Jupiter’s Picross S is a series of number grid puzzle games for Nintendo Switch that are fun to play, consistently impresses with their quality, and make a normally simple idea for a puzzle game more interesting with a variety of modes. Every now and again, however, faithful players get treated to a special entry in the series: a collaboration. This time, Jupiter partnered with Konami to publish Picross S: Konami Antiques Edition, featuring images of over 80 different Konami retro games to be unlocked by solving Picross grids. Puzzles and nostalgia? What’s not to love!?
Similar to previous Picross S titles, this game comes packed with different modes and settings to make the playing experience as personalised as possible. In both the menu and when solving puzzles, the background is animated with pixelated animations of retro Konami titles, which is a nice touch. While solving a grid, this can become distracting, so luckily there is a setting to turn the animation off.
The main menu is simple but offers a lot. There are the different picross modes, including Picross (the classic way of playing), Mega Picross, Color Picross, Clip Picross, Time Attack, and Extra. Then there are a Music Player, featuring a small, select number of classic Konami retro OST titles; Tutorials (for anyone who wishes to revisit them); and Options.
How is Picross played? A simple grid, as seen in the Picross mode, contains numbers at the end of each row and column, and these numbers indicate how many squares need to be filled in the corresponding row or column. When solved correctly, players are rewarded with an image, and for the current title, this image is related to one of Konami’s retro games.
Mega Picross reinvents the idea of the classic Picross game by having paired numbers spanning two rows or columns. This requires the player to adjust the way of solving the grid, and can be a fantastic brain teaser. The images here are the same that can be unlocked in the classic Picross mode. Generally, that isn’t an issue as long as the fun part is solving the puzzle.
Color Picross is definitely a favourite, but sadly features a much smaller number of grids. Here, numbers are shown in different colours, and the player needs to fill the grid with the corresponding colours. Sometimes colours are very similar to one another, making solving these grids difficult. However, in the settings, it is possible to activate high contrast colours, which fixes the issue. Upon solving these grids, the images are lovely little animations instead of static images.
The grids for Clip Picross are unlocked when playing through the classic Picross mode, and are themselves classic grids as well. Each grid is part of a larger image, so in order to unlock the image, a lot of different small grids need to be solved first. Completed images in this mode can then be admired in the gallery.
Time Attack provides players with a small number of classic grids that need to be solved within a certain time limit. This mode is surprisingly stressful but does provide a nice challenge for anyone that hopes for more than the cosy nature of the rest of the game. Finally, under Extra, there are five very large classic grids to solve. These are much more difficult due to their size, but are incredibly satisfying.
For newcomers, at every important step, there is a tutorial. These can be skipped by seasoned players, or revisited for anyone who needs to. However, some of the settings provide additional support. Hint Roulette, if activated, automatically fills a random row and column at the start of playing a grid. Players can also choose to highlight correct lines, which then highlights rows or columns where the clues guarantee that at least one square in it can be filled in. Alternatively, they can highlight inconsistent lines, which then highlights lines that have a logical error in them.
It is also possible to toggle the option to autocorrect mistakes, which does what it says on the tin. There are a variety of other settings, including being able to choose the background music from the tracks in the music player (or setting this to shuffle), changing the cursor speed or input method (which can be buttons or touch), and more. It really allows players to set up their game in a way that suits them.
Now, Picross S: Konami Antiques Edition can be played together on the same console, which is nice to do as a family. However, the main draw is definitely to enjoy a relaxing evening by solving grids and getting rewarded with images from titles such as Castlevania, Metal Gear, TwinBee, Gradius, Kid Dracula, Contra, and more. Indeed, Jupiter may have outdone itself by including references to over 80 retro Konami titles! It is that little more exciting to finish a grid and see whether it is a reference to an old favourite.
