Shanghai: Triple Threat

SEGA Saturn, Shiro! prides itself on providing our fans with coverage of not only the Saturn’s greatest and most memorable, but also the obscure and little-known – especially if the title received a western release. One such game is Shanghai: Triple Threat. Released in Japan in February 1995, Shanghai: 万里の長城 (banri no choujou; The Great Wall) did very well, earning itself a Satakore (Saturn’s Greatest Hits) re-release in 1998. The title was developed by Activision and published in Japan by SunSoft. Sensing an opportunity to capitalize on the nascent western market, Activision published and released the North American version themselves in late 1995. Unfortunately, there was no European release.

Activision have a long history of producing Shanghai games for the Japanese market for all manner of platforms (Amiga, Fujitsu’s FM Towns, the MSX, the Master System and many others) and even arcades. In fact, during the 80s and 90s, the studio was colloquially known as ‘the Shanghai company’ in the land of the rising sun, such was the popularity of their games. Across all platforms, Shanghai sold over 10 million copies since the original 1986 release. Activision’s decision to release a Saturn Shanghai game a mere three months after the console’s Japanese launch was a no-brainer.

Such a popular game, and yet most of us in the West have never heard of it. So, what’s all the fuss about?

Shanghai is Activision’s videogame take on the traditional Chinese tile game Mah-jong. The original game dates back centuries and is usually a 3 or 4 player game; what Activision have produced is a one-player affair known as Mah-jong Solitaire. A tile-matching logic game, Mah-jong tiles are arranged in a ‘turtle’ pattern. There is no strict rule as to how the turtle pattern is to be arranged, although loosely, the pattern must be symmetrical, pyramid-shaped – using 4 layers of tiles with a peak in the centre – and turtle-shaped; meaning, there are 4 ‘arms’ sticking out in the pattern. There are 36 different tiles with 4 of each tile in a standard game (144 tiles in total), and the goal is to match and remove two tiles at time until all 144 tiles are gone. The catch? Tiles must be ‘free to move’; that is, unobstructed to be removed by sliding the tile either left or right. Movements up or down are disallowed. This means that initially only the outer-facing tiles are free. Additionally, the stacks of tiles prevent the player from seeing which tiles are hidden in the underlying layers, and the ‘free to move’ rule applies to all layers. Only by eliminating higher stacked tiles can the player see and eventually eliminate the tiles underneath. The strategy and the addictive factor lie in removing tiles in the most optimal way possible to free up additional tiles and increase one’s possible moves. Also, with 4 of each tile available, the player must sometimes decide which two out of three free tiles to match to get the most optimal result. The best analogy is that Shanghai is the Chinese equivalent of Solitaire, using tiles with traditional Chinese symbols instead of a deck of playing cards.

This is a game of skill and strategy, as well as luck. Why luck? Since the number of legal moves is restricted by the number of free tiles, mathematically there is a ~3% chance that any random game will have no possible solution. Factor in the method in which the player proceeds and the chance of success rises or falls dramatically. It is not uncommon for a novice to initially run out of moves and fail in completing their first pattern.

Those are the basics of the traditional game – now, how does the Saturn version ‘stack up’? (sorry… I can’t resist puns)

There are two modes to the game: Original and Arcade. Original mode is definitely for beginners – you are presented with a random pattern and have unlimited time to solve. You can ask for unlimited hints – the CPU will highlight possible pairs of tiles to be removed – as well as the ability to go back a move and re-shuffle your remaining tiles at any time. Think of this as a practice mode.

Arcade mode is a progression through 30 levels, tournament style. The game played is classic Shanghai, and the player travels along points on the Great Wall of China, with different, real-life locations and events serving as the backgrounds. This mode is much harder than Original mode. Your game is now scored, which is how the tournament works. You begin with a score of 180, representing 180 seconds, or 3 minutes. With each second that elapses, your score is reduced by 1. Matching tiles gives you points; some tiles are worth more than others. The idea is to clear your pattern as quickly as possible, because the game is not over when the time runs out – however your score will then be minimal. You get a maximum of 3 hints, but none of the ‘undo’ or ‘re-shuffle’ malarkey from Original mode. After every three rounds, there is a bonus round enabling the player to score bonus points. Winning the tournament involves solving all 30 patterns and coming in with the highest cumulative score you can. Overall, this is a complex game for seasoned players.

