matches run horizontally or vertically only, never on the diagonal. Mahjong Connect 2 was filed here for the same reason.

That rule changes how the board is read. A pair sitting corner to corner is useless however obvious it looks, and the pieces you actually want are the ones aligned in the same row or column with a clear line between them. New players lose most of their early clock to diagonal pairs they cannot take. From the same group, there is also the Cards Connect board.

Hints and a shuffle are provided but limited, so the shuffle is best saved for a genuine deadlock rather than a slow patch. A time limit runs on each level. Lof Games drew the gear icons small and detailed in this 2021 build, and several of the metal items look alike at a glance, which makes full screen the practical choice. Mouse and touch both work. The Connect Cute Zoo board occupies the neighbouring slot in the catalogue.

1. Find two identical pieces of camping gear that each have two open sides.
2. Check that they sit in the same row or the same column, since diagonal pairs do not count.
3. Tap or click both to remove them.
4. Clear the whole board to finish the level, before the clock stops.
5. Shuffle only when no legal move remains, since the supply is limited.

• Stop looking diagonally — only pairs aligned along a row or a column are accepted here.
• Two open sides, not one — a piece hemmed in on three edges is unplayable even if its twin is right beside it.
• Clear along rows — removing a horizontal pair frees the pieces either side of it and keeps lanes open.
• Hoard the shuffle — it is limited, and a deadlock late in a level costs far more than a slow start.
• Full screen for the gear — the lanterns, tins and compasses are drawn small and similar in tone.