Nightmare Reviews: Picross Games

Picross. The puzzle game of champions. You know it, you love it, and if you don't love it you should probably go back to grinding Diamond II. But folks...picross games tend to get stale. Big shock, I know, but after the billionth time filling out an 18-1 split, you do start to consider what you're doing with your life. Thankfully, your good friend NightmareFluid is here to point you in the right direction, to those games that innovate and shake up the genre of picross.

Mario's Super Picross

A classic. I played this one with Nintendo Switch Online during the pandemic, and it was exactly what I was looking for. No frills, no quills, no pillows, just pure picross puzzle heaven. Usually I'm a big proponent of experimentation in the picross genre, but it was 2021 and I had nothing better to do with my time. I'm sure if I played it again now, I'd get a bit bored of the repetitiveness, but it holds a special place in my heart.

Khimera: Puzzle Island

This one. Ohhhhhhh, this one. Khimera: Puzzle Island released as a spin-off game of beat-em-up platformer Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls (a game I did not play). I was immediately taken in by its silly story, cute spritework, and absolutely bangin' soundtrack. It's a pretty typical picross game for the majority of its playtime, however it does throw in a little RPG combat twist for its final boss. I loved this mechanic, and wish it had been implemented in more than literally the last level in the game. As a whole, I think the aesthetics and humor of Khimera: Puzzle Island sets it apart from other picross games in the best way.

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