I published this review first on Japanesenintendo.com. If you want to stay up to date to all things Nintendo gaming in the land of the rising sun, visit their website!
The Switch library is quickly filling up with games of all kinds of genre: a must if the console is to be a success. Recently a new puzzle game found its way into the eShop, and found its way onto my Switch screen too. Piczle Lines DX, made by Score Studios and published by Rainy Frog, provides much needed variety and relaxing puzzle fun. The best way to describe Piczle Lines is to think Picross, add Sudoku and add a little storyline into the mix. You end up with a game that is fun, colourful and somehow addictive to play.
In the puzzles you have to connect numbers and colours. When completed, the lines that are formed will make a picture of an item or animal. Much like in Picross, the pictures formed are blocky, but it still gives a sense of accomplishment to see one emerge. The game offers two ways to play: story mode or puzzle mode. In story mode, first chapter, you’ll have to help Professor Matrix to get his lab in order again after Score-Chan and Gig made a mess of it.
Of course, the first puzzles that are offered are fairly easy, but hang in there: it will get more challenging. Say for instance you have to connect two numbers 10 of the same colour, but you have to make sure that you travel through the correct number of open squares too. So maybe it’s not the closest number 10, but the one in the other corner? And what if you’ve made your connections, but somehow the last one won’t fit in? You’ll just have to backtrack. Which is easy in a puzzle that has 20×20 squares, but it can be a pain when it has 128×128 squares.
The writing in Story mode is funny and quirky. I mean, what a wonderful idea to have Piczle Dust turn non living things into pixels, thus taking care of toxic waste and natural disasters. The text part is short though, but that’s logical: after all, it’s all about the puzzles. When using the Switch in handheld mode, it’s easy to draw lines between the numbers using the touch screen. But you can connect using the buttons too, which works flawlessly as well.
The Switch game keeps you entertained with 5 chapters of 20 puzzles in story mode and 220 puzzles in puzzle mode. For a price of $ 14,99 that’s a good amount of content, it will keep you entertained for many hours. Especially when the Switch version will receive periodical free updates with new puzzle packs.
If you are unsure of your investment, you might want to check out the mobile game, which can be downloaded for free. You will only get one chapter in Story mode and 60 (smaller) puzzles in puzzle mode, but it will give you a good idea about whether or not this puzzle fun is your cup of tea. Of course, you can also stick to the mobile version, making it a perfect game to play during your coffee break. Adding more puzzle packs to that version will eventually set you back for the same amount of money as you pay for the Switch version. And that one will get free updates in time.
Now, how to score the game? I should tell you I’m not much into puzzle games; when the whole world seemed to be playing Candy Crush (judging by the amount of requests for extra lives I got on my Facebook account) I only had the game to humour my husband and send him free goodies. But in playing this game, it seemed that I was hours in before even realising it. Which to me is a good sign.
I’m going to score this game 7,5 out of 10. Like I mentioned, it’s colourful, fun to do, keeps you entertained and challenged at times and gives a nice feeling of accomplishment.