Customer Reviews

Picross 3D

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm writing this review after about three hours of play. The first hour was spent on the tutorial - and, yes, it is necessary. (I'm not sure, but you may have no choice.) Though the manual is very, very good (thank you for that), the learn as you go feature was pretty well done.

I'm in my sixties and I have played the pencil and paper version of 2D Picross games for many, many years. I've also played virtually all of Picross DS. So, I was really looking forward to this.

Overall, this game plays as is described above. It seems to be addictive and it is fun. As you can see, I've given it 4 stars. I'm glad I bought it and will probably play it to the end. This is a game you can pick up and put down and it does let you save quite frequently.

It is, as is Picross DS, a great way to learn logical thinking. Do, however, start with the previous game. It will help you a lot in learning this one. I heartily recommend both games for that purpose (regardless of any faults they may have!).

Even though I gave it those four stars, I am disappointed. It could have been much better for a whole range of players. Unfortunately it does penalize the slower players and this also penalizes the younger players who are learning the logic skills taught by this game and older players who just don't do things as quickly anymore.

Had they made this as a step-up game to Picross DS, all would have been great. Unfortunately, they added some things that were not needed. It would have been incredibly fun without them. In doing so, they took a great, fun logic game and tried to turn it into a competitive single player video game.

Here is my "Unfortunately" list:

- the designers added bonuses based on speed. Well, maybe that's not the unfortunate part. That you can't play the game any other way is the unfortunate part.

- you are limited in the number of mistakes you can make before you 'lose'. Hint: if you make a mistake, pause it and choose to replay level. That way you can still earn the stars. It's a pain to start over each time your stylus slips, but since you have to earn the stars to play all the puzzles, it's a necessary - if ridiculous - evil.

- taking too long or making even one mistake costs bonus stars needed to 'earn' extra puzzles. (Didn't we pay for all the puzzles when we bought the game?)

- the needed tutorial took twice as long as it should have. You have to watch too many graphics before you can go to the next screen. And, the tutorial is broken into too many steps. If you are capable of learning the game at all, you are capable of learning it at a quicker pace. You can take as long as you want on the example screens, so why the slow progressions that add nothing?

- and the biggie is that you will rarely have any clue of what the shape is you are chiseling out of the stacks of blocks. This is true even after you have 'solved' the puzzle. The game does show you with added colors the item you sculpted, but that is of little help on too many of the items. That the game also prints out what you've made is the only way of identifying too many of the items. Label on screen: 'Suitcase'. Me: 'Oh, so that's what a suitcase looks like to a game designer.'

It would have been a huge improvement if the 'keeper' blocks were the colors of the finished product instead of their being all one color. Showing the finished product in all its colors is not a help in enjoying the solving of the puzzles.

The game can be fun if you like logic games and are willing to take the time to truly learn the rules - and can get past the 'Unfortunate' items.

This is a ten star game without the mandatory penalty items and unlockables. Due to those annoyance factors it's a three star game. I've added back in a star because I love Picross puzzles.

With the huge number of game players reaching their sixties, it's a shame that game designers haven't figured out that speed of play doesn't have to be a required feature of a game - especially a logic game. There's no goal that the players have to 'race' toward in this type of game - so why require players to race? Make it an option and make all the puzzles available for all to play.

For those unfamiliar with the Picross concept, it is a sudoku-type logic puzzle that challenges players to utilize spatial reasoning to chip away at a block to produce a finished picture (or in this case, a 3-dimensional model). If the puzzle is completed in the time allotted and without too many mistakes, the player is rewarded as the finished object leaps into color and animates!

It's important to note that with Picross 3D, the developers seem to be aiming for a more "game"-focused experience (timers, scoring, unlockables, etc.) rather than a simple electronic collection of puzzles. Whether this is a good or bad thing really boils down to individual preference, however it can certainly be a surprise to players who were not expecting it. That being said, here are my impressions so far, with 8+ hours played and ~150 puzzles completed:

Pros:
(+) Tons of puzzles! Over 365 puzzles pre-loaded on the DS cartridge, and even more available to download.
(+) 4 save profiles available. Great for sharing with family members, and a very welcome change from Picross DS, which only offered one save slot.
(+) Good 3D interface. The stylus rotating is intuitive and works well, and the "slicer" feature gets the job done for larger puzzles. Manipulating the models feels more fun and interactive than static 2D Picross puzzles.
(+) Puzzles within a difficulty are split into smaller "levels" and challenges. It's only a cosmetic difference, but it's nice to have smaller goals to work through rather than just a huge mass of puzzles.
(+) "Stars" rating system + unlockable puzzles. This seems controversial, but I feel that it adds challenge and replayability to the puzzles, and rewards players who make the effort to get max ratings. Not everyone will get 3 stars on each puzzle the first time, but that just makes it more satisfying to come back and breeze through later when you are more experienced!
(+) "Gallery" feature showcasing completed puzzle items. The themed collection pages are fun and colorful, and unlockable additional animations are a nice extra as well.
(+) Original puzzle creation. Fun feature for creative players who want to try their hand at making puzzles.

