Hai no Majutsushi - Konami

About

With Hai no Majutsushi, Konami does not just offer an extra mahjong game on MSX2. The title takes over the bases of Japanese mahjong, but adds a real home touch by staging several characters from the Konami universe. Here we find this very Japanese idea of the serious table game in appearance, but packed in a light artistic direction, colorful and very "end of the 80s".

The interest of the game lies precisely in this rather unlikely mixture. On paper, we're facing a classic mahjong. In fact, the charm comes mainly from its dressing: Konami characters, cartoon atmosphere, illustrations full of roundness and small dose of staging that give the title a much more marked identity than a simple functional mahjong software.

The back of the box clearly highlights the opponents inspired by Konami licenses, as well as the presence of a personality adjustment function. Each opponent is therefore not only there to make pretty: the game seeks to give some character to the parties, with a presentation more vivid than the average of the mahjong games of the era. And as often with Konami on MSX, even on a less spectacular genre than action or shoot, the care taken to the product remains visible.

This MSX2 version is also interesting for its format. The MegaROM RC765 cartridge incorporates an 8-bit D/A sound system, a feature clearly indicated on the box. This is not the kind of detail that turns a mahjong game into Space Manbow, obviously, but for a Konami/MSX collector, it is exactly the kind of small technical specificity that makes the object more appealing.

The copy here includes the box, cartridge and package leaflet visible on the photos. The set is very good for its age, with a clean but somewhat damaged box (see photos), a well-preserved label cartridge and a package leaflet. As always on this type of Japanese collection piece, the photos are an integral part of the description and allow to judge precisely the cosmetic state of the product.