Did you know: Picross is actually the name of a trademarked series! That never stops anyone from putting "picross game" in their description, though. But technically, games of this sort should be called "nonograms".
Anyway, PictoQuest is a somewhat standard nonogram game with a fantasy aesthetic. What sets it apart are its RPG-like features. Many stages of the game are played against typical RPG monsters like slimes, fire creatures, trolls, and the like. Solving a full line of the puzzle will cause them to lose health; likewise, taking too long to solve a line will result in them attacking you. Various items are available to restore health, reveal hints, solve squares, and slow down enemy attacks.
Unfortunately, the very thing that makes this game unique also serves as its main drawback. The battle elements are fun at first, but quickly become a frustrating nuisance that can distract you from the puzzles. These sorts of games are usually designed to be solved at one's own pace, not at the mercy of an arbitrary health bar. And if you do happen to run out of health during a puzzle, you have to start the entire thing over with no progress saved. Imagine having 90% of a puzzle done, making one mistake, and having to re-complete the entire thing.
The translation on this game is pretty bad, too. It almost feels machine translated. This is an E rated game, but one of the enemies says "damn" at one point, and another one says "cloaca". I am not kidding.
The art style is alright, I guess. That's really the only thing I can say in its favor that I can't say about any other nonogram or Picross game. If you're really desperate for a puzzle game and you have two bucks to spend on a Switch sale, this is one of the options you have.
Anyway, PictoQuest is a somewhat standard nonogram game with a fantasy aesthetic. What sets it apart are its RPG-like features. Many stages of the game are played against typical RPG monsters like slimes, fire creatures, trolls, and the like. Solving a full line of the puzzle will cause them to lose health; likewise, taking too long to solve a line will result in them attacking you. Various items are available to restore health, reveal hints, solve squares, and slow down enemy attacks.
Unfortunately, the very thing that makes this game unique also serves as its main drawback. The battle elements are fun at first, but quickly become a frustrating nuisance that can distract you from the puzzles. These sorts of games are usually designed to be solved at one's own pace, not at the mercy of an arbitrary health bar. And if you do happen to run out of health during a puzzle, you have to start the entire thing over with no progress saved. Imagine having 90% of a puzzle done, making one mistake, and having to re-complete the entire thing.
The translation on this game is pretty bad, too. It almost feels machine translated. This is an E rated game, but one of the enemies says "damn" at one point, and another one says "cloaca". I am not kidding.
The art style is alright, I guess. That's really the only thing I can say in its favor that I can't say about any other nonogram or Picross game. If you're really desperate for a puzzle game and you have two bucks to spend on a Switch sale, this is one of the options you have.