During the Nintendo Direct in November one of the surprise announcements was Pokémon Picross. It seemed like a bizarre idea, but crossing over the Pokémon franchise with the quirky Picross series is precisely what the somewhat stagnant puzzle series needed, adding a considerable amount of replayability and strategy onto the foundation of well-designed number puzzles. The free-to-play aspect of this experimental title may not sit well with some, but the content being offered is definitely satisfying, even if it doesn't offer as much bang for your (optional) buck as other Picross games.
For those of you that are new to the series, Picross is a number puzzle game that could most closely be described as a cross between Sudoku and Minesweeper. Basically, numbers placed alongside a grid denote how many squares in each row and column must be filled in, with the completed puzzle coming together as a pixel art image. The player arrives at this by using methods of deduction and logic to figure out which squares must be filled in and which must be left alone. If a mistake is made it isn't immediately apparent; rather, it causes a gradual domino effect that throws off the entire puzzle, and usually a mistake is only realized several minutes after it's made.
So, what does Pokémon bring to Pokémon Picross? Well, all of the puzzles are based off of various Pokémon, with there being just a little bit over three hundred puzzles in total. The big twist here is when, after each puzzle is solved, the Pokémon it depicts is 'caught' and added to your party. Each Pokémon has a skill that can help aid you in solving puzzles, ranging from revealing squares on the grid to slowing down or stopping the clock. Up to five Pokémon can be brought into each puzzle and you're encouraged to mix and match your team.
The introduction of Pokémon adds a refreshing sense of strategy and progression to the Picross formula. There are some puzzles that are extremely difficult – if not outright impossible – to complete on their own and this challenges the player to pick a team wisely and consider how the skills will work in tandem with each other to get the best results. Each Pokémon type shares a skill, with there being some overlap between types, such as how Ice and Water Pokémon all have the Blue Force skill. Naturally, earlier Pokémon have weaker versions of skills, while later Pokémon give you access to much more effective variants, and this somewhat echoes the sense of training one's team in a traditional Pokémon game.
Pokémon Picross is extremely replayable in that it offers a diverse series of three to four 'missions' for each puzzle. These challenge the player with specific constraints – such as only using grass Pokémon or not using any skills – in exchange for a few 'Picrites', an in-game currency. Missions give the player reason to complete puzzles for more than just the sake of doing it and there's also an overarching achievement system that doles out similar rewards. Additionally, there's an 'Alt-World' that reimagines every puzzle as a more challenging Mega Picross, with a new set of challenges to match and effectively doubling the puzzle count. This all works greatly in the game's favour; no matter what you do, you're always making some sort of progress.
The puzzles themselves are very entertaining and are generally well designed. It's remarkable how the artists were able to capture certain Pokémon in a ten by ten grid so effectively, and the larger puzzles are a real treat to behold. Perhaps the main hook of the entire game is simply the curiosity that comes when one wonders what this puzzle will depict. The music is generally the laid back, elevator music that one would expect out of a Picross game, but there are a few remixes of Pokémon songs thrown in, too. While the audio may not add a lot to the experience it's inoffensive and largely unremarkable.
Of course, Pokémon Picross is entirely free-to-play, but you're going to need to seriously invest in some Picrites if you want to get anywhere in a timely fashion. Picrites control virtually everything. Puzzles are sectioned off into areas of five to ten puzzles, with the player having to pay an increasing amount of Picrites to move onto the next area. If you want to be able to catch Mega Pokémon, you need to spend Picrites on a 'Mega Pen'. There's an energy gauge that limits how many blocks one is able to fill in, and only Picrites allow one to expand or completely remove the gauge. Pokémon are only good for use in one puzzle, followed by a recovery period that can last anywhere from a few minutes to more than a day. Guess how you can opt to speed up their recovery?
All told, it does feel like the 'free' part of the experience runs out pretty quick. Yes, it is possible to go through the entire game without spending a dime, but it would require the patience of an oriental monk. Though Picrites are occasionally given out in-game, it would take days if not weeks to collect enough to progress further, especially in later areas where it costs several hundred to open gates. It's disappointing that Pokémon Picross is so exclusive to those who just want to play here or there and really makes one wonder why it wasn't a paid game from the get go.
