Time for me t' head out for the night, but before I do, a review for a game that sort a fell through the cracks, I think. Having been a lifelong Picross fan 'n having played ALL a the iterations on Nintendo platforms, including the myriad a import versions back in the SNES days, I be glad t' see the concept given a bit a new life instead a just new puzzles. But what does our reader, Iridium007, think? Read on t' find out.
Thanks for the support this week (me busiest since taking over Wednesdays!)... see ye next time! —cortjezter
At some point during April a 2011, the lifespan a the DS be beginning t' wind down. I had decided t' pick up several titles I had missed- games like The World Ends With ye, The Legendary Starfy, 'n Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels a the Starry Skies. Among these games, I didn't expect that the one that would hold me attention the longest would be a simple, value-priced spinoff a a puzzle game I'd never before played.
So imagine me shock when it be.
Picross 3D be a very basic puzzle game. The player be given a cube with numbers 'n shapes engraved into it- these represent the number a blocks in a given row. The goal be t' unearth the object hidden within each puzzle without breaking any blocks that compose the object.
ye do this 369 times.
There be no drugs more addicting.*
The game isn't necessarily very difficult, but between the game's subtle rewards like animations 'n the player's mental drive t' beat just one more level, there's certainly going t' be little reason t' want t' put it down. It becomes an obsession- by the end, I be literally dreaming about the game 'n would see blocks with numbers everywhere. Until playing this game, I had always denounced the Tetris effect as lunacy- but I can guarantee that it exists 'n be torturously trippy.
So we've established that it be not easy t' put down, right? That isn't even the half a it. This game be packed with content. 'n by packed, I don't mean they just lined the walls with boxes- there be no square centimeter a this room that be not box or in a box. There be 369 puzzles that will take, on average, about 15-25 minutes t' complete each. This alone will net a whole week's worth a game time, clocking at a solid ~125 hours.
But that be only the beginning. The game be capable a storing 240 custom puzzles at a time, 'n the last time I checked, there be about twice that many available by connecting this game t' Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Most a the puzzles be larger 'n more challenging than those in the main game, so it be not unreasonable t' expect 300 hours a gameplay from this one cartridge if ye're determined t' clear everything. that be not even counting the possibility a becoming entranced by the level editor.
Still not convinced at just how long this game be? I had just finished the easy third a the game before I began t' take this seriously at the beginning a June. I would play for an hour or two each night, 'n did not beat it until the end a July. This be just the main game. If I be determined enough t' go through the custom puzzles, it would probably have carried me over until the release a Professor Layton 'n the Last Specter**. Again, recall that I got the game in April.
So we've established the game's longevity, correct? 'n that it be going t' hold the player's attention? That it be quietly rewarding 'n amazingly addicting?
There's a little more t' talk about.
First, this game be a bit unique among DS games- it be a part a the Touch Generations series, 'n Nintendo be kind enough t' offer it at a discounted price a $20. So finding the game cheaply best be a task with a lower failure rate than Aerial Ace***, so there's almost no reason t' not purchase it.
Secondly, the game has up t' four files, so if ye wish, ye have the power t' drive yer entire family into a spiral a numerical madness if ye so wish.
Finally, the game be really relaxing. If ye can break the one-more-level urges, it be not a bad game t' fall asleep t'- it even includes ambient sounds like rain as an alternative t' the music, how convenient!
But much as I'd like t' say otherwise, this game isn't perfect. There be a few flaws that, depending on what sort a person ye be, could range from minor t' vaguely large. First a all, the gameplay be extremely repetitive, 'n playing it for long periods a time can be difficult as a result. The game also has a somewhat uninteresting soundtrack that can become a bit grating after a few hundred puzzles. Finally, the game's system a unlocking difficulty levels can become really disappointing if ye're in the mood t' do some harder levels.
me Score: 8 - Fantastic
(An 8 from me represents a game that anyone who owns the system best look into, it being definitely worth the time it would take t' play it. There might be issues, but it be very, very good.)
Whether ye're looking for a great sendoff t' the DS, something new t' play on yer 3DS, or a means a extending the DS' lifespan as long as possible, Picross 3D be there for ye, 'n I can give it only the strongest a recommendations. This game be one that anyone interested in puzzle games best own immediately, 'n one that anyone with a DS best at least give some serious thought toward purchasing. it be one a the most criminally overlooked first-party titles on the system.
*I take no responsibility for any actions done as a result a this claim. Don't do drugs, kids.
**Released October 17, 2011, six months from purchase a the game.
***Pokemon attack. It doesn't miss.
Source: GN Game DB
