Hey Mahjong Masters!
The launch of Aotenjo: Infinite Hands is just around the corner—only 3 days to go! Mark your calendars: the game officially releases on Monday, the 20th, at 11 AM (UTC+8)—no delays, we promise!
In our last dev blog, we shared details about the Early Access launch and our 2025 update roadmap. This time, we want to introduce some handy tips for new players! While Aotenjo is a mahjong-inspired roguelike deckbuilder, it doesn’t require deep mahjong knowledge to enjoy. The mechanics are designed to be approachable, and you’ll pick them up as you play!
Which Mahjong Should I Start With?
We highly recommend starting with Green Mahjong. It has a streamlined rule set, a built-in tutorial, and 5 extra discards (we’ll explain these later). The difficulty is also relatively low, making it the perfect starting point.
Once you’ve mastered Green Mahjong, you’ll unlock more complex styles! The Early Access version includes six mahjong types: Green, Blue, Galaxy, Bamboo, Rainbow, and Schemer Mahjong—each with unique mechanics and challenges!
The Goal: Score! Score! And More Score!
The core gameplay is simple:
- Each round, add new tiles to your hand and score points based on your tile combinations.
- After four rounds, your total score determines whether you clear the level.
- Any points beyond the required target convert into in-game currency—which you can spend on upgrades in the rest phase.
Just like traditional mahjong, Aotenjo is about planning, adapting, and maximizing your score. So don’t hold back—aim for big hands and rack up those points!
Scoring System
Scoring in Aotenjo follows a system similar to classic mahjong: Base Points × Multipliers.
Base Points (符, Fu)
Each tile has a fixed score value, and here’s an easy way to remember them:
- Character, Bamboo, and Dot tiles: 1 & 9 = 9 Fu, 2 & 8 = 8 Fu, 3 & 7 = 7 Fu, 4 & 6 = 6 Fu, 5 = 5 Fu
- Honor tiles (East, South, West, North, Red, Green, White) = 10 Fu
(Don’t worry if you can’t memorize this! You can always hover over tiles in-game to check their Fu value.)
Multipliers (番, Fan)
Fan comes from specific tile combinations—these are called Patterns (番种, Yakus).
You might recognize famous ones like Full Flush (清一色) and Thirteen Orphans (十三幺)—the rarer and harder a pattern is to complete, the higher the multiplier!
Unlike traditional mahjong, in Aotenjo, you can upgrade your patterns by purchasing Pattern Books, increasing their fan and boosting your score potential!
To sum it up:
- Discard low-value or unwanted tiles
- Keep high-Fu tiles
- Aim for high-Fan pattern
Master this, and you’ll be on your way to victory!
Gadget Guide: “Rigging” Your Hand (Legally!)
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your tiles just won’t come together. That’s where Aotenjo's special items come in!
These items can temporarily modify tile values, suits, or even grant unique effects—making them invaluable for crafting powerful hands. For example:
- "Cooked Rice": Temporarily reduces the number value of a Dot or Bamboo tile by 1.
Use these wisely to turn the tide in your favor!
Money Power 1: Map Locations
Another way to optimize your deck is by making permanent changes to your wall (your entire deck of tiles). At the end of each round, you can choose different locations to visit, each offering unique benefits:
- Malice-Sawmill: Spend money to remove unwanted tiles from your deck.
- Bamboo Forest: Buy new tiles to add to your deck.
- Howling Mountain: Spend money to enchant tiles with special effects.
- Wan's Treasure Shop: Purchase useful gadgets for your run.
Your currency is key to shaping your deck—so choose your path carefully!
Money Power 2: The Store
Artifacts are powerful items that provide permanent buffs throughout your run. They can:
- Boost Pattern multipliers
- Increase overall scoring potential
- Evolve specific tiles
At the Artifact Shop, you can buy various Artifacts—rarer ones cost more but provide stronger effects!
Additionally, Pattern Packs are a great way to level up your patterns, unlocking rare multipliers and enhancing your strategy. We recommend prioritizing the Pattern Packs that match your preferred playstyle!
Final Developer Tips
Unlike traditional mahjong, where you need to form a complete 14-tile hand, Aotenjo breaks it down into four rounds. In each round:
- You play a Triplet/Sequence + a Pair per turn.
- The previous Pair is replaced each turn—use this to cycle out unwanted tiles.
Some pro strategies to keep in mind:
- Your final move is crucial! Each turn scores points, but the last turn includes ALL previous tiles, so set up for big Pattern early and cash in at the end!
- Use the Pair slot strategically—discard unwanted tiles by playing them as Pair in early turns to set up a strong hand for the final Play.
- You don’t necessarily need Malice-Sawmill to remove tiles! Some items and artifacts can shrink your deck, helping you focus on key tiles faster.
Join the Community
To all our closed beta and open test players—thank you for your support! We’d love for you to share your own gameplay tips in the comments and in our Official Discord.
Launch Discount!
Aotenjo: Infinite Hands will launch with a 12% discount for the first two weeks at $8.71 USD!