Pokémon Picross

Pokémon Picross is a strange one. Not to be confused with the free-to-start 3DS release of the same name, this Gameboy Color game was never actually released. It was almost entirely finished, and the leaked and translated version that I played felt like it was nearly ready to go, but it never actually made it out to the world in any official capacity. While it may have a few quirks, Pokémon Picross feels like it fills the roles of both a Pokémon game and a Picross game pretty well, making it a good time for fans of both franchises, such as myself.

When it comes to Picross games, this is a fairly standard affair, feeling very similar to the likes of Mario's Picross, save for two Pokémon-focused features. The first is your partner Pokémon. Every few pages of puzzles, the game will show a mini interaction between you and a Pokémon who can then appear on the puzzle screen as your partner. The difference partners don't change the gameplay at all, but it's a cute feature, nonetheless. The other is the Pokédex. When you complete a puzzle, the pictured Pokémon is registered in your Pokédex just like you would see in the mainline games. If you successfully solve the puzzle under the "par" time, the Pokémon is considered captured, otherwise, it is just considered seen. If you capture enough Pokémon in a location (each page of puzzles represents a different location from the Kanto region), then you'll unlock an extra encounter, encouraging you to play well if you really want to catch 'em all. Now, that's generally a pretty easy requirement to fulfill, thanks to the game's biggest shortcoming - the puzzles.

In every other Picross game that I've ever played, the image you are solving for was actually drawn at the resolution of the puzzle. What I mean is, if you have a puzzle that is 15x15 squares, the image is also going to be 15x15 squares. In Pokémon Picross, they decided to use much higher pixel counts for the images, and just overlay the puzzle grid on top, requiring you to fill in any square that has even the tiniest bit of the image under it. Because the Pokémon sprites that they used are often pretty detailed, the puzzles often end up just being unrecognizable blobs until they are solved and the actual image is revealed. The blobby nature of the puzzles makes them all pretty samey, and not very fulfilling to solve. That's not to say the whole game isn't fulfilling though; it still feels great to fill out the Pokédex, but the puzzle designs could have been significantly improved.

While the puzzles make Pokémon Picross feel a little half-baked, there's no denying that it is still a fun distraction and a great concept. With a little bit of TLC, this could easily have stood its ground amongst other Pokémon spinoffs of the era, and it's unfortunate that it never got to that point. Thankfully, all is not lost, and you can find a playable copy of the nearly-complete project without much trouble if you look for it. For fans exclusively of Picross or Pokémon, this would be more of a novelty than anything. However, fans of both franchises might find a little bit more to enjoy.

Although the game was never released, you can learn more about it here (as of 9/14/22): https://lostmediawiki.com/Pok%C3%A9mon_Picross_(found_build_of_unfinished_Game_Boy_Color_puzzle_game;_1999)

Popular posts from this blog

Meow Tower: Nonogram Pictogram

Image
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 t
Read more

Space Lich Omega

Image
Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Image
Reusing game engines has proven to be pretty popular in the Zelda series. It offers developers a chance to craft more experimental and risky games, as the initial investment on the engine was covered by the previous, more traditional release. As a huge fan of A Link Between Worlds , I was ecstatic to learn it was getting a pseudo-follow-up. My excitement only grew when Nintendo sent me an early-access demo, and I somehow had no concerns that this was another multiplayer-focused game, despite my preference for solo play. Since the previous multiplayer Zelda games had pretty functional single-player modes, I anticipated that I could expect the same here. Unfortunately, that wasn't an entirely accurate assumption. Like its predecessors , Tri Force Heroes is level-based in order to accommodate its multiplayer focus. All of the stages are designed like dungeons, so they hold up really well for puzzle-solving challenges, but they lack a lot of the same charm you can find in Four Swor
Read more