Mario's Picross

"A grid puzzler starring everyone's favorite plumber - or, well, archaeologist"

Mario's Picross, published in 1995 by Nintendo and Jupiter, is certainly not what everyone says when asked, "What is your favorite Mario game?" However, for puzzler fans, this game should not be overlooked. There are no Goombas, Koopas, Question Mark Blocks, Yoshis, or typical Mario-related objects, except perhaps in the puzzle's solutions. It does not feel so much like a Mario game, to be honest. However, for those who enjoy puzzlers, this may be a good choice.

There is not much story or background to Mario's Picross. Mario becomes an archaeologist and explores ancient runes by solving mysterious puzzles called Picross puzzles. The presentation of the game as a whole is very straightforward. There is a good tutorial, but the rest of the game is laid out plainly.

A Picross puzzle works like this: There is a grid of boxes, usually 15 rows and 15 columns. Along each row and column is a set of numbers. These numbers represent how many consecutive blocks are filled within the row or column. If a row has a number "15", then all 15 blocks are filled in. If a column has "3 1 2" means there are three filled in somewhere, then at least one blank box, then one individual filled in, then at least one space, then two more. Only 6 of the 15 are filled in, but they may not be all in a row. The numbers always appear in the proper sequence, though. With that arrangement, it can not be two, then three, then one. With proper deduction between the rows and columns, the blocks are slowly chiseled in, and a picture is the end result.

Each puzzle has a half-hour limit, and for each mistake, minutes are knocked off. 2 minutes are knocked off for the first, 4 for the second, and so forth. If the puzzle is not completed within the time limit, it is a Game Over. However, each puzzle starts with asking the player if he or she would like a hint. This initiates a lottery-like selection, and this fills in the exact amount of chiseled and unchiseled blocks for one row and one column.

There are 128 Picross puzzles in all to be solved, and these are separated by difficulty. 64 are on the "Kinopio" (Toad) course, and 64 are along the "Star" course. Once these puzzles are completed, there is not much to come back for besides beating target times, but these puzzles will take a while to complete.

Graphics are simple but effective. The focus is solving the puzzle within the allotted time limit, but Mario is there to overlook your progress. He winces when a mistake is made, and blinks once in a while, but the sprite is there simply for decoration, but not distraction. Menus are plain, and beside congratulations screens and menus, the focus is the puzzles.

Background music is available to the player to ease the stress of solving the puzzle. There are a few diddies selectable, and none of them are particularly grating. In fact, they can be rather pleasant. Sounds are bleeps and bloops, of course. Different sounds play for selecting, cancelling, making an error, and so on, and these can be rather helpful, but the game in question is not about its sounds, per se.

Mario's Picross can be good for a pick-up-and-play experience or a long car ride. Since these games can now be enjoyed on the convenience of a standard television screen via Super Gameboy or even Nintendo's Gamecube, the game can be played with the ease of a larger screen. There is not much to the overall package, but it serves its purpose, and for those who are interested in puzzle games, this delivers quite well.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/05, Updated 12/01/05