Cons:
(-) No hint system. Why was this removed? It would've been great to have a limited number of hints (perhaps earnable in-game?) that would reveal numbers on unmarked rows.
(-) SLOW in-game tutorial. Nice feature to have, but this one is long and can feel slow/boring, particularly for veteran Picross players. You can opt to skip it and go straight to "Easy" difficulty, but doing so means missing out on puzzles and concepts unique to Picross 3D. A quick-tutorial/quick-reference option would've been great.
(-) Music and visual style. This is certainly dependent on personal preference, but I found the visuals sloppy and childish-looking (Picross DS is less colorful but looks far more polished) and the music extremely grating (fortunately you can turn this off.) Also, the ever-present yellow box guy is distracting and disturbing. (I think he must be related to the MS Office Paperclip...)

I would also have liked to see more stats, as well as a button to remove all unmarked cubes in a row, since doing it via rotation/slicers is slow and unwieldy.

Overall though, Nintendo did a great job in transitioning the Picross formula to 3D, as well as making the game appeal to a wider audience of players. I'd give the game itself 4.5 stars, but the bargain price tag bumps it up to a full 5 stars. A very fun and addictive game, a worthy successor to Picross DS, and a steal at $20!

Refreshing, challenging, addicting...Picross 3d! This game is an absolute blast to play. This game challenges you in a 3d space to chip away at blocks, all in the hopes of uncovering the 3d object that lays within. Now, to do this, you must use the numbers that are on the side of certain blocks to decide how many blocks must be chipped away from that row or column (row has a 0 next to it, which means that 0 blocks belong in that row, so you then chip away all of those blocks in that row).

The first hour or so of the game is more or less a tutorial that slowly guides you into the game and uncovers the complexities (circle numbers and square numbers). Circle and square numbers are numbers that are enveloped with either a circle or a square (duh). Circle numbers means the blocks are going to be split up into at least two groups, while a square number means that blocks will be split up along 3 different groups. This adds another layer of challenge.

Now, visually, the game looks very nice. It is colorful and has a unique style to it that makes it that much more fun to play. When you complete a shape, it is placed into a canvas along with the other categories of that shape you've uncovered already to fill up a picture which will be filled with your completed picross puzzles, awesome!

The music in this game is fun and varied. You can change the music at any time to play music/sounds you are in the mood for. Everything from reggae, to jazz, to forest sounds and babbling brooks if you just want to relax.

So, overall, this game is a breath of fresh air and a blast to play!! Play it, love it, Picross 3d!

I loved the original (2D) Picross so much that I pre-ordered this game without reading a single review. I'm happy to say that my gamble payed off.

For those who have played the original Picross, the 3D version simplifies the grid concept while adding a third dimension. The overall complexity is about equal to the original and is at a level that I find very engaging and fun.

For those that have not played the original, think of a Sudoku-like game where you sculpt 3D objects out of a large rectangular block. Also, play the original too!

The controls are implemented well, and I have no issues removing blocks, viewing numbers, or changing my viewing angle.

The game includes many puzzles (350+) and adds nice touches like "item collections" that add additional completion aspects to the game.

Each puzzle takes 2-20 minutes to complete, depending on the difficulty level. You also can "quick save" your progress at any time. This formula makes the game perfect for those who would like to play in small blocks of time, a nice fit for the strengths of the DS.

Let us just get this out of the way now.... if you bought and played and loved any Picross game you dont need much justification to purchase... This is all the picross you want just with a welcomed twist.

For those of you on the fence. I am sure the screen shots are mind boggling and I agree, just looking at this game makes no sense but let me give you the gist.

Picross is a logic puzzle game in the flavor of sudoku it looks like math but is far from doing long division. You are given numbers along the width, height and depth of the cube that help you ascertain what is and is not to be kept. Get it wrong and you get a strike get five strikes and you are out (mostly), You are also put up against a time limit so that not only are your logic skills being test but how quickly you can execute on them. The games beginner tutorial sectoin does a good job of laying everything out on the table and explaining what is going on.

Much like sudoku or crosswords you will likely find yourself falling into the "just one more puzzle" mind set with Picross. The beginning rounds of the game will take you around 5 minutes or so. That short time limit coupled with the satisfaction of seeing the shape color in and animate will have you jumping from puzzle to puzzle and those 5 to 10 minutes start to add up quick.

