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Following last week's excellent addition of 1995's Raiden Project, it's back to business as usual in the Console Archives, with Hamster adding another super-obscure, Japan-only, PS1 release that will only serve furrowed brows and scratched heads in the rest of the world.
That said, who can resist those Totes Adorbs faces?
Marl Jong!!, developed by Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) and released on PlayStation in 2003 (very late in the console's lifetime), is an anime puzzler/RPG that sees its heroes, Trumpet, Puppet, and Desert Eagle*, embark on a quest through the fantasy kingdom of Marl, stopping only to enjoy loud and colourful Mahjong battles with various characters who attempt to bar their progress.
Just like real-life Mahjong, the rules are simple yet frightening. Quite unlike real-life Mahjong, a variety of kooky special attacks can boost a bad hand. Giant slices of cake, for example. Don't ask, just read. Defeat each opponent, and the quest for CHECK GOOGLE continues. Lose, and our heroes are destined for a fate worse than CHECK GOOGLE.
In actuality, Mark Jong!! is a puzzle spin-off from Japan's popular Rhapsody series, which began with 1996 PS1 RPG Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. This unique title featured typical RPG elements such as world exploration and tactical turn-based combat, but was presented with a musical flourish, with opulent character designs, dramatic storytelling, and dialogue that was sung rather than spoken.
The charm of A Musical Adventure led to two sequels, as well as several spin-off titles, one of which being Marl Jong!! So, despite my flippancy, this release is part of a particularly notable franchise, and one which fans have been painstakingly attempting to translate over the past decade-plus. While these Console Archives releases are Japan-only, a selection of the Rhapsody titles are available on Steam and the Nintendo eShop, complete with full English localisation.
Marl Jong!! is available now on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 via the Console Archives.
(*I guessed. The heroes are actually Cornet (Trumpet), Kururu (Puppet) and Etoile (Desert Eagle)