Whether or not Picrites are actually worth the money is entirely dependent on the individual. If nothing else, know that Pokémon Picross doesn't offer nearly the same amount of bang for your buck as one of the Picross e games would. Though the content on offer is roughly the same between all the games, by our reckoning it would take a little over $30 to completely remove all the free-to-play aspects of Pokémon Picross and get the 'full' experience, as opposed to about $6 for a Picross e game.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Pokémon Picross is a very satisfying experience, but it can come at a great cost. The introduction of missions, skills, and achievements greatly expands upon the base of number puzzles, but the stingy free-to-play aspects do hold it back from its full potential. If you're looking for a game that you can play casually without paying, look elsewhere. If you're willing to pay up, this is the best entry in the Picross e sub-series yet.
Comments 55
I downloaded this but it's not something, I'll play often, but once in awhile it shouldn't be to bad to pick and do a few levels. Good Review!
Hmm. Is be willing to spend some, but maybe only 5 to 10 bucks. Would that help much??
I seriously suck at Picross.
@Whopper744 It'd get you a few areas, probably a couple dozen puzzles.
I love picross since Mario Picross on the Game Boy, but i feel they don't make any challanging games anymore. What are the biggest puzzles in this one, 15x15? Where are the 20x25 from Picross DS, i really liked those.
Love Picross. I'll definitely download this one, but the F2P aspect is a disappointment. I'll probably end up paying a few bucks here and there, but $30 is WAY too much for a Picross game.
Also, this should have been one of the mobile games. This would be much better than Pokemon Shuffle on a smartphone.
@DrVollKornBrot this one definitely has 20*15 puzzles.
And some massive puzzles, divided in 10*10 sections.
Not sure if there's other bigger puzzles.
I love Picross and I love Pokemon, but this game isn't for me. I don't enjoy games if I'm constantly thinking about whether to spend real money. Plus, I won't spend money on these sorts of games since spending money to advance quicker feels like cheating for me and kills the fun. The Picrites system also looks far too frustrating and restrictive if no real money is spent.
I might have bought it if it had instead came out as a full download game, as long as the price was reasonable. Instead, I should probably check out Picross E.
I tried this out a bit before I went to wok this morning. It's definitely something I will play here and there, but I think I'll see how far I get before the urge to throw money at the game sneaks in.
I just want am option to unlock the full game.
Is there any of sort of zoom function, like in Picross DS? I just ran across my first 15x15 puzzle, and on the original model 3DS the squares just feel too small. I'm constantly marking the squares next to the ones I intend to.
I know what's gonna happen. When I quit this DS game I'm playing, I'm soon going to be welcomed with a fresh new ribbon-wrapped present. Then I'm going to say "screw you!!!!!!!!!", opt out of installing it and remove the icon immediately, just like with all the other free to waste money slot machines Nintendo offers.
Hate Free to start, expensive to finish games so I wont get it.
Oh and localize Picross 3D 2 already!
@MitchVogel
" If a mistake is made it isn't immediately apparent; rather, it causes a gradual domino effect that throws off the entire puzzle, and usually a mistake is only realized several minutes after it's made."
So this game wont tell you right away when you make a mistake?
@Radbot42 : Buying Picrites is basically buying the "full game". Once you've bought 5000 Picrites, you'll be granted unlimited access to Picrites.
I normally breeze through the Picross games within a week or two. Fat chance of that happening with this (unless I fork over $40!).
I have to say I don't really like cheating in order to get all of the achievements as I prefer a challenge as I have played Mario Picross and finish it so I feel like the cheating system is going against itself ;^^.
I am only really early in the game, but still having to cheat doesn't seem right to me unfortunately . Still I will play Pokémon Picross and enjoy it as best as I can .
Really enjoyed what I played so far. Though I'm only using the Pokémon power-ups on second plays to fill the mission requirements though. Solving the puzzle is the entire point and fun of the game so having a power-up that does a chunk of that for me is removing a large chunk of fun and satisfaction.
The F2P element seems fair enough, it's not so generous as past F2P Pokémon spin-offs but not so stingy I felt restricted (not yet anyway). Still I'd rather just pay £10 and have the full game straight up. If they introduced that as an option I'd jump on it, I'm not buying Picrites though.