There is a 2-player mode which is quite original. There are two identical patterns presented side by side, and each player must work towards solving their pattern. However, you are also free to use tiles from your opponent’s pattern! This opens up a whole new dimension of strategy – if you have a stubborn tile you want to remove but don’t have the matching tile, you can always snatch it from your opponent’s pattern and mess them up! This adds a whole new element to the traditional 2-player puzzle affair. My wife and I have had many 2-player matches, and when we discovered the ability to steal tiles from the other player… well, we are now heading for a divorce.

Fortunately, there is also the option of having both players work cooperatively on the same pattern. Marriage back on! The neat aspect here is that cooperating or competing is not mutually exclusive: you can switch at will during a game.

The Saturn game is subtitled Triple Threat because it contains not only Activision’s classic Shanghai game but also three derivatives:

The Great Wall features a single layer of tiles arranged in an upright position, usually in the shape of two uneven ‘towers’. Removing the tiles works just like in classic Shanghai, but as tiles are removed, remaining tiles now fall into the newly created gap, just like in Columns. Additionally, the tiles are not arranged precisely one overtop another – they are layered more like bricks, meaning that removing a tile does not automatically guarantee that a superior tile will fall. The falling tile mechanic serves to create or eliminate possible moves as the tiles fall to fill the gaps. Very nice.

Beijing is reminiscent of sliding puzzle toys – the tiles are enclosed in a rectangle, and there are several gaps in the tile set. Removing tiles can be done by clicking pairs of free tiles just like in classic Shanghai, but there is an additional twist. You can also drag and slide multiple tiles at a time, for as far as there is room to move them, just like a sliding puzzle. The mechanic here is that you can set up some really nice combos by sliding a column or row of tiles so that there are multiple matches at a time. Also very nice.

Lastly, there is Golden Tile, which is strictly a 2-player affair. Players are presented with identical layouts, and need to eliminate tiles a la classic Shanghai until they find their buried golden tile. First to find and remove their golden tile wins. Like in classic Shanghai, both players have access to both layouts – meaning, you can work on your own layout but you can also steal from – or cooperate with – your opponent. まてれ!*

So… we have established that this is a solid puzzle game with many takes on the classic Shanghai, a robust 2-player mode and a neat tournament-style Arcade mode, but what else is there? Let’s dive in to the options!

There are three tile sets available to choose from: Mah-jong, Zodiac, and Musical. They make no difference to the rules of the game however Mah-jong tiles are grouped into nine suits, whilst Zodiac and Musical feature only five. The overall number of 144 tiles does not change, but the suits are bigger with the Zodiac and Musical tiles. The tiles animate as you remove them, with slightly more elaborate animations for higher-point tiles. You can change the look of your pointer, and by holding down either the L or R shoulder key, you can increase the speed of your pointer. The game creates a save file to keep track of your top scores, but oddly, when progressing through the Arcade Mode, you receive a password after each puzzle to resume your tournament later. Finally, although it is not mentioned in the USA manual, the game is compatible with the mouse! This does make playing the game a bit more intuitive than using the standard controller. Please note: this journalist did not have access to two Saturn mice to validate that a 2-player, 2-mice affair is possible, but there is no reason to believe it wouldn’t be.

In the end, there is no such thing as a perfect game, and Shanghai: Triple Threat has a few small flaws. First of all, if ever there was a Saturn title that would have benefited form displaying in the Saturn’s hi-resolution mode, this is it. The tiles appear small on the screen, and with many of them featuring Chinese symbols that Western gamers are not used to, this becomes a needless irritant. Having the game present in hi-res mode would have been a huge boost, and, being a slow-paced, 2D affair, this should have been very do-able. A missed opportunity, as this game would have looked very polished in 480i.

Likewise, this would have been a great candidate for compatibility with the Taisen cable (Link cable) for local Saturn to Saturn gaming, or even potentially for NetLink gaming. The action is not paced like most other puzzle games, so lag should not have been a factor at all. Still, this point is nit-picky, as neither peripheral saw widespread adoption.

