Oekaki Logic 2

"Although Oekaki Logic 2 is for expert picross gamers only, it will still hold the attention of most fans of the genre for quite some time."

Please take note that this is an imported game from Japan.

I was surprised to find out that a sequel for Oekaki Logic had finally come out. I immediately imported a copy, because I was a big fan of the first one. Just like the first game, Oekaki Logic 2 is a picross game, and if you’ve played the first one, then you won’t find anything new in the second one. Despite the fact though, Oekaki Logic 2 gives a huge challenge, and will probably only suit expert picross fans.

Okay, if you’ve played picross games before, than you should simply skip this section, because there’s nothing new about the gameplay in Oekaki Logic 2, and it pretty much mirrors that of Oekaki Logic. To surpass levels in Oekaki Logic you must fill out grids that are either 5x5, 10x10, 15x15, or 20x20 blocks in size. You simply fill in the blocks to create a picture. You mark certain blocks by following a number system on the top and left side of the grid. There are two modes in the game, mistake mode, or unlimited chizzel mode. The mistake mode allows you up to five mistakes on the grid and the unlimited chizzel system allows you to have unlimited tries, but does not show you where you made the mistakes. Pretty much, it’s the same old style of gameplay used in other picross game; you will either love it or hate it, and it will either make or break the game for you.

Story lines in today’s games are somewhat of a big deal, but if you’re a fan of puzzle games, then you’ve learned to just live without them. Like Oekaki Logic, Oekaki Logic 2 has no story line. There is a little bit of dialogue at the beginning, but since it’s Japanese there’s a chance that you won’t be able to read it. So if you only care about story lines in your games, then stay far far away from Oekaki Logic 2.

The graphics can be much better, since other picross games (like NP Picross Volumes 1-8) released on the SNES have much better graphics. I was strongly disappointed by the picture created by the grids, they were very unclear, and hard to look at. I think at an attempt of trying to make the pictures look just like the grids they screwed up and instead made the pictures look blurry and unclear. It was a noble attempt, but kind of fails to live up to other picross games released on the SNES.

The sound was a BIG problem with this game, and was not improved a single bit since Oekaki Logic. There were loud screeches that came out of nowhere, and when that wasn’t happening, the music got annoying and just out of control. When you get a wrong square, then you will hear a very annoying and loud chizzel sound. This is honestly the worst audio experience I have ever heard in a game, and you will definitely want your TV muted if you decide to play it.

You’re probably wondering how the game got a high score with all the negative things I’ve said about it. The real strong point in this game is the fun factor. I found myself having a blast solving all the puzzles and unlocking new ones. One thing I noticed is that when a few of my friends sat down with the game, they were addicted as well. I was honestly shocked because games like this don’t usually pull in a lot of gamers. There’s not really much to say about the fun factor in this game, it’s simply perfect.

The replay value in Oekaki Logic 2 is pretty high. I’ve beaten the game around three times, and do not regret it. One thing you have to understand though is that Oekaki Logic 2 is not some sort of action game and will not keep the average gamer addicted long enough to play through the whole game. So, while the replay value for picross fans is really high, the average puzzle game fan will probably be very disappointed.

Last, but not least, I’ll give a brief explanation about the challenge Oekaki Logic 2 gives. Unlike the perfect balance Oekaki Logic had, Oekaki Logic 2 is leaned more towards expert picross gamers only. The easy mode was replaced with a section created by players of the first game. (A good idea I must admit.) So, for a real nice challenge balance, then head over to Oekaki Logic, and stay away from Oekaki Logic 2, at least for the time being.

There’s not really much to say about this game. So I guess it’s time to get to the part most people jump right to anyway: the scores.

Gameplay 10/10
Story Line N/A
Graphics 5/10
Sound 1/10
Fun Factor 8/10
Replay Value 8/10

A score will be given on the pros and cons in the game, this score will be called the Tilt. If there are more pros than the Tilt will be high, if there are more cons, than expect the score to be low. This will help achieve a more accurate final rating.

Congratulations! Puzzle Completed!
+ Allows You To Pick One Of Two Very Popular Styles Of Picross Gaming
+ A Huge Fun Factor For Picross Fans
+ A Game Good For Beginners And Expert Picross Gamers Alike
+ One Of The Few Games Released For The Genre

Where Would You Like To Mark The Grid? (Neutrals)
O Unlike Many Other Picross Games, There Is No Time Limit For Solving Puzzles
O The Gameplay Never Changes

Puzzle Failed!
- Worse Sound, For Any Game, Ever
- Not The Best Graphics Around
- No Story Line
- A Bit Repetitive After A While
- The Loud Screeches From The First Game Were Not Fixed

Final Tilt Score 8/10

It’s highly recommended that you pick up the first Oekaki Logic before you go ahead and import this one, the first one has a much better difficulty control, and the puzzles are much more fun to solve. Despite that fact though, Oekaki Logic 2 is a very nice game for expert picross fans, and will definitely not disappoint fans of the first game. So, for all you expert picross gamers out there, go ahead and do yourself a favor, import Oekaki Logic 2!

Overall Final Grade For Oekaki Logic 2 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/02, Updated 01/29/03