Picross 3D
Picross 3D | |
---|---|
Platforms | Nintendo DS |
Genre | Cubical puzzle |
MtAMinutes to Action | 0 |
Keep Playing? | Yes |
Buy from Amazon |
Picross 3D is the latest brain-teaser game for the Nintendo DS. If you're not familiar with the concept of Picross,
it's a simple puzzle game: a grid of squares is presented, and numbers
next to the rows or columns indicate how many squares in that column or
row should be colored in. As squares are colored in, they clue the
player in on what other squares should be colored in. The end result is
a crude object, like a person or a clock. It's simple enough that it
could be done on graph paper, but Nintendo has made millions of dollars
collecting these puzzles and putting them in videogames, most recently Picross DS a few years ago.
Picross 3D takes the concept in three
dimensions, giving the player a large cube or rectangular prism made up
of blocks. Remove the right blocks and an object appears. The concept
is almost as simple in 3D as it is on graph paper, though it would be
nigh-impossible to do with physical objects. It's well-suited for
videogames, however, where virtual representations can easily be
created.
As someone who enjoys brain-teasers and puzzle games, I have a feeling I'll enjoy Picross
3D as long as I'm sufficiently challenged. But this is one of those
new-fangled "Casual games" that seem to be popping up everywhere
nowadays and trying to appeal to everybody, so it may be oversimplified
or very slow to start. Let's find out.
Minute by Minute
(minutes are in bold)
00 - Oddly enough, the game has a load
screen as soon as I power it on. It only takes a second, but it's
strange to see a percentage counter before even starting a portable
cartridge game. I pick one of four blank profile slots and am welcomed
to the game by a bizarre Cubism-style face. She(?) lets me pick a color
for my profile, and I write my name with the stylus.
01 - Three menu options show up: Puzzles, Gallery, or My Picross. Let's check out Puzzles. I can try Beginner or Easy level puzzles; Normal, Hard, and "???" are locked. I pick Beginner...
02 - Beginner, apparently, is the tutorial: I'm told I'll learn how to
play while solving simple puzzles. I start up the Basics lesson, where
I'm told Picross 3D is a "fun, unique, and
simple puzzle game where you smash the blocks to reveal the secrets!"
Sounds good to me. The game is showing me a fast-motion demonstration
of how it plays. A big cube made up of individual blocks is presented,
and blocks are removed to reveal a figure inside.
03 - The numbers on the outside of the cube show how many blocks in
that row or column are present in the final product. A "5" on the end
apparently means there are five blocks in that row, column, or depth
that I don't want to get rid of. I turn the block by sliding the
stylus, to get a better look at it. There are numbers scattered around
it, though not every block has numbers on it.
04 - This column has a "1" on top, meaning one block will be left
when it's done. I don't know which one yet, so I'll look elsewhere. Ah,
a "0"...that means I can get rid of that entire column, as no blocks
should be remaining in it at the end. To remove, hold up on the D-Pad
and tap the cube. Easy enough. The game lets me smash that column of
cubes. An overwhelming feeling of power surges through my body as the
blocks explode under the might of my stylus.
05 - This row has a "5" on the end...and there are only five cubes
in it, meaning they're all keepers. I can mark cubes I know I shouldn't
break by holding right on the D-Pad and tapping them, and the game lets
me try it. This isn't nearly as satisfying as breaking them...
06 - Now I get to try a puzzle all by myself! The Cubism character
clues me in, but I'm in control now! POW POW POW POW POW. Killed that
whole row with one fell swoop. I'm being pointed toward a "5" on a
column with only five blocks. Gotta mark 'em...I found a "4" row with
only four blocks, so I'll mark those too. Cubey tells me I get to break
the rest. I destroy them with the heated passion of a thousand suns.
07 - "You revealed the hidden shape! It's the letter L." How
boring...it's not even really 3D, because it has no depth! I'm told
that if I remove a block that's part of the final shape, I get a
strike. Too many strikes and I'm out, perhaps?
08 - I'm set
loose on a practice puzzle. It's a 5x5x1, still not exactly 3D with
just one block of depth...I find two "5" and mark the row and column
they denote. All the remaining numbers are ones, so I remove them all.
CLEAR! It's the letter T. It jumps into a crossword puzzle in the
background...is that crossword puzzle part of the game or just for show?
09 - Practice Puzzle B is also a 5x5x1...I start by removing "0" rows and
columns. Mark some 4 rows...get rid of the 1's...mark some 3's...remove
the 2, and voila! I've got...stairs? These shapes are boring so far.
10 - I notice an auto-save icon flashes in the bottom corner. Neat.
Practice Puzzle C is a 3x6x2, more interesting! The puzzle ends much
earlier than I thought...it's an extremely blocky cell phone! It's even
opening and closing and waving around. Confetti marks my victory as
well.
11 - Cube-thing tells me I've learned the basics of Picross
3D. S/he is going to show me something "really cool!" Beneath "How to
Play" appears "Circles." Apparently there are "circle numbers" and I'm
going to learn about them. The circle denotes that not all the blocks
are in line, so a column with a Circle 4 may have two blocks together,
a space, and two more blocks. Or one, a space, and three. Apparently
normal numbers indicate an unbroken sequence of numbers in a row or
column.
12 - Let's see circle numbers in action! I fill out the full
rows...a Circle 3 means the three non-consecutive marked blocks in this
row will stay. Simple enough. The puzzle finishes...It's a letter H,
lopsided for some reason!