Perhaps most irritating is the save method during a Tournament. Rather than simply saving your progress in the game’s save file as is done with your high scores, the game gives you a password to enter should you wish to resume at a later time. Upon resuming however, your tournament score is reset to zero, meaning if you want to post your best high score, you must play through all 30 stages without interruption. Ugh. Why, Activision??

The only other missed opportunity to call out is the inability to set your cursor speed. Yes, it is possible to hold down the L or R shift to increase speed but it is awkward to keep it continually depressed while you play, especially if it is a long game. An option to increase or decrease speed on a short Likert scale in the options menu would have been most welcome.

Ultimately, these misses and flaws are not enough to overcome the sheer amount of ‘good’ on this disc. This is a great Saturn puzzle game; one of the system’s best in fact. Nevertheless, it isn’t hard to see why it doesn’t make anyone’s ‘Best Saturn Puzzle Games’ list in the West. Neither Mah-jong nor Shanghai are well known here and most players will have an unexpected cultural learning curve to climb with getting accustomed to the Chinese tiles. If having foreign elements in your game isn’t your thing, then pass on this title. For Saturn puzzle game aficionados, Shanghai: Triple Threat is heartily recommended. A great mix of logic and strategy sprinkled with a bit of luck and garnished with solid derivative games and a clever 2-player mode. Give it a go; you won’t be disappointed.

Shiro Challenges:

• Complete the Arcade Mode (Tournament). It’s long and hard and gives you a great feeling once you complete! (no cheeky comments, now)
• Try to make a triple combo in Beijing – move a long row of tiles so that three separate pairs are eliminated at once. This is super hard to pull off; you will need to strategically build up your board to do it!
• Learn the Seasons and the Flowers tiles. Seasons and Flowers tiles are the trickiest tiles to match for Western gamers, because unlike any other tiles, they do not have an exact lookalike match, so you really need to learn your tile groups to match them off.
• Compete in a 2-player Golden Tile match and first mess up your opponent (divorce / break-up / friendship-over imminent) followed by smoothing things over by co-operating the rest of the way (divorce / break-up / friendship-over avoided)!
• Try playing 2-player using two mice – and let SEGA Saturn, Shiro! know if it is possible!

Bonus: The Manual!

A quick word about the manual for this game: aside from quite detailed explanations of the games, rules, and options, the manual contains pictures and names of all the tiles in each set. Very handy. Even better, the manual contains a few pages of the history of the game, and Activision’s exploits with Shanghai in the East. Including this type of material in game manuals is always great!

In-Depth: Learning the Tiles

Shanghai: Triple Threat features three tile sets: Mah-jong, Zodiac, and Music. The Mah-jong tiles are by far the most common in the real world. Drawing again on the deck of playing cards analogy, tiles are divided into seven groups, or suits. The common suits are Cracks, Bams, and Dots, and there are nine distinct values in each suit, times four identical tiles per distinct value to pair off in a game. This is similar in concept to having four suits in a deck of cards, but imagine having four of each value within each suit – four Queen of Hearts, four Queen of Diamonds, etc. Cracks are characters (i.e., Chinese Kanji), the Bams represent bamboo sticks, and Dots are… dots. The higher suits are the four Winds, the four Seasons, four Flowers, and three Dragons. The Winds and the Dragons work just like the Cracks, Bams and Dots – there are four of each kind and you pair them off, but the suits are smaller compared to Cracks, Bams and Dots. Instead of having nine distinct values per suit, the Winds have four (North, East, South, West) and the Dragons have three (Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon). The last two suits are Seasons and Flowers. These are special in that there are only four total tiles in each suit, and they have no pair. There is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter for the Seasons, and Chrysanthemum, Plum, Bamboo and Orchid for the Flowers. Any of the seasons can pair off with another Season, and any of the Flowers pairs with another Flower. It takes some getting used to, but the complexity is about on par with learning to play chess. See the image of an actual Mah-Jong tile set: the first four columns are the Dots, the next four columns are the Bams, the following four columns are the Cracks. The last four columns are the tricky ones: the first four rows are the Winds, the next three rows are the Dragons, and the last two rows are Seasons and Flowers, respectively.

*まてれ, (ma-te-re) is Japanese for “well done”. This is a soundbite that plays in another excellent Saturn puzzle title, Baku Baku.