I’m going to sound like such an old woman, but… nowadays, gamers expect video games to wow them. To the point that they will offer up the slightest hint of criticism if that doesn’t happen. Even though I, too, want an experience worth paying for every time, that doesn’t necessarily mean said experience has to be convoluted for the sake of it.
Nothing quite trumps simplicity done well, and that’s exactly whatPiczle Cross: Story of Seasonsdelivers.
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What do you think ofPiczle Cross: Story of Seasons?
But me? I’m an amateur. I don’t tend to tease the cogs in my brain unnecessarily – which explains a few things, come to think of it. Yet, I was interested in this particular brain teaser because of its loose Story of Seasons connection.
My expectations were low; I anticipated getting bored of thisSteamtitle rather quickly, either because the game lacked enough substance or because my brain couldn’t solve the most rudimentary of puzzles. To my surprise, though, I found myself unable to put the game down; such simplistic in-game mechanics, yet they entice you in with every completed grid.
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Rainy Frog Co. Ltd.
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But once that initial grip eased, I discovered a game I could dip in and out of without feeling the irritation of FOMO. Having sunk an obscene number of hours into large RPGs this year already, it’s nice to have a game that demands little from me; what I put into it is what I get out. It’s a basic exchange, but no less satisfying for it.
However, I don’t want my enjoyment to cloud the issues thatPiczle Cross: Story of Seasonshas. It has a crude hint system, for starters. In fact, it feels pretty non-existent. Although I appreciate that picross isn’t meant to cause mental fatigue, it’s also important to bear in mind that some people will need more help than others; when no help appears, it’s a detrimental oversight.
Rainy Frog Co. Ltd.
Partnered with this rough “aid”, the interface isn’t optimised for fluid gameplay – it takes time to move the cursor around. No, we don’t need to rush or beat someone else to the finish line, but when you’re trying to beat your personal best, watching the cursor sluggishly move is wearisome. More so with the timer climbing.
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Whenever I found myself slightly vexed, however, I pressed the Y button to momentarily hide the grids so I could watch my little farmers tending to the land, their smiles rosy. In an instant, all was well again. Not that I was exactly distraught beforehand, but seeing their cute faces was undeniably calming.
Pros:Story of Seasons themed visuals, enjoyable puzzles, and hundreds of nonograms to solve
Cons:Slow interface and controls, and visually underwhelming solutions
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For Fans Of:Story of Seasons, Picross, sudoku
7/10:Very good
Topics:Steam,Nintendo Switch,Nintendo,PC
