Aotenjo: Infinite Hands News

Hey Mahjong Masters!

The launch of Aotenjo: Infinite Hands is just around the corner—only 3 days to go! Mark your calendars: the game officially releases on Monday, the 20th, at 11 AM (UTC+8)—no delays, we promise!

In our last dev blog, we shared details about the Early Access launch and our 2025 update roadmap. This time, we want to introduce some handy tips for new players! While Aotenjo is a mahjong-inspired roguelike deckbuilder, it doesn’t require deep mahjong knowledge to enjoy. The mechanics are designed to be approachable, and you’ll pick them up as you play!

[h3]Which Mahjong Should I Start With?[/h3]
We highly recommend starting with Green Mahjong. It has a streamlined rule set, a built-in tutorial, and 5 extra discards (we’ll explain these later). The difficulty is also relatively low, making it the perfect starting point.
Once you’ve mastered Green Mahjong, you’ll unlock more complex styles! The Early Access version includes six mahjong types: Green, Blue, Galaxy, Bamboo, Rainbow, and Schemer Mahjong—each with unique mechanics and challenges!



[h3]The Goal: Score! Score! And More Score![/h3]
The core gameplay is simple:

1. Each round, add new tiles to your hand and score points based on your tile combinations.
   
2. After four rounds, your total score determines whether you clear the level.
   
3. Any points beyond the required target convert into in-game currency—which you can spend on upgrades in the rest phase.
   

Just like traditional mahjong, Aotenjo is about planning, adapting, and maximizing your score. So don’t hold back—aim for big hands and rack up those points!

[h3]Scoring System[/h3]
Scoring in Aotenjo follows a system similar to classic mahjong: Base Points × Multipliers. Base Points (符, Fu)

Each tile has a fixed score value, and here’s an easy way to remember them:

• Character, Bamboo, and Dot tiles: 1 & 9 = 9 Fu, 2 & 8 = 8 Fu, 3 & 7 = 7 Fu, 4 & 6 = 6 Fu, 5 = 5 Fu
• Honor tiles (East, South, West, North, Red, Green, White) = 10 Fu

(Don’t worry if you can’t memorize this! You can always hover over tiles in-game to check their Fu value.)


[h3]Multipliers (番, Fan)[/h3]
Fan comes from specific tile combinations—these are called Patterns (番种, Yakus).
You might recognize famous ones like Full Flush (清一色) and Thirteen Orphans (十三幺)—the rarer and harder a pattern is to complete, the higher the multiplier!

Unlike traditional mahjong, in Aotenjo, you can upgrade your patterns by purchasing Pattern Books, increasing their fan and boosting your score potential!


To sum it up:

• Discard low-value or unwanted tiles
• Keep high-Fu tiles
• Aim for high-Fan pattern

Master this, and you’ll be on your way to victory!


[h3]Gadget Guide: “Rigging” Your Hand (Legally!)[/h3]
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your tiles just won’t come together. That’s where Aotenjo's special items come in!
These items can temporarily modify tile values, suits, or even grant unique effects—making them invaluable for crafting powerful hands. For example:

• "Cooked Rice": Temporarily reduces the number value of a Dot or Bamboo tile by 1.
  

Use these wisely to turn the tide in your favor!


[h3]Money Power 1: Map Locations[/h3]
Another way to optimize your deck is by making permanent changes to your wall (your entire deck of tiles). At the end of each round, you can choose different locations to visit, each offering unique benefits:

• Malice-Sawmill: Spend money to remove unwanted tiles from your deck.
  
• Bamboo Forest: Buy new tiles to add to your deck.
  
• Howling Mountain: Spend money to enchant tiles with special effects.
  
• Wan's Treasure Shop: Purchase useful gadgets for your run.
  

Your currency is key to shaping your deck—so choose your path carefully!


