I never finished this game as a kid, so I picked it up when I saw it cheap at my local retro games store. And... I don't know what it was about this game, but I devoured it. I was genuinely addicted. It was a good game, but I also hated it. When my mind drifted, it went to Picross. When I closed my eyes, all I saw were Picross blocks. The sounds were stuck in my ears ever ringing... ever ringing. I wanted to be free of the pain. But I owed my younger self to see it through to the end. This was unfinished business. And for my younger self, I did it. Every puzzle solved. Every fake block destroyed. The demon was slain, and all that was left was regret for every minute lost.

In all seriousness, the game's aight. It's a fairly charming puzzle game that adds a unique twist to an existing franchise. There isn't much in terms of variety, and most of the puzzles are solved using similar methods. It does, however, offer a huge amount of puzzles for the player to solve. It also has a fun side mode where you can create and solve your own puzzles, adding some replay value to a game that lacks it otherwise. Unfortunately, you are no longer able to share puzzles online, but you can share them locally with friends, for whatever that's worth. The music got a little repetitive, and some of the later puzzles genuinely seemed to ask the player to make some guesswork, but it was never super frustrating. If you decide to play this game, however, do yourself a favor and don't play it the way I did. The game is not meant to be binged over a few days; you'd do much better to piecemeal the puzzles over a much longer period of time while playing other games. Regardless, it's fun. If you can pick it up cheap, I'd recommend it. Just be aware that you may get sucked in, and blessings be upon you if that happens.