I’m a big fan of Mario’s Picross on Game Boy. So when I recently saw there was a series of Picross games online in the 3DS eShop for just $5.99 each, I knew I had to give them a try. For the time being, I just bought the first game in the series, Picross e. (Picross e2 and Picross e3 are also available). For those that don’t know, the word Picross is a combination of picture and crossword. It’s a puzzle/logic game that will likely appeal to fans of Minesweeper.
Each puzzle has a grid, usually 10×10 or 15×15. Each row and column displays a number, or a series of numbers. Those numbers represent the numbers of consecutive squares that need to be filled in. However, you don’t know how many blank squares are in between them. For example, if a row shows “1 3,” that means there will be a single square filled in, followed by one or more blank spaces, and then another three consecutive squares filled in. Using logic and the process of elimination, you can color in all of the appropriate squares. The filled in squares will then reveal a picture when the puzzle is complete. Here’s an example of what the touch screen will look like during gameplay.
The stylus controls are ideal for a game like this, and they work well. However, I wish the shoulder buttons (L and R) could be used to switch between the pencil (for filling in squares) and the X (for eliminating squares). That would have made things more efficient. Instead, the L and R buttons are used for turning hints on or off. Anyway, a standard control method (control pad plus A and B buttons) is also supported for times when using a stylus may be inconvenient.
The top screen of the 3DS is fairly useless during gameplay. It shows the picture’s progress so far, as well as the elapsed time. Once a puzzle is done, the squares turn from black into different colors, making it more apparent what the picture actually is.
My biggest complaint about Picross e so far is the music. From what I can tell, there’s only one tune that ever plays during gameplay. And while that one song isn’t awful or irritating, it is rather boring and isn’t catchy at all. Mario’s Picross gave players the option to choose between five different tunes, most of which were pretty good. While the gameplay is essentially the same as Mario’s Picross, the lack of decent music does make it a bit less enjoyable. But this is still a fun game to play on the go, and it’s likely that I will give the sequels a try at some point in the future as well.