[h3]Money Power 2: The Store[/h3]
Artifacts are powerful items that provide permanent buffs throughout your run. They can:

• Boost Pattern multipliers
  
• Increase overall scoring potential
  
• Evolve specific tiles
  

At the Artifact Shop, you can buy various Artifacts—rarer ones cost more but provide stronger effects!
Additionally, Pattern Packs are a great way to level up your patterns, unlocking rare multipliers and enhancing your strategy. We recommend prioritizing the Pattern Packs that match your preferred playstyle!


[h3]Final Developer Tips[/h3]
Unlike traditional mahjong, where you need to form a complete 14-tile hand, Aotenjo breaks it down into four rounds. In each round:

• You play a Triplet/Sequence + a Pair per turn.
  
• The previous Pair is replaced each turn—use this to cycle out unwanted tiles.
  

Some pro strategies to keep in mind:

1. Your final move is crucial! Each turn scores points, but the last turn includes ALL previous tiles, so set up for big Pattern early and cash in at the end!
   
2. Use the Pair slot strategically—discard unwanted tiles by playing them as Pair in early turns to set up a strong hand for the final Play.
3. You don’t necessarily need Malice-Sawmill to remove tiles! Some items and artifacts can shrink your deck, helping you focus on key tiles faster.
   

[h3]Join the Community[/h3]
To all our closed beta and open test players—thank you for your support! We’d love for you to share your own gameplay tips in the comments and in our Official Discord.

[h3]Launch Discount![/h3]
Aotenjo: Infinite Hands will launch with a 12% discount for the first two weeks at $8.71 USD!

Hello everyone!

It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since we first shared Aotenjo with our players. Since then, we've had a public demo, participated in the Steam Next Fest, and undergone multiple revisions and internal tests—all thanks to your valuable feedback! The game has evolved significantly from its early days, and we sincerely appreciate all the players who have supported and provided feedback.

In our last update, we mentioned that we were working hard to release the game before the Lunar New Year. Now, with the final build submitted for review, we’re excited to officially announce that Aotenjo will launch in Early Access on January 19th (Sunday) at 7:00 PM PST!

To celebrate, we’ve also released a brand-new trailer featuring our updated UI and our new name:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Don’t forget to add Aotenjo to your Steam Wishlist to stay updated and be notified when it goes live:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3066570/_/

[h2]What’s Included in the Early Access Version?[/h2]
After half a year of development, Aotenjo has come a long way from its original demo. Many of you might be wondering: How much content will be in the EA version?

To put it simply: The Early Access version will have roughly three times the content of the previous demo.

We’ve shared many of these updates in our previous dev logs:
[Dev Log #3] UI Overhaul, New Decks & Bosses [Dev Log #2] Bamboo Mahjong, Porcelain Tiles & Advanced Difficulty [Dev Log #1] Developer FAQ

Since Aotenjo is a roguelike deck-building game themed around mahjong, pure content volume isn’t the only measure of its depth. By launching in Early Access, we aim to provide a solid core gameplay experience with strong replayability, while continuously refining and expanding the game.

We’ve spent a lot of time fine-tuning the strategic depth of Aotenjo:

• Each deck has its own unique theme and mechanics
  
• Encourages players to experiment with different builds and adapt strategies dynamically
  
• Boss fights are designed to challenge your tactics—not just your stats
  

[h2]Future Updates & 2025 Roadmap[/h2]
As fellow Steam players, we understand the concerns about games that enter Early Access but are never fully released. That’s why we’ve carefully planned our development roadmap to give you a clear picture of what’s ahead.


Beyond regular bug fixes and balance adjustments, we will roll out major content updates every 1-2 months until we reach our vision for version 1.0, which includes:

• 16 fully developed decks, complete with unique relics and events
  
• New tile enhancement systems, including custom tile sets
  
• Additional game modes, such as Challenge Mode & Puzzle Mode
  
• Creative Workshop 1.0, allowing players to customize tile skins, tile effects, and hand combinations
  

[h2]Don't forget to join the Community![/h2]
Be sure to join our official Discord community to discuss strategies, and participate in playtests. We always read your feedback and look forward to chat with you!

