Yakuman

Overview

Yakuman is a riichi mahjong (two-player variant) game developed by Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy exclusively in Japan on April 21, 1989. It is one of the system's launch titles alongside Alleyway, Baseball, and Super Mario Land.

Sharing the name with Nintendo's earlier "Yakuman" brand of mahjong tiles, as well as their 1983 handheld electronic game Computer Mah-jong YAKUMAN, Yakuman is a handheld successor to Nintendo's earlier Family Computer game Mahjong.

The earliest known adaptation of the game of mahjong for a handheld game console, this version features multiple A.I. opponents to choose from and two-player multiplayer support via the Game Link Cable accessory. It was also one of the games for the Nintendo Power cartridge-download service a decade later.

Along with multiple sequels, it was later included in the Japanese version of the Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch on February 8, 2023.

Rules

• クイタン アトヅケ (Kuitan Atozuke) - Defaults to "on".
• フリテンリーチ (Furiten-riichi) - Allows the player to declare riichi while in furiten. Defaults to "off".
• ノーテン オヤナガレ (Noten Oyanagare) - Defaults to "on".
• ナンニュウ (Nan'nyuu) - Defaults to "on".
• ツモ ピンフ (Tsumo Pinfu) - Defaults to "on".
• BGM - Turn on background music. Defaults to "on".

Opponents

• Kimajime Tarou - Average player.
• Yamino Hanzo - Tends to keep their hand closed and avoid declaring riichi.
• Ritsumo Himeko - Tends to keep their hand closed, but declare riichi at each opportunity.
• Nakino Joe - Tends to form open melds at each opportunity.
• Yakuman Sen'nin - Has unusually great luck.