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If you asked somebody what the "holy grails" of the Neo Geo Pocket library were, odds are you wouldn't find this game on a conventional list; while it is one of the rarest games on the system (along the lines of the UK version of Evolution or Japanese titles like Nige-Ron-Pa, though not nearly as expensive) as well as one of the last that was pushed out between the original SNK's bankruptcy and the acquisition / merger by Aruze and later by SNK Playmore (released in 2001 along with SNK vs Capcom: Cardfighters' Clash 2 - Expanded Edition), it's a mahjong game and these games were a dime a dozen back in the day... so why care about this one? Well... what if... I told you this isn't just any Mahjong game? It is... (wait for it) SUPER REAL mahjong! Not only that though... IT'S SUPER REAL STRIP MAHJONG!!

Jokes aside, besides being part of Seta's famous series, it's relevant for two reasons: it pushes the handheld to its limits in terms of graphical fidelity (in terms of sheer CG variety, CG resolution which is higher than normal and in keeping the most important animation frames, meaning not just stills but storage-eating frames) and because it was easily one of the finest portable mahjong games of the time. I bought this game many years ago and went through my archives recently, thinking "man, it's been, like, a decade since I did anything for NGP", lol, so here we are. SNK collaborated with Seta and scaled the game down without compromising the game's pivotal scenes while creating an original scenario presented in a visual novel format which takes popular ladies from several of the games in the series (seven default with one hidden who has lower-res scenes but with more frames of animation).

Oh, and there's one other reason... uncensored tig ol' anime bitties. Relax... it's nothing outside of bare tops and would be deemed tasteful even outside the scope of an 8-ish bit platform, but this video has been censored regardless. Still, it's assumed that anyone buying the few copies in circulation know that it's a special interest title, but it's surprising to see it rated 18+ as some of its console brethren are censored, so that's something to consider. Characters from SRMP5/6/7 (and 2) appear throughout the game's story mode with branching paths leading to different characters. Only the final girl you meet takes off their top (with one exception) and the game's replay value can even compete with Card Fighter's Clash or Match of the Millennium thanks to its Free Play mode which adds extra scenes for each girl you completed during the main story. When every girl's story is completed, you get to partake in one more short extra scenario for the hidden character. Players can also have all their CGs saved for added convenience.

Outside of all that, there are a few adjustable options and your typical Strip (Reach) Mahjong rules. This is not one of the more entry-level Mahjong titles by default and you must make all your calls and declarations on your own based on your hand and the tiles dropped by your opponent, and it has your typical A.I. tomfoolery (where they can usually reach between the first 3-5 drops), but the game has an excellent built-in tutorial / rule book you can access that even lets you dig deeper into key terminology of the game rules. If you're really struggling though, you can turn on two help features which helps you make Reach calls or gives warnings about pairs! More good news is that gals only need a winning hand to be beaten (you do not need to take a certain amount of money from them) although your cash resets after each gal, so be careful during the first round. The game even has clean voice samples for your calls and other miscellaneous actions.

There isn't much more this game could've achieved within the scope of the NGPC and you'll be winning before long... one could argue that it could've had multiplayer, but would you REALLY want to play this with someone else??? If so, grab some mahjong tiles and play your adult friends in real life! If you want a niche piece of NGPC and SNK/Seta history, it's worth it to track this game down. It's also got the involvement of SNK staff members such as Muramama (who has worked with SNK since the early 90s), Yasuhiro Naka (best known for the Samurai Showdown and Last Blade series) and Tatsuhiko Kanaoka (aka Falcoon). This is a game sample going through one possible playthrough and a little bit of Free Play mode. Enjoy.

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