Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons Review

Game: Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons
Genre: Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows))
Developers|Publishers: Score Studios | Rainy Frog
Age Rating: US: E | EU 3+
Price: US $9.99 | UK £8.99 | EU € 9,99
Release Date: February 27th, 2024

Review code used with many thanks to PR Hound.

Score Studios did it before, combining a nonogram puzzle with another genre in Piczle Cross Adventure, a game that got our highest score. Now we have another surprising combination: a nonogram puzzle named Piczle Cross, paired with a very cute-looking Story of Seasons. Now, that’s something you probably never imagined, but someone at Score Studios did. And it’s a brilliant idea; it somehow works. The mainstay of the gaming is solving nonogram or picross puzzles, but it’s fun to do it against the backdrop of my favourite farming game. Let me tell you what you can expect.

In-game screenshot of 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' depicting a cozy room interior with a vintage aesthetic. Two animated characters, one wearing a blue cap and the other with long blonde hair, are focused on a puzzle game playing on an old-style red television. The room is furnished with wooden furniture including a bookshelf filled with books, a side table with a flowering plant, and a large bed in the background. Decorative elements like a wall mirror, a lace tablecloth, and a calendar add to the homely atmosphere. The floor is patterned with wood parquet design, enhancing the warm and inviting feel of the scene. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The intro to Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons, with our so-familiar *Story of Seasons* characters and pets

The Piczle Cross Part

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons has a huge amount of puzzles to choose from. Depending on your mood and the amount of gaming time available, you can choose one that is right for you. Go for a smaller one, on a 10×10 board, go for bigger ones like 20×25 and all combinations in between. There are a whopping 270 puzzles to solve in the ‘normal’ puzzles, and none of them are locked. If one is too difficult or easy, just pass it and go to the next.

A tutorial screen from 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' featuring a nonogram puzzle with a professor character, named Prof. Molecule M. Matrix, giving instructions. The puzzle grid is partially filled with black squares indicating a player's progress. On the left, numerical clues range from 5 down to 2, guiding the player on how many squares to fill in each row. The professor, a pixelated character with grey hair and glasses, is pointing to the grid, with a speech bubble that reads, 'For example, if a row has the numbers 3 and 1, fill in three consecutive squares, leave at least one blank square, and then fill in one more square.' This image is designed to help players understand the game's logic and rules. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Professor Molecule M. Matrix is giving us instructions

You unlock Collage Puzzles, too, 5 of them. And they are a collage of several smaller puzzles in different sizes as well. For these, you do have to solve them before the next one unlocks.

To play, you take your cue from the numbers aligned at the left side of the grid and the top side. It shows you how many squares you have to colour black. Between every set of black squares in the grid, there has to be a spacer indicated by an x. Do it right, and the puzzle will eventually be solved.

A complex nonogram puzzle from 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' displayed on the screen with a rural farm background. The nonogram is partially solved, showing a black and white pixel pattern that suggests the outline of an animal or character. Yellow markers highlight the player's current position on the puzzle. The user interface indicates 'Year 1, day 26' in the game's timeline, and there is a tab labeled 'Collage Puzzles' with a list of question marks, suggesting more puzzles to be discovered and solved. Below, the option 'Reset all puzzles' and a button to 'Show farm' are available, providing a glimpse into the game's broader farm simulation context. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The first Collage Puzzle

To make Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons a game that fits a broad audience, you can set options to your liking. Show a timer or not. Autofill rows that have all the black squares filled with x. Ask the game to start each grid with a clue roulette, filling one horizontal and one vertical line for you. Or even have the game do autocorrect. And my favourite: have to game do a check for mistakes. Very handy when you’ve got a large grid almost completed and discover that something doesn’t fit anymore. All this means a puzzle is never too difficult, as you can set the options mid-play.

