Meow Tower: Nonogram Pictogram

I seem to have a thing for mobile games about cats, and I am a huge fan of Nintendo's Picross series. Normally those two interests don't overlap, but Meow Tower changed that. Combining the fun of befriending cute cartoon cats and solving intricate number puzzles hooked me immediately. While it's technically not a Picross game, seeing as that is a Nintendo trademark, the nonogram puzzles are still the same, and I loved being able to play them on my phone. Granted, there have been plenty of options to play these kinds of puzzles on the phone for years, but Meow Tower sets itself apart from the rabble thanks to its stellar aesthetic.

The developers behind this game are true artists. While it's a solid, straightforward nonogram game at its core, Meow Tower just looks so much better to play than any of the numerous generic options that crowd the app stores. The bubbly sticker-book style used for the art and menus gives Meow Tower a lot of charm and personality from the moment you pick it up, helping it to stick out in my mind more than even Nintendo's official offerings. What's more, there's actually a purpose to solving the puzzles beyond just discovering what the picture is, which is much more than most Picross games have going for them.

Meow Tower has hundreds of puzzles broken into "normal" and "hard" difficulties, and solving them earns you cans of cat food. With that cat food, you can buy new furniture for the furry little residents of your tower, which unlocks cute interactions and helps you get to know them better. As you buy more furniture, more cats start to move in, quickly making for an adorable little community. While the puzzles themselves may seem a little too easy sometimes (hard puzzles are only 15x15), they are perfect for the small screen, and I can imagine getting pretty frustrated by misplays if the grid got any smaller.

Meow Tower is far from the most taxing or difficult nonogram game, which may put off some of the more seasoned players, but it is just so delightful to play. The combination of cat collecting and my favorite type of puzzle hooked me before I even started playing, but it was the cute interactions complemented by the well-optimized gameplay that kept me on the line. I don't think I've ever finished a Picross game, other than the very short Twilight Princess spinoff, and I tend not to return to them after having my fill. However, I know Meow Tower will sit on my phone for a long time, giving me the perfect puzzle to kick back with wherever I need it.

The game is available for Android here (as of 5/18/22): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grapetree.meowtower&hl=en_US&gl=US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 5/18/22): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/meow-tower-nonogram-offline/id1579122980

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