Balatro and mahjong meet in Aotenjo, a roguelike with a new Steam demo

Gaming often dips from the same wells over and over again – we’re seeing this right now with the current tide of extraction shooters – but sometimes that dipping yields fresh results. That’s the case in Aotenjo, a roguelike deckbuilder that on the face of it is very similar to Balatro, but which combines it all with mahjong instead, making something altogether new. If that sounds like your jam, then have no fear as there’s a free Steam demo you can play.

Similar to Balatro, Aotenjo is all about playing combinations to earn money, buy stuff, and send your score into the stratosphere. Where this title sets itself apart is in its source inspiration, with poker being dumped in favor of mahjong. This means it has an entirely different ruleset and you’ll have a lot to learn if you’re not familiar with mahjong, as well as making it more of a tile game than a card game.

Each round is made up of several hands, where you play five tiles and points are awarded. By laying out various patterns you can boost your score ever higher, eventually unlocking some truly staggering numbers in your roguelike tile quest. While mahjong is famously intimidating to newcomers, Aotenjo promises to make it a little easier on you if you’ve never touched a tile before by slowly introducing players to mechanics, with you unlocking more tiles the more you play.

That said, there should be plenty for experienced mahjong players too, as the game isn’t just a direct version and instead is filled with roguelike elements that should keep things interesting. You’ll find artifacts you can use to change things up and play will take place on procedurally generated levels, so even if you’re an expert, this should offer something different.

If you’d like to hop into Aotenjo, a new demo is now available that should give you a taste of the action. Head over to Steam to learn more and to check it out for yourself.

Should you need something else in your life, our guides to the best roguelike games and the best strategy games should cover all your bases.

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