One small knock against Picross 3D is the style of presentation. Picross DS (Created by Q Entertainment) had an austere, pixel art look and feel to it. It was a little sterile but it worked and you never felt like anything got in your way. Picross 3D was created by HAL Laboratory (of Kirby Fame) so the presentation this go around is maybe a bit to pastel and saccharine. Initially Picross 3D comes off looking and feeling like a kids puzzle game but as long as you turn off the droning music (also bad in Picross DS) that charm quickly falls to the background and it is nothing but puzzle time at that point.

Along with 350 some odd puzzles that ship with the game there is a puzzle creator for those of you who like to get your feet wet, but more importantly if Nintendo supports Picross 3D the same way they did with Picross DS you will have hundreds of extra puzzles to download and chip away at.

Picross DS was a bit of an underdog when it was released... and it looks as if Picross 3D might share a similar fate (limited distribution, little marketing) ... which it a shame because it is a puzzle game that takes an already solid idea and adds a meaningful twist. If you are in to puzzles it is worth your time.

I have had this game for over a year now, and still play it almost daily. After learning the specifics of uncovering the hidden picture (by working through the mandatory tutorial) the puzzles are enjoyable and make you use your logic skills. I have completed all four players, and after having found out how to download new games, it continues to be one of my favorite Nintendo games of all time. The "game save" feature is a nice touch for the larger puzzles. The one thing that keeps me from giving it a 5-Star rating is that a lot of the items depicted don't necessarily translate into cubed pictures, thus making them hard to visualize. With that said, I would definitely recommend this game for anyone who enjoys using their mind as well as their hands.

I purchased this game recently. I am an avid puzzler, love all kinds of them from crosswords to sudoku....I LOVE and HATE this puzzle! I get so mad with this game because sometimes I feel it does not quite give you all the information you need in order to remove blocks, and guessing wrong infuriates me! However, that being said, I find that this is currently my favorite game. I try to avoid playing it when I should be heading to bed, as it definitely gets the mind working!

I was not familiar with the original picross game, but might end up purchasing that as well, as I have seen many many excellent reviews of that one. I also will say, having been completely unfamiliar with the original, and the concept in general, I found the lengthy tutorial (which took me well over one hour...perhaps several to work through) extremely worthwhile. It took you through things a step at a time, and then had "exercises" to demonstrate the items so you could really get them before moving on to the next step!

I highly recommend!

This is a great new way to play picross. The rules of picross 2D are translated quite well into a 3D format. The use of "slicers" to see inside of the puzzle as you solve it is pretty intuitive. I don't really have any complaints about the puzzle-solving aspect of the game.

However, overall it seems like the game was either designed to be marketed to little kids, or it was made hastily, with not enough time or attention spent on designing it well.

One of the unfortunate things about picross in a 3D format is that it's often hard to tell what the object is even after you solve it. I usually had to wait for the animation to show the blocks in color, and sometimes even that wasn't enough for me to identify the object, so I had to wait for the game to display the name of the object.

The game's animations and text take way too long, making the non-gameplay parts of the game kind of a hassle. As a result, the lengthy, mandatory tutorial a real pain to have to go through when you're just starting out. I realize that it's important to understand how the game works because of the unique 3D rules, but the tutorial could have been a lot shorter.

The weird blocky person mascot looks creepy and is annoying when it jumps around on the other screen when you're trying to solve a puzzle. Maybe they were hoping that the distraction would add an extra challenge to the gameplay, but it's really just annoying.

Additionally, the graphic design of the game looks flat and garish, like something that an elementary school teacher would put up on the wall, or a web page from the early 1990s. Not only does it make it seem like the game was rushed out the door with not enough time spent on design, but it also makes me feel almost embarrassed to play the game, because I feel like I'm playing a game for little kids. This is a sharp contrast to Picross DS, which has a simple, classy design that makes it feel like a game for anyone of any age.

The background music also leaves a lot to be desired. I found it annoying and obtrusive, whereas the Picross DS music was so nice that I would put headphones on to listen to it.

In short, being able to play 3D picross puzzles is really fun. During the puzzle-solving phase, the game is fine. But everything else about the game could have been a lot better.

I purchased this game based on the great reviews it was given here on Amazon, and a big WOW, what a surprise! I can't stop playing it. My first hour was spent on the tutorial, and 5 hours of non-stopped playing. 10 stars!

To begin with, I'm writing this review in November of 2010 and I purchased Picross 3D in May of 2010. I've been playing the game about 2-3 days out of the week for about 45 mins each time, and I am STILL playing the game to this day! To say that this game has a lot of puzzles would be selling it short. So far I've gone through 300+ puzzles and there's still more to go. On top of that, you can download additional puzzles made by other players from around the world! The game is very good in teaching you the basics and slowly ramping up the difficulty of the puzzles. Not only are the puzzles addicting to solve, but they are so rewarding too, especially once you get to the larger and more complex puzzles. If you loved the original Picross game, or even puzzle games such as Sudoku, you will absolutely love this game!