Mahjong Monster Arena is a fighting game that combines elements found in popular monster, battle-arena games like Pok�mon and Dynamons with tile matching found in match-3 and merge games. Although cards and coins appear in this game for leveling up power, health and income, the actual creation of monsters for a team is entirely based on the player matching tiles found in stacked layers on the playfield.
The player selects any highlighted tile that features the head of a basic, available monster. When they make a selection, the tile transfers from the center of the field to an empty slot in an area designed for their team. Every time the player selects three tiles the display the same monster, they create that monster in the slot. If they select three more of the same type, the tiles transfer briefly to the next slot and then slide and merge with the monster to make an even larger version of it. The player must match the same types multiple times before completing the team to create the biggest monsters possible.
Once the player fills every slot, the battle begins! The game makes the team automatically attack the enemy monsters. If the player wins a fight, they receive coins. After so many wins, they unlock a new type of monster. If the player collects keys, they can unlock treasure chests. The game also supplies several other useful tools, including multipliers that increase awarded coins and a hammer booster that gives the player the ability to destroy individual tiles to reveal hidden ones.
