Miss Mahjong Contest (Japan)

Miss Mahjong Contest is a two-player arcade game released in Japan by Nichibutsu in 1989. The gameplay revolves around a unique competition where victory isn’t determined by beauty, but by skill at mahjong. Two players face off against each other, utilizing a specialized keyboard to arrange tiles and build winning hands according to the rules of Japanese mahjong, aiming for the highest-scoring "Yakuman" rank. The game's premise blends a traditional tabletop experience with a lighthearted twist, presenting a contest framed as a beauty pageant where mahjong prowess is the ultimate qualification. Players must strategically manage their tiles and anticipate their opponent’s moves to achieve superior hands and ultimately be declared the victor of this unusual competition. Featuring graphics with a palette of 256 colors displayed at a resolution of 640x240 pixels, Miss Mahjong Contest combines classic gameplay with distinct visual presentation powered by a Zilog Z80 processor alongside Yamaha YM3812 and DAC sound chips.