From painter to sculptor
Picross DS was a fantastic puzzler that presented a great, logic based puzzle game in a slick package that contained a ton of content. Picross 3D attempts to take that basic Picross formula and translate it to 3D, a move that I was initially a bit skeptical of. Fortunately, the risk has paid off, as Picross 3D is a great evolution of one of my favorite puzzle games, and is a great package for anyone with an appreciation for logic puzzles.
For those not in the know, Picross is a logic game (similar to something like sudoku). Your goal is to create a picture on a 2x2 grid, and you're given clues along each row and column as to which squares are a part of the picture. It's all purely logic based, and is simple enough to be widely accessible, yet challenging enough to be highly rewarding. Picross 3D simply takes that exact idea and layers another dimension on top. Literally. Rather than painting a picture, you're now sculpting an object in three dimensions. Clues are given along each of the three axes regarding which blocks are part of the final product, and it's your goal to chip away at the ones that aren't included. The thought process is basically the same as it is in 2D, which means that returning Picross players will adapt quickly. Otherwise, there's a fantastic tutorial to get new players rolling.
All of this might sound a bit confusing on paper, but Picross is a game that's pretty straightforward in practice. That's part of the genius of its design, and Picross 3D replicates this balance perfectly. The interface is also smartly designed to handle a third dimension. Not only are the controls really smooth, but there's a great feature that lets you look at the interior of the puzzle. As such, you'll always feel in control as you work through the game's many puzzles. And make no mistake- there are a ton of puzzles to solve. In fact, the back of the box claims there to be over 365 puzzles, which is a ridiculous amount of content to receive for a meager $20. The experience isn't going to really change that much as you work your way through each puzzle, but there's enough content here to keep puzzle fanatics coming back over and over again.
Picross 3D naturally isn't going to hold any appeal to anyone who doesn't like puzzle games. I would also recommend that any interested party who's unfamiliar with Picross check out Picross DS first- it's just a more natural starting point. Those minor caveats aside, Picross 3D is a fantastic puzzle game. I've been playing Picross DS on and off during the three years since its release, and I'm pretty confident that I'll still be playing Picross 3D three years from now as well. A must buy for puzzle fans.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
