Honkaku Mahjong - Tetsuman is one of those deep-cut SNES mahjong sims that feels like it was made for purists. The second you boot it up, you're hit with that classic 90s Japanese UI—crisp tile designs, no-nonsense menus, and zero hand-holding. If you're used to modern mahjong games with tutorials, this one throws you straight into the thick of it.

What I love is how tactile the tiles feel, even through a controller. The sound design nails that satisfying click when you discard, and the AI opponents actually play like real people—none of that predictable beginner-mode nonsense. First time I played, I got wrecked by some old lady NPC who kept calling riichi at the worst possible moments.

It's Japan-only, so expect kanji everywhere, but the gameplay’s intuitive if you already know your way around riichi rules. Just don’t expect flashy animations or gimmicks—this is straight-up, no-frills mahjong the way salarymen played it in smoky parlors back in the day.