Mahjong Crimes is a tile-matching game. It combines classic Mahjong with murder mystery intrigue based on Agatha Christie books about the famous fictional detective Hercule Poirot. The player helps solve cases by completing tile-matching tasks across more than 250 levels.
The player starts in the Detective's Room. They must match pairs of tiles presented in mixed layers on a dark, gradient teal blue baize tabletop. If they make consecutive matches before a multiplier charging ring in the upper-left corner loses power, they earn up to five times the points displayed in the upper-center area. They also have a better chance of collecting all three stars on a progress bar in the same spot. With some levels, they must beat a timer in the upper-right corner. If they work fast enough, they receive a time bonus as well that helps them collect the stars.
Mahjong Crimes prompts the player to help Poirot with four unique cases that include Murder on the Orient Express and the Westend Diamond Murder. When the player completes a level, they receive clues, keys, hearts and coins in addition to the points and stars. They can also unlock achievements represented with a tile on fire on the main screen.
To complete levels and reach achievements faster, the game gives the player access to power-up boosters. Below the central table area, the player receives access to a hammer that removes a single tile, a clock that freezes the multiplier and speed round timers, arrows that shuffle all tiles, and lightning bolts that remove five matching pairs at a time. They can also activate power-ups before each level.
