is a

freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium", is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical ( ...

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...

featuring ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' characters developed by

Jupiter Corporation is a Japanese video game and hardware development studio that focuses on handheld consoles. It is based in Kyoto, though they have a secondary branch in Tokyo. Jupiter's motto is “Let’s Play! Let’s Smile!”. Titles Super Nintendo Ent ...

and published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

and

The Pokémon Company , simply known as Pokémon is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video games, a trading card game, anime television series, f ...

for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

. The title is part of the "''Picross''"

nonogram Nonograms, also known as Hanjie, Paint by Numbers, Griddlers, Pic-a-Pix, and Picross, are picture logic puzzles in which cells in a grid must be colored or left blank according to numbers at the edges of the grid to reveal a hidden picture. In ...

series that use number-based grid puzzles to reveal pictures. It was released as a downloadable title on the

eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served as t ...

worldwide in December 2015.

Gameplay

''Pokémon Picross'' follows the typical format of

puzzles, in which players must use numbers depicted on a grid to determine which sections to fill and not fill in. In this a game a twist is added in which, when a puzzle is completed, players are rewarded with a Pokémon based on the puzzle they cleared. These Pokémon can be set before starting a puzzle and can utilise various abilities based on their type. For example, Electric-type Pokémon can slow down the levels' timer, while Fire-types can automatically fill in certain areas of the grid in a cross-shape pattern. Each Pokémon has a cooldown period after their ability is used, and their ability may be limited to grids under a certain size, anywhere from 10x10 to 20x15 (the smallest and largest Pokémon puzzle sizes respectively). The game's

elements revolve around items known as Picrites, which are required to perform various actions such as unlocking new areas, increasing the number of Pokémon that can be set, opening up Mega Evolution and Alt World stages, and instantly restoring the Energy gauge (the latter of which is replenished over time). In addition to purchasing them with

Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...

funds, players can obtain Picrites by clearing certain objectives in each stage (such as using a particular Pokémon or beating the stage within a certain time limit), playing the Daily Challenge (which tasks players with clearing several smaller puzzles in quick succession), and unlocking certain achievements as they play. Clearing certain stage objectives also unlocks Mural Tiles, which contain individual nonogram puzzles as part of a larger mural puzzle. The game also features a spending cap in which, if the player spends a certain amount of funds on Picrites, they will be able to receive additional Picrites for free.

Development

''Pokémon Picross'' was first announced on a November 12, 2015

Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...

broadcast, with a worldwide release date set for the following month. The title's developer,

, had originally planned to release a game called ''Pokémon Picross'' on the

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

16 years earlier. Although previews appeared in Japanese gaming magazines in Spring 1999, that version was ultimately cancelled. In September 2020, a playable version of the original Game Boy iteration was discovered in the Nintendo "Gigaleak 3" alongside other data and unreleased games.

Reception

''Pokémon Picross'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game

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Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. Kyle Hilliard of ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...

'' found that the game was "difficult to recommend universally", and that the free-to-play mechanic was not conducive to a ''Picross''-style puzzle title, stating "Free-to-play is not inherently a bad thing... but unlike most successful free-to-play games, Picross puzzles are not randomized nor worth replaying." The editor did commend the title for not being an "endless money-sink" by having the in-game currency become free after 5,000 are purchased. ''

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...

'' found the game to be an improvement over previous ''Picross'' entries, stating "Aside from the strangely disguised pricing scheme, the new additions to ''Pokémon Picross'' exceed expectations," giving special mention to its mission mechanic, the unlocking of "mural" images, and "mega rows" that encourage non-standard play.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pokemon Picross 2015 video games Cancelled Game Boy Color games Free-to-play video games Jupiter (company) games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Nintendo 3DS-only games Nintendo 3DS games Nintendo Network games Nonograms Picross (video game series) Puzzle video games Video games developed in Japan Pokémon spinoff games Single-player video games