Shanghai

Shanghai is a mahjong solitaire puzzle game originally released by Activision in 1986 for home computers. This particular version is an early prototype for the Famicom Disk System, dated October 16, 1986, and appears to be a Japanese build. It was programmed by Brodie Lockard and later saw an arcade release by Sunsoft, but this FDS prototype remains a rare glimpse into how the game might have played on Nintendo's floppy disk system. If you are familiar with the core concept from other platforms, expect the same tile-matching puzzle here, but with the quirks of an unfinished build. The goal is straightforward: remove all 144 mahjong tiles from a layered pyramid by matching open pairs. A tile is considered open if it has no tiles covering it and at least one of its left or right edges is free. You select one tile, then find its identical match elsewhere on the board. If you make a wrong match or run out of legal moves, the game ends. The FDS prototype likely features the same basic mechanics, though some menus may be incomplete or in Japanese, so trial and error is part of the experience. Today, this prototype is an interesting curio for collectors of FDS software and fans of classic puzzles. It is not a polished retail release, but its historical value as an early version of a well-known franchise like Shanghai is worth a look. If you enjoy tile-matching games such as Mahjong Solitaire or Shanghai II, this prototype offers a raw, unpolished take that contrasts with the final versions on other platforms. Just do not expect a full manual or perfect stability - it is a snapshot of the development process.