Oh, it does do that annoying thing all these F2P spin-offs do in reducing dual type Pokémon down to single types. I had a mission that was to bring a Grass type with me so I brought Pumpkaboo who I know to be Grass and Ghost type. Except in this it's just a Ghost type so I failed that mission and the "complete all missions in one go" mission :/
No Nintendo. Bad Nintendo. I may have chucked you a tenner for this but keep your F2P bull(censored). You should be better than this.
And where is Picross 3D 2?!
@RevolverLink I'd recommend changing to button controls.
@sinalefa it depends on the puzzle and the Pokemon you have with you.
There's Pokemon habilities that correct your mistakes or show them to you. And for some reason, sometimes the Professor won't let you make mistakes in some puzzles. But most of the time you're not told anything.
@Radbot42 this is how these F2P games should be. Pay piecemeal or if you pay one price it will just unlock it all without having to worry about the other crap. I love Picross and would gladly pay for this outright to just be able to play it like a normal Picross game.
More F2P Pokemon garbage. Pass.
I love Picross, but there's no way I'm touching it unless I can just buy it outright.
The whole ability stuff sounds kinda stupid too. First thing I do in the Picross e games is turn off all the stupid hint stuff and switch it to Free mode. Takes away the fun if it's half solving it for you.
@BenAV You can buy it outright, it costs 30 dollars.
Another example of a game I'd happily pay a few dollars for, but I won't waste my time if I have to wait or pay a bunch of money for it. This F2P will very quickly drive me away from this platform; I want to buy a game and play it.
I have never been very good at Picross and considering that I already have so many other free-to-play titles that I boot up on a fairly regular basis I think I will have to give this one a pass, especially considering that it seems to lean more heavily into the micro-transactions side of playing, at least compared to Pokemon Shuffle, which was quite generous in my opinion.
I was bummed it didn't use the 3d.
30 isn't too bad for it I might pay for it when I run out of picrates.
All good so far and will probably spend money eventually.
"Dear Santa, please can I have some eshop credit for Xmas?"
😈
See, and that's exactly why I hate these kind of "free-to-play" games. I'd rather pay like 10€ and then be able to enjoy the game to its fullest than have to do microtransactions every now and then. I really don't get why these are so popular.
I'll play it like its a demo now, then I'll buy the full version when it gets released in a year or so, and discounted. Simples ^^
@sinalefa Only if you have a pokemon with a power that corrects you. It's sort of like Sudoku - you don't know your mistakes there either.
On the topic:
While the overal look, graphics and interface in the "overworld" look cheap, I liked the puzzles and really enjoyed them. I also liked the idea of having the missions and using caught pokemon. Althrough forcing me to use some powers just to complete a mission feels bad - as I would like to solve the puzzle without them (and save some powers to unlock a mural).
But the F2P aspect (and the energy gauge) throws me off. And even if you pay the "full price" (which unlocks everything) for the game - I feel they are asking too much for this kind of game.
I think I will get one of the Picross e games instead. Though I may play this one from time to time.
It looks like the "free mode only" aspect is deliberately done because of the Energy Gauge mechanic.
In normal mode, making a mistake can be quite unsettling and add a time penalty, repeat mistakes come with more severe penalties.
Whilst in free mode, mistakes made will linger and can throw off your whole solution, but there's a potential to fix the mistakes by elimination when you are very nearly completed.
With that in mind, if every mistakenly placed tile is wasted, that does waste your energy gauge. Even with a 400 energy gauge meter it would still take 400 minutes (6.66 hours!) to fully replenish your energy, unless you cough up 10 Picrites to keep playing.
Played it, loved it, hit an F2P paywall, deleted it.
I'd have paid €10 to €15 for this on the eShop but the full price to unlock everything is way too expensive.
It's so disappointing that Nintendo have gone down this money grabbing route at the expense of good game design.
I got through quite a lot of levels last night since downloading as I love the Picross games. I've completed several of the Picross e Series because Picross is best played on 3DS compared to mobile, tablet and even paper.
The F2P element doesn't bother me because it limits the amount of time I'm spending on the console. I do get a feeling of wanting to play more but that's normally where I spend time playing other games on the 3DS. The Pokemon Picross game has become a warmup to other games on the system.
