Board 8 > I just beat Super Mario Picross for Super Famicom

(+) Yeah! (+)

in october a friend challenged me to a simple picross puzzle. I'd heard of picross but had no idea how to play. My friends spent 20 minutes or so showing me the most basic techniques, and then answered some questions I had over the next couple days, and then I was off to the races.

I started with Super Mario Picross for Super Famicom. 9 Levels, and then the Special Level. Those last few puzzles were really tough!!

I guess I'm in the market for a new picross game for Switch. Recommendations?

(I also haven't done the Wario stages yet)

Nicely done. I remember one of those final puzzles being practically impossible with the 30 minute time limit. I had to cheat to finish it.

As for new games on the switch, there's no shortage of official Jupiter-developed Picross games. Picross S is up to like 6 or 7 games, plus a couple anime tie-ins

Murder by Numbers is a visual novel picross game. I didn't get very far but people seem to like it.

I dont know about the Switch, but Picross 3D: Round 2 for the 3DS is really good

If you haven't done the Wario stages, then you're only done with half the game.

and yeah there's a lot of Jupiter picross games (S1-8 plus a Sega themed one and Kemono Friends and Overlord themed ones), and they're all pretty similar other than the later games adding color puzzles and bonus puzzles if you've got a save file from previous games. I'd say that the Kemono Friends one is the worst one since it lacks the color puzzles and most of the puzzle images are extremely similar to one another, though S1 and 2 also weaker overall since they lack color puzzles (well, you do get bonus puzzles in the later games if you buy them).

they go on sale fairly often (like when a new one is released), and each one would probably last you about 40-50 hours so just getting one or two would last you a while and maybe til the next time they go on sale.

skullbone posted...

Murder by Numbers is a visual novel picross game. I didn't get very far but people seem to like it.

I didn't much care for it. Very much an amateur low-budget Ace Attorney ripoff. The puzzles aren't really integrated into the game very well. They do an investigation style thing to find puzzles, which are the evidence. However, the areas you have to click on seem totally arbitrary. Having to do the puzzles just slows the game down and feels more like a chore when you just want to read the story

I felt more that the story got in the way of the puzzles, but still enjoyed the characters and the thematics of the puzzles. Definitely a thumbs up from me.

Pictopix on Steam was pretty good

DeepsPraw posted...

Nicely done. I remember one of those final puzzles being practically impossible with the 30 minute time limit. I had to cheat to finish it.

As for new games on the switch, there's no shortage of official Jupiter-developed Picross games. Picross S is up to like 6 or 7 games, plus a couple anime tie-ins

The difficulty spike at the very end was CRAZY. Once the 20x25 boards were introduced it was pretty easy for a long time, and then suddenly the second half of Special and especially the last 3-4 boards were on another level!

I guess it's "cheating" that I failed the last 3 puzzles and had to redo them, which means I came in with prior knowledge

Mr_Crispy posted...

If you haven't done the Wario stages, then you're only done with half the game.

and yeah there's a lot of Jupiter picross games (S1-8 plus a Sega themed one and Kemono Friends and Overlord themed ones), and they're all pretty similar other than the later games adding color puzzles and bonus puzzles if you've got a save file from previous games. I'd say that the Kemono Friends one is the worst one since it lacks the color puzzles and most of the puzzle images are extremely similar to one another, though S1 and 2 also weaker overall since they lack color puzzles (well, you do get bonus puzzles in the later games if you buy them).

they go on sale fairly often (like when a new one is released), and each one would probably last you about 40-50 hours so just getting one or two would last you a while and maybe til the next time they go on sale.

I did a couple Wario ones (the first puzzle being a cell that's one tile was very very funny)

Glancing ahead, I noticed the hint thing is different on the Wario stages? idk how it works, and I'll probably need it toward the end

I'll look into the jupiter thing I guess!

DeepsPraw posted...

