Followers of Nintendo’s long-running Picross collection are effectively conscious that there’s no scarcity of nonogram puzzlers on the Swap, with developer Jupiter and the Massive N’s franchise alone accounting for over a dozen video games and counting to date. Even so, there’s an addictive simplicity to the core idea that ensures that additional entries will all the time be welcome, particularly once they combine with well-liked IP just like the Sega Genesis and, uh… Kemono Associates. Nintendo definitely doesn’t have a monopoly on the idea of a nonogram puzzle, both, leaving the door open for different publishers like Wet Frog and developer Rating Studio to introduce their very own franchises that use the idea, similar to Piczle Cross. The newest entry within the Piczle Cross collection merges the timeless puzzling motion with the nippiness vibes of the Story of Seasons franchise and although Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons isn’t precisely a revolutionary new entry within the style, it nonetheless ticks all of the packing containers to offer a satisfying puzzle expertise.
![Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons Review - Screenshot 2 of 3](https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/145262/900x.jpg)
Gameplay in Piczle Cross might be most intently likened to a mix of Minesweeper and sudoku puzzles, tasking the participant with methodically deducing an answer by means of elimination. You’re offered with a grid that’s anyplace from 5×5 to 20×20 squares in dimension, with the perimeters of every row and column containing trace numbers that point out what number of squares it’s a must to fill in. Which squares you’ll want to fill in is all the time a thriller, nonetheless, so you’ll want to use the trace numbers to fastidiously rule out which of them you possibly can safely mark off and which should be stuffed in. Puzzles can final anyplace from just a few seconds to about 20 minutes apiece, with the ultimate product all the time revealing some cute pixel artwork rendition of a random farm-related merchandise or particular person.
To make sure that issues keep accessible to everybody, these of you who want a bit of extra assist can activate help options similar to automated mistake correction or automated highlighting of trace numbers in rows and columns the place you can also make progress. Those that need extra of a problem can disable all or any of those options, leaving a pleasant issue spectrum that pretty accommodates all gamers’ wants.
There are over 350 puzzles to finish in Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons, 270 of that are normal puzzles, and the remainder of that are contained inside 5 collage puzzles. These latter examples take for much longer to finish, however are simply probably the most satisfying, as they’re comprised of a small collection of interconnected puzzles that you just do individually to construct the a lot bigger complete. Although we might’ve appreciated some tackle the opposite modes from Nintendo’s Picross franchise right here (similar to Mega Picross or Shade Picross), Rating Studios nonetheless gives a sufficiently meaty expertise that’s positive to maintain you busy for a number of hours—particularly if you wish to full every part with no help options activated.
![Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons Review - Screenshot 3 of 3](https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/145264/900x.jpg)
Even when the content material providing is just like a regular Picross sport, the gameplay expertise feels only a bit jankier right here. For instance, there aren’t any velocity settings for the cursor, and it strikes noticeably slower than we’re used to in a typical Picross sport. This will likely seem to be a nitpick, however whenever you’re spending hours shifting that cursor forwards and backwards throughout puzzle after puzzle, it begins to develop into actually noticeable how lengthy it takes to journey from one edge to the opposite, particularly given its lack of touchscreen assist.
Then there are little efficiency quirks to deal with, similar to how we seen a recurring glitch the place the pre-marks on all ‘0’ rows and columns would spontaneously disappear if the beginning-of-level randomizer is on. Make no mistake, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons continues to be a wonderfully competent nonogram expertise, however it feels rather less snappy and clear than Picross S.
In fact, one space the place this launch comfortably outclasses most different nonogram video games is in its presentation, which makes full use of the Story of Seasons IP in some cute methods. Each puzzle is of course primarily based on numerous farm instruments and crops, however we appreciated how each one accomplished represents one other ‘day’ passing, together with your farmer slowly increase a extra spectacular farm within the background as you progress by seasons. Couple this with options like an almanac that shares extra info on characters from throughout the collection and a soundtrack borrowing music from latest releases similar to Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive City and classics like Story of Seasons: Trio of Cities, and you’ve got a puzzle sport that feels well-suited to followers of each nonograms and Story of Seasons
Conclusion
Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons is probably not the best nonogram puzzler obtainable on the Swap, however that is definitely one other worthwhile and satisfying entry within the style—particularly for followers who additionally love a very good farm sim. That is finally little greater than a nonogram puzzle pack themed after Story of Seasons, however actually it doesn’t want to be anything, even when it might be fascinating to see how farm sim gameplay parts might be extra immediately built-in into the gameplay. So long as you’re not too bothered by a sport expertise that feels rather less polished than the Picross collection, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons is a simple advice to any puzzle fanatics on the market.