@KTT @Morpheel
Thanks for clarifying. Final nail in the coffin for me. I hate Picross games that are like that.
Honestly, it comes at the right time. I deleted Pokémon Shuffle a couple weeks ago and while I enjoyed it it was getting awfully tedious what with all the money farming (and I'd gotten all the stones and everything up to that point, too, from the very beginning).
This, I like so far. I'll play it until it starts to get annoying and then I'll just delete it and go back to my regular Picross. Luckily, there's never a shortage of Picross. ^_^
So sad about this. I wanted to play this game so bad, but Ill never pay for a game using this method...
I find this boring. Next.
5000?
Is that total, or additional
I collected around 400 in the past day, does that mean i only need 4400 more?
What's with the salt against having to pay for the game? If you don't want to pay, don't pay; you can still play the game just fine. You want to pay, you can play the game faster. That simple.
I'd understand if it was the same way it is for most of the other games that ask for micro transactions, but this game gives you a maximum. Pay that and you get the whole game - you know, like most retail games. You can't even pay more than that. The game doesn't allow that.
I mean, don't complain about having to pay for a game you can play for free.
I love me some Picross, and it's one of my favorite game series of all-time but this might not be my cup of tea. I would jump all over this if it were set up like Stretchmo, with a flat fee to unlock everything but I don't like this set-up at all.
@sorpayn I think the last 2 paragraphs of the review before the conclusion do a good job of explaining the problems people have with the design and pricing structure of this game.
It's only free to play because it's designed to get players sucked in so that it can use artificial restrictions to frustrate them into spending way more than the usual cost of an eShop Picross game to access the same amount of content.
So, it takes 32 Euros or 29 Pounds to unlock the full game, forever (by getting an unlimited number of picrites. So it's like a retail title then, at least in price). Sounds better than Shuffle, at least, although Shuffle is apparently less stingy about giving "freeloaders" a chance to enjoy the game.
Sounds like a really roundabout way to selling a downloadable title at a full retail price, but why, for Heaven's sake, wasn't it just released that way? According to the Internet it has around 500 puzzles, certainly not bad.
It's frustrating, but it's not as bad as I thought. Just wish they didn't go about it in this manner.
Geez what a scam. I'm really glad Nintendo decided to adopt the F2P model! /s
Haha well, i'm totally addicted to this game right now. The worst part about that addiction: i can't even pay a cent to fully enjoy this game (or anything on the eShop) because Nintendo hates Latin America (apparently) so we don't have any way to pay for Picrites, Diamonds (Rumble World), nothing...
Congratulations Nintendo. Nintendo Badge Arcade was your first f2p game I actually put some money into (just €1, and almost €2, but finished that with the free plays), and this might become the second one.
The game is fun, because its Picross. But its still free to play (with microtransactions), I hate that. I certainly won't spend any money on it!
"who just want to play here or there and really makes one wonder why it wasn't a paid game from the get go."
Easy, because nearly nobody would pay the price they're currently charging to unlock 100% of the game.
Can't believe people are complaining about a free game. If the review is accurate you never have to pay and it seems like you don't have to wait too long for new turns. Are people that impatient they'd rather not play at all?
I don't have a 3DS but I'd certainly play this if I did. I've been playing Picross for years and still haven't finished so I'd be willing to play a puzzle a day or so. Apparently you can get unlimited energy for $5 too.
Still undecided about this one, I got it and been playing it and is very fun, but I'm out of Pictrites and can't advance anymore. Is too expensive the 4,000 offer but I don't want to wait for several months to be able to advance the next level....
I suggest downloading this game, playing it, and buying one of the picross e series games to play while waiting.
How do I save before I exit?
First time I played it, I wondered how could the stylus be so poorly calibrated for this game, specifically. Then I saw that even correct "hits" make you lose energy, which costs money (or insane waiting times).
So... rigged controls = more money! Well played!
I really like this game, but I'm not paying $30 to unlock it.
Anyone have any good picross game recommendations for 3DS?
I think I'm in the minority here...even though I know other Picross games are cheaper, I feel I'm getting my $30 worth . I've sunken HOURS into this game. I love it!
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