I didn't much care for it. Very much an amateur low-budget Ace Attorney ripoff. The puzzles aren't really integrated into the game very well. They do an investigation style thing to find puzzles, which are the evidence. However, the areas you have to click on seem totally arbitrary. Having to do the puzzles just slows the game down and feels more like a chore when you just want to read the story

thanks for explaining. I mostly use picross when I need like 5 to maybe 10 minutes, like pulling out my switch on the train or to relax in bed. A story game that integrates it is probably not what I'm looking for, at least right now

forgot to say @mr_crispy, I really enjoyed s1 of kemono friends back in the day so that miiiiight still be fun to me, even if it's worse than the others! I'll check it out

if you access to a 3DS, Picross 3D is good. Theres a weird F2P Pokmon picross for 3DS too but thats maybe not available anymore

IOS and Android have one from Konami called Pixel Puzzle Collection. its a really good one. Simple, Tons of puzzles, fun Konami references

MoogleKupo141 posted...

if you access to a 3DS, Picross 3D is good. Theres a weird F2P Pokmon picross for 3DS too but thats maybe not available anymore

IOS and Android have one from Konami called Pixel Puzzle Collection. its a really good one. Simple, Tons of puzzles, fun Konami references

I mean I have a 3ds but... the eshop is dead right? so I guess I could look in a GEO or something...

The eshop on 3DS isn't dead yet I don't think, you can still buy all the Picross games on there. The Picross e series are a really good series of basic Picross games

On Switch I like to play Pic-a-Pix Deluxe, that's basically a Picross game but with colors, it's good

eShop isnt dead until March if youve linked your Nintendo ID

I finished all of this Super Famicom Mario Picross when it hit the Switch. Every time you think youve finished it, they add more it seemed like

IIRC the Wario stages are essentially what Picross became moving forward, as far as how errors are judged and such.

I never use hints, its the only real way to play IMO

You just cant add funds directly from a 3ds anymore I think (so if your 3ds and switch accounts are linked you can add funds on the switch and spend them on the 3ds). I think purchases are ending next March?

Paratroopa1 posted...

The eshop on 3DS isn't dead yet I don't think, you can still buy all the Picross games on there. The Picross e series are a really good series of basic Picross games

On Switch I like to play Pic-a-Pix Deluxe, that's basically a Picross game but with colors, it's good

oh cool i'll check this out. it'll be weird to pull out a 3ds at this point lol

Jakyl25 posted...

IIRC the Wario stages are essentially what Picross became moving forward, as far as how errors are judged and such.

I never use hints, its the only real way to play IMO

wait i haven't made any mistakes yet, how are mistakes judged?

yeah I didn't use hints until the second half of Special. I have no idea how those last few puzzles are possible without them? 20x25 with none of the numbers / combinations of numbers big enough to reveal anything??

LordoftheMorons posted...

You just cant add funds directly from a 3ds anymore I think (so if your 3ds and switch accounts are linked you can add funds on the switch and spend them on the 3ds). I think purchases are ending next March?

so what you're saying is I should finally play Bravely Second

RoseChevalier posted...

oh cool i'll check this out. it'll be weird to pull out a 3ds at this point lol

wait i haven't made any mistakes yet, how are mistakes judged?

yeah I didn't use hints until the second half of Special. I have no idea how those last few puzzles are possible without them? 20x25 with none of the numbers / combinations of numbers big enough to reveal anything??

In Mario puzzles if you place a tile incorrectly it cuts into your time limit by increasing amounts for each mistake

Wario puzzles (and all further generic Picross that exists to my knowledge) are just unlimited time and nothing is stopping you from making as many mistakes as you want. You just cant solve the puzzle until you get it right.

And theres ALWAYS some logic somewhere in even the biggest puzzles that can give you info. Give me one of the tough big ones to do as an example and Ill find it

Jakyl25 posted...

Wario puzzles (and all further generic Picross that exists to my knowledge) are just unlimited time and nothing is stopping you from making as many mistakes as you want. You just cant solve the puzzle until you get it right.

At least some of the Picross games offer a choice between modes, the Picross e games are "Mario" games by default if I recall correctly

Jakyl25 posted...

In Mario puzzles if you place a tile incorrectly it cuts into your time limit by increasing amounts for each mistake

Wario puzzles (and all further generic Picross that exists to my knowledge) are just unlimited time and nothing is stopping you from making as many mistakes as you want. You just cant solve the puzzle until you get it right.

And theres ALWAYS some logic somewhere in even the biggest puzzles that can give you info. Give me one of the tough big ones to do as an example and Ill find it

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/399776961557299201/1047106290633162772/unknown.png

teach me please <3

Row 5, the 1.6.10, gives you a few boxes to fill in where part of the 10 will be no matter what

you can also get a few from the 9 two rows above that

WazzupGenius00 posted...

