Jissen Mahjong Kyoshitsu on Game Boy is one of those no-nonsense mahjong sims—no frills, just tiles. You boot it up, and bam, you're staring at a classic Japanese mahjong table with that satisfyingly chunky Game Boy aesthetic. The controls take a minute to get used to (hold this button to scroll tiles, tap that one to discard), but after a couple of botched hands, it clicks.

What I like is how it doesn’t baby you. No tutorial pop-ups, just straight into the deep end against AI opponents who actually know how to play. First time I tried a pon or chii, I fumbled the button combo and got stuck with a dead hand. Learned that lesson fast. The music’s got that old-school Game Boy vibe too—simple but weirdly tense when you’re one tile away from a winning hand.

If you’re into retro mahjong or just want something to kill time that isn’t solitaire, this one’s solid. Just don’t expect flashy animations or a story mode—it’s all about the grind.