Pokémon Picross (2015)

Pokemon Picross is a fun take on the picross formula, which has you solving puzzles that combine Sudoku elements with pixel art. The freemium formula it uses is admittedly a Catch 22 that will leave a bad taste in some gamers' mouths unless they spend the requisite $30 to access the full game experience without having to worry about timers and content gating. The puzzles themselves, however, are well done and can be addicting for folks who love brain teasers.

Pokémon Picross succeeds flawlessly with its goal of making an easily accessible Picross title with additional appeal for people who are used to the puzzles. Optional stages and challenges are sure to keep veterans on their toes, while newcomers can be perfectly happy with the main puzzles that will keep their minds stimulated without being too difficult. Nintendo even succeeded to implement Pokémon into the game in a natural way, as more than just pictures. This, mixed with a fair roof on the optional purchases, makes Pokémon Picross a wonderful game to play, no matter the desired play style or former experience with the puzzles. It's a title that is recommended for everyone with a 3DS to try out!

Pokemon Picross is a fun and interesting way of playing Picross, but I can see how some elements might turn a player off to the game.  If you opt to not spend any money, the experience can get rather boring as you can only do so much at a time before you have to wait a while to continue.  Still, the fact that you can get close to a third of the way through the game at no cost makes it worth at least checking it out, but I feel that things could have been done better.

Pokémon Picross is still a very competent Sudoku game and the added layer of "catching 'em all" is fun and offers a bit more to the core experience. The "free to start" angle is an interesting one and one that I really don't mind. It's all up to the player if they want to play more, and I enjoyed what I did play. It's free to try and if you enjoy what you play, there's a ton of content to be had and puzzles to be solved. You have nothing to lose to begin with and if you end up enjoying the game, I say drop the cash down on it. Just remember, you have to hit the money threshold to fully get it.

Pokémon Picross is a limited, but refreshing take on Picross that is worth a (free) look for Pokémaniacs or anyone who enjoys pick-up-and-play puzzle games.