Row 5, the 1.6.10, gives you a few boxes to fill in where part of the 10 will be no matter what (columns 16-19)

you can also get a few from the 9 two rows above that

i mean yeah that's where I started, too. But actually doing anything with that...? it's hard!

MoogleKupo141 posted...

IOS and Android have one from Konami called Pixel Puzzle Collection. its a really good one. Simple, Tons of puzzles, fun Konami references

Oh yeah, i had a blast with this. Was great for many many short sessions

Are any of these Android games bigger than 15x15 boards? Bored of doing easy puzzles like that

I would still recommend Murder by Numbers, even though the above complaints are valid

the music alone is worth it

RoseChevalier posted...

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/399776961557299201/1047106290633162772/unknown.png

teach me please <3

Ok I forgot how different the Mario side is. Mario doesnt give you speculative tiles to play with like Wario does (as well as other Picross games) to work through theoretical solutions before committing

What Mario wants you to do here is play with the penalty timer on the 10 piece you start to uncover on the fifth row. Guess at which way it extends until you hit an end point. Its a 2 minute penalty if you guess wrong but now you know the entire 10 piece

In these Mario side puzzles, time is not just the enemy, its also a (very limited) resource

the picross S games (and the other ones on switch) have three assist options that you can turn on or off. The roulette when you start the puzzle, the hint numbers turning blue when there's one or more square that you can fill in based on the clues because they would always be filled in with any combination of filled in squares, and autocorrecting you when you try to fill in a square that shouldn't be.

If you turn them all off, you'll get a medal on your save file when you finish all the puzzles. Though, there's usually a puzzle on each page or so where you can't use any of the assist modes anyway.

There's also a menu option that lets you check all the squares to see if they're filled in properly. I never chose that so I don't know what it does or if there's any penalty attached to it.

Mr_Crispy posted...

There's also a menu option that lets you check all the squares to see if they're filled in properly. I never chose that so I don't know what it does or if there's any penalty attached to it.

IIRC you can only use it once per puzzle and I feel like there is some indication on the file that it was used but I don't recall at the moment what it would be.

On a side note I went back to one of the e games I haven't yet finished last night and as much as I still enjoy the S series, there's something immensely satisfying about just swiping the stylus across the touchscreen to mark a whole bunch of squares at once.

Jakyl25 posted...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRlKR5nU8AA_v_C?format=jpg&name=large
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Mr_Crispy 4 hours ago#27
the picross S games (and the other ones on switch) have three assist options that you can turn on or off. The roulette when you start the puzzle, the hint numbers turning blue when there's one or more square that you can fill in based on the clues because they would always be filled in with any combination of filled in squares, and autocorrecting you when you try to fill in a square that shouldn't be.

If you turn them all off, you'll get a medal on your save file when you finish all the puzzles. Though, there's usually a puzzle on each page or so where you can't use any of the assist modes anyway.

There's also a menu option that lets you check all the squares to see if they're filled in properly. I never chose that so I don't know what it does or if there's any penalty attached to it.
The only certain death in the universe is Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons.
Not changing this line until I beat Seven Heroes (2/24/07) - Fulfilled 2/20/18
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JonThePenguin 2 hours ago#28
Mr_Crispy posted...
There's also a menu option that lets you check all the squares to see if they're filled in properly. I never chose that so I don't know what it does or if there's any penalty attached to it.
IIRC you can only use it once per puzzle and I feel like there is some indication on the file that it was used but I don't recall at the moment what it would be.

On a side note I went back to one of the e games I haven't yet finished last night and as much as I still enjoy the S series, there's something immensely satisfying about just swiping the stylus across the touchscreen to mark a whole bunch of squares at once.
JonThePenguin
http://www.backloggery.com/main.php?user=erunion
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oh wowwwww I never considered they would expect me to guess at any point

RoseChevalier posted...

I guess it's "cheating" that I failed the last 3 puzzles and had to redo them, which means I came in with prior knowledge

I wouldn't call that cheating. I literally had to use save states/pausing to finish one of them

I also got into picross thru the super famicom one and have been playing the Picross S series since, I'm on the 4th one atm

also as far as I know, there's always some way to figure out the next move without guessing