Hello Mahjong enthusiasts!

It’s been over a month since the Steam Next Fest, and we’ve been hard at work gathering feedback from every survey and player comments on the demo. We've been diving into a new development cycle and organized another closed beta test in our community to fine-tune some of the updates. Huge thanks to everyone who participated in the demo and the closed beta test — every piece of feedback has been an incredible motivation and help to the team!

We’re thrilled to share that most of the Early Access content is now complete, and we’re sprinting toward a pre-Lunar New Year release. In this Dev Blog, let’s take a look at what’s been happening in Aotenjo!

[h2]UI Overhaul[/h2]
First up is the most noticeable change: a full overhaul of the game’s UI!


Since the game includes plenty of descriptions for gadgets, rules, and effects, here are what we have done:

• Replaced the plain monochrome backgrounds with more engaging visuals and restructured the layout to better prioritize information.
  
• Switched to a cleaner, more readable font.
  
• You can now hover your mouse over gadgets to instantly see their effects on your hand.
  
• When selecting a tile, the score information will display clearly at the top, helping players optimize their builds.
  
• In addition to drag-and-drop functionality, items can now also be used with a simple click.
  

[h2]Evolving Tutorial[/h2]
From unique rules to countless Mahjong tiles and quirky gadget effects, Aotenjo has always had a "complex" vibe since its first demo. Making the game accessible to Mahjong beginners remains one of our biggest challenges.

The tutorial in the Next Fest demo introduced basic gameplay mechanics, but we found that the Mahjong-specific terminology left some players, especially those new to Mahjong, feeling confused. In November’s closed beta, we expanded the tutorial with more detailed explanations of Mahjong terms, as well as the game’s overall flow and objectives. However, this led to a new problem: the sheer volume of information at once overwhelmed many players (oops :(
Now, we’re pivoting to a more practical approach. Instead of delivering a lecture-style tutorial, we’ll integrate lessons directly into gameplay. This way, players can learn when they are playing.


[h2]New Decks, Gadgets, and Bosses[/h2]
Content-wise, we’ve been keeping the pace up! Following the Bamboo Mahjong from the demo and Rainbow Mahjong introduced in the beta, we’ve now completed two additional decks for the EA version: Galaxy Mahjong and Sneaky Mahjong, each with their own unique gadgets, tiles, and rules.

Rainbow Mahjong:
In traditional Mahjong, flower tiles such as the 4 seasons and the 4 flowers can be added to decks optionally to add variety, making the potential score higher and more fun.

Aotenjo takes this to the next level, allowing up to 16 different flower tiles that can trigger unique passive effects when played. Each tile also carries specific keywords, creating interesting synergies with hands for strategic depth.


For players who love challenges, the current difficulty modes from the demo weren’t enough for some Mahjong veterans. So, we’ve added a new difficulty, featuring four sub-levels for players to conquer.

The EA version will also introduce more than ten new bosses, each with unique mechanics. Here’s a sneak peek at their names: Indeterminate, Inconstant, Immaculate, Invincible, Immortal, Incapable, Inaccessible, Immoral, Insecure, and Inconsiderate. Some old bosses, like Colorless, have also been reworked for a fresh challenge.

[h2]Stay Updated[/h2]
As we approach the final sprint, we’ll be communicating more frequently about things like our future update roadmap and detailed launch plans. Once we finalize the release details, we’ll share them as soon as possible. Don’t forget to add Aotenjo to your wishlist if you’re interested!

If you have any thoughts or suggestions about this content, feel free to join our Discord community and let us know directly!

Before we wrap up, let’s chat a bit! With the year coming to a close, we’re just as curious as you are about all the game awards going on. Who’s got your vote in this year’s Steam Awards? Let us know in the comments or swing by our official Discord —we’d love to hear your picks!



