Picross DS

"Unstoppable Puzzler!"

I rarely want to give a game a 10, but I must say that as far as a puzzle game is concerned, this is just about as perfect as you can get. Read on.

Graphics - 7/10
As far as the visuals go, I've seen puzzle games that have had worse graphics but just as swift gameplay. They're colorful and attractive, and convey a good enough style to get the job done. The 80's block letter text throughout complements the style of the game. The multiple visual styles of block hitting are welcome. No 3D wowwy-zowwy effects when you solve puzzle or hit blocks, but this really isn't nessecary and would probably detract from your concentration.

Sound - 5/10
I can get down with the multiple styles of block hitting and sound effects, there really should be more than 3 tunes for background music. With the amount of time you can invest in PicrossDS when you really dive deep, they all begin to grate on the nerves. To their merit, they could be MUCH worse.

Gameplay - 10/10
Unstoppable concept. Picross is nothing new, and video game iterations of it have been around for close to 15 years now. PicrossDS doesn't do anything to subtract from the formula, but the added stylus control is welcome and many will prefer this to any other version of Picross because of the ease the stylus brings to the gameplay. Purists can opt for the D-Pad and buttons if they so desire. The game encourages the player to think about moves as opposed to putting down results quickly. My only smal gripe, which doesn't detract from the score here, is that the game penalizes your mistakes in a way that adds to your time to complete the puzzle. It's very hard to truly beat a speed record, as you will never know your true time due to the added seconds from mistakes.

What really brings the wow and addiction to this game is the wireless multiplayer for up to 5 players, or for those without friends that have the game, 2 player battles over wi-fi. Endless challenges are here. Even better are the puzzle packs available for download, as well as custom puzzles that can be shared by players all over the world! This is a game of infinite possibilites, and infinite expandability. There litterally doesn't need to be another Picross game on DS ever. Even a year, or two years from now, you could still be bringing fresh and new puzzles from friends or from Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Summary:

Unstoppable. Addictive gameplay, and there will always be new content that you can enjoy as long as you have access to Wi-Fi. It's a shame this was released as such a small scale release, as there really is no better puzzle experience on DS. I'd even go so far as to say you'll really have a hard time finding another better puzzler or any system for quite some time. PicrossDS is a no brainer. If you like puzzle games, you have to own this.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

Game Release: Picross DS (US, 07/30/07)