Picross S Mega Drive & Master System Edition Review

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Fast Facts

They’ve only gone and done it again!

Jupiter Corp has produced 8 Picross games to date with this new entry being its 9th iteration to the franchise.

“But what is Picross?” I hear you screaming into the internet ether. Picross is a Nonogram puzzle game created in 1987, mere weeks after I was born and completely irrelevant to my birth, but just as important.

Picross is the name Nonogram puzzlers seem to take in digital form that over the past 30 or so years has seen the likes of Pokémon, Mario and many more mascots and oddities appearing in the number grids like some mathematical sudoku mash-up.

 2021 is the year Sega got in on the Picross action!

The puzzles are simple Paint By Numbers style affairs usually consisting of 5×5 up to 50×50 grids and even more in rare cases, in which the numbers on the left and top of the grid indicate how man filled or empty spaces exist on the said lane, similar in a sense to the board game Battleship but designed for one player rather than two. Solving the puzzles will reveal pixelated sprites that add up to a huge tapestry of Sega goodness by the end of over 400+ puzzles available from the get-go with zero barriers to entry.

Enough of what Picross is, because if you’re reading this far in the review, you know what it is and if this game is for you or not…rest assured if you like Nonograms you’ll like this; if you like Picross and Sega you’re going to adore this!

As a package goes, this is undoubtedly the best value Jupiter has created, with giant puzzles, single puzzles and Mega Picross which is the main event and what I spent most of my time on while reviewing this. Mega Picross is the epitome of procrastination and has a huge “just one more go” appeal, as you tackle behemoth grids to uncover the tapestry of beloved SEGA franchises from the ages. The UI, music and menus are all lovingly crafted with SEGA charm and nostalgic musical bleeps and bloops are present throughout the game. I was pleasantly surprised with some deep cut characters and items uncovered upon completion of some grids, which had me grinning from ear to ear for hours upon hours. Nothing much can be said about Picross and whether or not you personally will like it. Being a fan of the genre forever, this game is pretty much designed for me. Some of the game cameos and assets in this puzzle collection are:

• Altered Beast
• Comix Zone
• Fantasy Zone
• Golden Axe
• Out Run
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• And much more…

Let’s cut to the chase, If you have any interest in Picross, this is an easy purchase and probably the best Picross package in decades. If you’re coming to the game for a SEGA fix and have never played Picross, the tutorial system is incredibly well implemented to ease you into my favourite puzzle sub-genre with 90’s style and Sonic The Hedgehog attitude. Ultimately Picross S Mega Drive & Master System Edition is a flawless package of nostalgic endorphin inducing zen-puzzle moments well-worthy of your purchase.

5 out of 5

5

You can purchase Picross S Mega Drive & Master System Edition on the Nintendo eShop