Play Shanghai III (Japan) Online

Shanghai III came out for the Super Nintendo in 1995, published by Sunsoft. It was part of a wave of puzzle games on the system that offered something a little more thoughtful and methodical than the action-heavy titles of the era. This one was a digital version of mahjong solitaire, a game about clearing a board by matching identical tiles.

You control a cursor to select and remove pairs of uncovered tiles from a multi-layered layout. The main goal is to clear the entire board without getting stuck. The game introduces special tiles, like directional tiles that can only be matched in specific orientations, and a hint system that highlights possible moves when you're truly stumped. It's a slow, deliberate game that rewards patience and pattern recognition more than quick reflexes. Finding the right pair and watching the board slowly simplify gives a quiet, satisfying sense of order.