There are many reasons power-ups have become so common in Mahjong games. The primary reason being the fact that they simply add a ton of depth to the gameplay. Mahjong games are absolutely incredible to play no matter what the circumstances but pretty much every single person will agree that if you spice things up with a bunch of boosters and power-ups, the experience will become much more engaging simply because there’s more to do.

Another reason, and perhaps one of the most important ones, is the fact that it adds a strategic element into the mix. When you don’t have power-ups you just take a simple path to the end of a level but once you have accss to power-ups you get to make many different decisions during levels and if you manage to make the right decisions you can end up with much higher scores than normal. Decisions such as when to use a power-up, where to use a power-up, when made properly can essentially make or break the rating you get at the end of a level.

Onto the power-ups themselves. First off is the most common power-up that’s seen in pretty much every single mahjong game which is the shuffle. The shuffle does exactly what the name implies, it basically shuffles around all the tiles and all the layers. This is definitely one of the more ‘last resort’ power-ups as it completely changes the course of a level. Due to the massive change it brings it’s always best to use it when you have absolutely no other options left.

Secondly is the magnet power-up, although it’s not as common as the shuffle, it’s still pretty incredible and can have a massive impact on the game. Upon using a magnet, the next tile you click will cause the playing field to be cleared of all tiles of that specific category. For example, if you click the magnet power-up and then a flower based tile then all flower based tiles will be removed from the level. The best way to utilize the magnet is to use it during moments of opportunity when it can have the most influence on a level. Using it at any other time will probably cause it to go to waste.

Time Freeze, another power-up that does what the name implies. Often times mahjong games have players racing against time and in cases where the time is running short and the level will fail if you don’t complete it before the time runs out, this power-up comes in handy. For a small period of time, the clocks will stop and you will have absolute free reign over the level. You can use this moment to reasses the level, rethink your strategy and come back in stronger to get a higher score.

All things considered, power-ups are definitely an essential element of mahjong games nowadays. Mahjong games in general are pretty incredible and great fun to play so we recommend trying them out.