13 - Now I get to try circle puzzles
on my own. Example A is 5x5x1. Destroy some 0 rows, mark some 5s, and
boom, it's the letter I! These puzzles are super simple so far.
14 - Example B is another 5x5x1. It takes me a bit longer, but it's
another mutated letter: F! It jumps into the same crossword puzzle that
the T jumped into earlier. Interesting...
15 - Example C time.
It's all second-nature at this point, mark and smash...and it's a sofa!
A cube sofa that doesn't look especially comfortable. It jumps into a
house in the background.
16 - "Let's see how strikes and time
limits work." Okay Cube dude. I hit "Rules." Five strikes and I'm out,
Game Over! Each puzzle also has a time limit. This example counter is
at fifteen minutes...could there really be puzzles in this game that
take so long?
17 - I'm told I'll be moving onto puzzles in Level 1. There will be
time limits and strike limits. INTENSE. Let's try Level 1A. Looks like
I get 30 minutes to solve this. It took me all of 13 seconds, it's an
exclamation mark! Yes, like the one I just used. Let's try 1B...another
30 minute time limit, cleared in 7 seconds: it's a Plus Symbol! Look at
it dance! It jumps into a background with a protractor and other math
symbols. I guess the end results have themes they fit into together,
like the crossword puzzle earlier. Guess I don't get to play with them.
18 - 1C takes me 32 seconds, and it's...puzzle pieces! They jump
together and break apart. What a terrible result object. 18 seconds in
1D, it's a Boxer! The dog kind. And just its face. It barks and its
tongue flaps out.
19 - 1E takes 16 seconds, it's a suitcase! The cube-character on
the top screen seems a little flustered...am I solving these too
quickly and it's disappointed that I'm not being challenged? Or is it
mad that it only has one eye? Doesn't seem to be important. The
suitcase jumps into the background, with airplanes and travel stuff.
20 - "Level clear!" it says. A "Collections" item appears in the
menu, and lets me look at the backgrounds that the objects jumped into.
I guess they'll be full of stuff by the time I'm done. "Techniques"
appears under Level 1. Let's see what I learn now...
21 - I'm not really learning anything new, these are just tips to
keep in mind involving circle and normal numbers. But they are handy
strategies to learn if you didn't figure them out on your own just yet.
Practice puzzle: I found the letter D!
22 - More tips...hmm, I hadn't thought of that. In a row of five
blocks, a "4" means that the middle three MUST be marked, since the
four blocks must all be consecutive and only one of the ends can be
missing. You got me there, Picross 3D, I hadn't yet guessed that. I make use of this newfound knowledge in a practice puzzle: It's a P!
23 - Three more puzzles with no hand-holding. Example A is a
weird-looking K! It's kicking off its leg like a soccer ball. Another
letter for my crossword-puzzle background. Example B is the letter R!
It's running away from itself...? It follows the K into the background.
24 - Example C...is a rabbit head! Like every other puzzle
solution, it's quite energetic and happy. I get to move onto level 2!
Instead of doing that, I'll check out the main menu options.
25 - Gallery lets me check out the collections (like the crossword puzzle background I'm filling out). I check out "My Picross"...I
can create my own puzzles and swap them with friends! I can also
download new puzzles and enter mine in contests. Pretty cool. A number
of options pop up. Let's try "Original"
26 - I can select a preset puzzle to solve or edit. Let's try
solving the Skateboarder. Wow, this is a big one, looks complicated...I
start by removing all the "0" rows. Uh oh, there are numbers in
squares, which I haven't seen before...I'm in over my head, it seems.
27 - There are also blue and red sliders that let me look INSIDE
the cube I'm chipping away at. This one definitely seems out of my
league right now...
28 - I'm making progress very, very
slowly...I've removed all the 0 rows now and I'm working on some larger
consecutive numbers, where I know the middle blocks are required.
29 - Progress is still very slow...the time limit for this puzzle
is twenty minutes. I'm already nearly at four and feel like I've got no
clue where to go...
30 - I'm circling around the figure and looking inside it, and have no idea where to go next. I'm giving up. I just don't know where to go. I surrender, Skateboarder.
First Hour Summary
Minutes to Action: 0 to begin the tutorial. 5
to be set loose in the practice puzzles. Or you can skip those and
start with the Easy puzzles if you're familiar with the game already.
Favorite Thing: It's got a charming, cubey style to it all. Everything
is rectangular and happy and animated.
Least Favorite Thing: It starts
out very easy. Can't really complain about that when you're just
learning the game, though.
Design: The happy cube art style is clean and inviting, and the
game eases you into how it works very generously without feeling extra
slow.
Story: None, like most puzzle games.
Fun: It's
enjoyable. The kind of relaxing puzzle game that's great to pick up for
a few minutes on the bus or before bed. However, the tougher puzzles,
like the Skateboarder, appear to take a significant amount of time and
thought, so those who want to be challenged will likely be stumped and
satisfied from time to time.
Keep Playing: Sure. It starts out very easy, but I got a few glimpses of how it could get tough.
Other
Thoughts: Everybody likes easy-to-learn brain teasers, right? At $20,
it's priced fairly. Especially considering it boasts over 365 puzzles
in the cartridge with the ability to create or download more. If you've
got a DS and a few minutes to burn on the subway or just want some mild
mental-stimulation every now and then, Picross 3D may be up your alley. I certainly enjoyed the first half-hour of it, and I haven't even made it to the tougher puzzles yet.