Pokémon Picross
Year: 2015
Rating: E
Time Played: ~78 hours
I’ve never been much of a fan of picross-type games. Mostly, the user interface for them required the use of a D-pad, which made solving each puzzle a slow endeavor. Additionally, most of the pictures created via these picross puzzles were not that interesting. This was why I was surprised to find that I enjoyed Pokémon Picross so much. Sure, it might be a picross game at its core, but the addition of the Pokémon brand made it much more entertaining to play than any other picross game I’ve come across. Additionally, the 3DS touch screen and stylus made completing puzzles that much easier than using a D-pad.
While the Pokémon content and stylus controls were two reasons I ended up completing this game, I admit that it has one annoying flaw: paywalls. Granted, Pokémon Picross is a free-to-play game, but there are a few points early on where you need a certain amount of in-game currency to unlock the next section of the game. Since there are not enough rewardable tasks this early in the game, you basically have to log in to get the daily rewards for quite a few weeks before you gain enough to break through this artificial barrier.
Of course, once I got past the paywall, I didn’t have this problem again for the rest of the game. This was great because then I was able to play to my heart’s content, taking full advantage of the unique system of abilities that the “caught” Pokémon would bring to each level I completed. And while the post-game merely consisted of the same levels with much more difficult criteria attached to them, I was fine with just finishing all the puzzles in the main game. So if you’re looking for a semi-unique take on the picross genre, Pokémon Picross might be just the game for you.
A great way to play picross, despite an annoying paywall, I give Pokémon Picross 3.5 stars out of 5.