A settings menu overlaying a nonogram puzzle from 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' with a rural backdrop. The nonogram is in the early stages of being solved, featuring green and brown filled squares against a backdrop of farmhouses. The settings menu on the right includes options like 'Clue roulette', 'Show timer', 'Autofill', and 'Autolock', with 'Autofill Complete' currently selected. A message at the bottom of the puzzle states 'Rows and columns will not automatically be marked with Xs when all clues are completed.' This image illustrates the customization available to players to tailor their puzzle-solving experience. A timer at the top-left corner of the puzzle reads '0:00:00', indicating the start of a puzzle-solving session. Published on: LadiesGamers. — An example of all the options you can use to change your gameplay

The Story of Seasons Part

Finish a puzzle and see an image appear, and that’s a Story of Seasons image. In the background, you see a very cute-looking farm and a boy and girl farmer working the ground. As you progress, you will see the farm change and grow, also showing the seasons. As I had expected, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons follows the calendar in a regular Story of Seasons game.

A completed nonogram puzzle from 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' reveals a pixelated character named Thomas, styled in red and blue with black sunglasses, against a wooden backdrop framed by green leaves. An in-game notification 'New almanac entry unlocked!' suggests the player's achievement. The left side displays a puzzle-solving record showing a time of '0:06:48' on '22/02/24' with a list of attempts below. On the right, an information box confirms gameplay details such as 'Clue roulette used', 'Hints used', 'Autocorrect used', and 'Checked for mistakes', indicating the tools the player engaged with during the puzzle. The rural setting in the blurred background completes the game's farm-themed aesthetic. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Look at that! Puzzle solved, and we see Thomas!

For the fans, the developers have included a lot of goodies. There’s the Journal, in which you can see play statistics, like the number of squares marked, how many times you checked for mistakes and much more. The game gives you achievements, like checkpoints for how many puzzles you solved or clearing all the puzzles related to one of the Story of Seasons games, like Friends of Mineral Town.

The background to your puzzles: building the farm

You will also see the puzzle categories and how many hearts you have earned in each of them. A heart is earned when you uncover a piczle puzzle and the image of that category is shown. These are categories like Animal, Tool, Mining and more.

One of the pages from the Almanac

And then, there’s the Almanac and the Music Player. Presented in the form of an in-game book, you collect filled-in pages about one of the games in the Story of Seasons series. It looks amazing, and even details like the release dates of the games in several regions are shown. The music player shows a pick-up playing Story of Seasons themes. They are all there, and you can choose which one you would like to hear to transport you to good times in the past.

Close-up of an in-game music player from 'Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life'. The scene shows a red record player with a vinyl record titled 'Wonderful Life - Breezy' currently spinning, indicating that the song is playing. On top of the player, there is a remote control, and next to it, a stack of green and red books, adding to the cozy indoor setting. The on-screen display shows options to 'Select', 'Play', and 'Adjust volume', with the title of the track and the name of the game 'Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life' highlighted. The user interface at the bottom suggests additional gameplay options such as returning 'Back' or accessing the 'Almanac'. The warm lighting and wooden textures provide a comfortable and rustic atmosphere. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The music player with Story of Seasons music

Graphics and Controls

It’s a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch, although the touchscreen doesn’t work, but pressing buttons works well. It is a game that you can take with you and play if you have a couple of minutes, a lovely pick-up-and-play game.

Celebratory screen from 'Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons' showing a 'CLEAR!' message over a completed nonogram puzzle. The puzzle, resembling a ghost-like character, is overlaid on a vibrant village backdrop with farmhouses and clear skies. Around the puzzle, a group of animated elf-like characters in various colors of outfits and hats are joyfully cheering with golden bells. The nonogram grid is complete with green check marks on the solved lines, and the in-game timer at the top indicates a quick completion time. The festive atmosphere and charming characters convey a sense of accomplishment and the lively spirit of the game. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Now, isn’t that a happy announcement when a puzzle is done?

I loved the graphics, the cute and colourful, and you can’t argue with the soundtracks of all the Story of Seasons games in the background. Little touches made Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons extra special, like hearing the sound of mining stone when you put an x in the grid and the sound of hoeing the earth when you colour a square black.

Conclusion for Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons

There are two conditions for someone to enjoy Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons. First, you have to like nonogram puzzles. Second, it helps if you are a fan of Story of Seasons.

If these conditions apply to you, as they do for me, you can’t get a better nonogram puzzle experience than in Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons.

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up