Thank you for your support,
Aotenjo Dev Team

[h3][Adjustments][/h3]

1. Increased the spawn rate of the gadget "ROOK."
   
2. Relaxed the trigger condition for "Jigsaw No.12": changed from "less than 12" to "less than or equal to 12."
   

[h3][Bug Fixes][/h3]

1. Fixed a bug where using Tai Chi Scroll after completing all types of Sets caused the game to freeze.
   
2. Fixed a bug where using a Chisel on an unplayed tile caused the game to freeze.
   
3. Fixed a bug where using a Chisel on a played Set caused number misalignment.
   
4. Fixed a bug where tile changing effects appeared before corrupted effects.
   
5. Fixed incorrect line breaks in some text displays.
   
6. Fixed display errors for some decimal numbers.
   

Hello, players! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support during this past week of Steam Next Fest. We noticed the feedback that there are many new contents this time, along with many new players just starting their journey—we’ve decided to extend the demo period until Saturday, October 27th, 11:59AM (EDT). No need to rush through the experience! After all, Mahjong is meant to be a relaxing game^^

We’ve also prepared a survey for the demo experience to better understand your feedback. It will take about 3-5 minutes to complete, and we’d be extremely grateful if you could fill it out after trying the game!

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/R3Ho1ETJJNhgpdyp8

Additionally, based on the feedback from this week, our team has been busy making various tweaks and optimizations. We are actively testing the adjustments and plan to release an update later today. Detailed patch note is included at the end of this message.

Next, we will continue to sync the updates in our developer logs. If you are interested in Mahjong and deck-building games, don't forget to add "Aotenjo" to your wishlist. And of course, feel free to join our official Discord community!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3066570/_/


[h2]V0.1.21.1 Patch Note[/h2]

[h3][Adjustments][/h3]

1. Increased the scale speed of Infinite Challenge beyond East Wind +3 to avoid excessively long runs.
   
2. Slightly raised the score requirements for South Wind rounds (stages 5-8).
   
3. Malachite Vase Adjustments:
   
   • When in possession of a Malachite Vase, Copper Tile can now correctly be considered as any type of Mineral Tile by the Collector’s Amulet.
     
   • Copper Tile can now be considered as Plain Tile when a Malachite Vase is owned.
     
4. Ruler Adjustment: Lowered the level requirement and slightly lowered the multiplier it contributes (to ensure Rulers are useful before North-North, while slightly nerfing their performance in Infinite Challenge).
   
5. Leaning Tower Adjustment: The bonus for choosing the left path and the penalty for choosing the right path have been adjusted to 30 Fu.
   
6. Gadgets Adjustments:
   
   • Mini Brush: Changed from a consumable to a tool, now usable once per round.
     
   • Rook: Changed from a consumable to a tool, now usable once per round.
     
7. Adjusted the rule for “Tile that contains red”: Tiles marked with red mark are now also considered to have red.
   

[h3][Optimizations][/h3]

1. Improved animation effects for score calculations.
   
2. Added the ability to see the remaining quantity of similar tiles when hovering over a tile in hand, enhancing the experience for Pung-based and 7-Pairs strategies.
   
3. Optimized the color of keywords on Mineral Tiles, making them more readable against a red background.
   
4. Improved numerous localization.
   

[h3][Bug Fixes][/h3]

1. Fixed an issue where Pinfu could incorrectly use Dragon Tile as pairs in Bamboo Mahjong.
   
2. Fixed an issue caused by interactions between Cooked Rice, Sticker, Red Marker, and Twin Origami.
   
3. Fixed an issue where Chisel could reduce the value of numbered tiles below 1 under certain conditions.
   
4. Fixed an issue where the Add-Kong button would remain visible during play animations.
   
5. Fixed an issue where Gadgets could still be dragged during the scoring animation.
   
6. Fixed an issue where drawing Indicator Tile with an empty draw pile could freeze the game.
   
7. Fixed improper interactions between Ice Axe and Honor Tile in certain situations.
   
8. Corrected an issue where transferring Gadgets at the end of a round failed to refresh the stack count display for left-side Gadgets.
   
9. Fixed a bug where purchasing broken artifacts was possible in Zhou's Store.