Play Shanghai Online

Shanghai on the Game Boy is basically digital mahjong solitaire—you match pairs of identical tiles to clear the board. The layout here is the classic "Turtle" pyramid, which starts simple but gets tricky fast when you’re digging through layers. Tiles only unlock if they’re free on at least one side, so you’ll spend half your time squinting at the screen trying to spot an open pair.

Hal Laboratory’s version keeps it barebones—no fancy alternate layouts, just the one puzzle. But you do get a choice between decorative tile designs (pretty but chaotic) or plain letters/numbers (boring but practical). The music’s got three tracks, all very… Game Boy. And yeah, there’s a hint button for when you’re absolutely stuck staring at the same tiles for 10 minutes.

It’s the kind of game you zone out to on a bus ride, tapping away until suddenly the pyramid collapses and you win. Or don’t.