"This is a very good game with good gameplay, an interesting story and a level designer. But if you don't like Mahjong, don't buy this." - Nintendo Feed
Nintendo Insider writes:
Yet there’s enough fresh appeal here, sprinkled with new ideas that work well if not that imaginative. It’s clear to see why Mahjong has become so popular in a similar sense to other eastern puzzle classics, and Mahjong 3D: Warriors of the Emperor does a commendable job of hooking you in.
Nintendo seems to revel in surprising us, and details of this week's download update in Europe have struck to keep us on our toes. We have a Wii U launch title going free-to-play on the Wii U eShop — with paid DLC, of course — as well as permanent price reductions and goodies on 3DS.
Nintendo Life: If you’ve ever played any iteration of Mahjong before, then there’s a good chance that you know how the tile-matching gameplay works. While the core experience remains unchanged, it’s what Mahjong 3D - Warriors of the Emperor does with the system that makes this one stand out. Rather than simply finding all of the matching tiles on a particular board and moving right along to the next one, Warriors of the Emperor adds a story and characters, making completing levels much more rewarding and giving players a reason to look forward to advancing towards the next stage.