Now I love Picross in 2D, I don’t need to tell you that. In 3D it’s a bit different; you can’t take in the whole puzzle at a glance, and building off each new step is much more fiddly. The numbers you need to solve each logic puzzle are printed on the sides of each cube. You rotate it in 3D space and you have a progressive cross-section function, so it’s a matter of repeatedly checking each slice and cycling through both vertical planes. Did that make sense? It’s hard to explain.

Suffice it to say, Picross 3D scratches a similar logic itch to its 2D counterpart. The emphasis is more on destroying unneeded blocks rather than filling in needed squares, like chipping away at marble to find the sculpture inside. Breaking these bits off is viscerally satisfying, but a mistake is more immediate too as there is no “free play” option. Picross 3D doesn’t have the freedom of choice that Jupiter’s modern games do. It’s more like the SNES and GB games, with time limits that become very strict and taxing on higher difficulties. Fast times and no mistakes are rewarded with stars to unlock extra puzzles, which was enough to make me redo a few, but it can get stressful on longer puzzles.

Completion of each treats the player to a fun little animation of the chunky voxel model they just made performing some action. These models are then put on a backdrop in various categories, the goal being to fill up each themed collage randomly. It’s simple but effective in giving a sense of progression. Unfortunately there are no Nintendo-themed puzzles, although the recent sequel seems to use amiibo to deliver that.

I’ve alluded to the different feel of this game; not quite as sterile as Jupiter’s post-DS fare. There’s even a little cubist mascot character who does little jigs for you. The game was made by HAL you see, who are good at instilling a sense of fun in presentation. Not to throw shade on Jupiter; in fact I prefer their approach, and wished the mascot would have less unskippable animations.

The game sucked me in for sure, very addictive (especially when bedridden with flu for a week straight). And there was a fair amount of content. I couldn’t help but feel shortchanged though since there were once extra downloadable puzzles on the WiFi Connection that are no longer available. Still, at today’s second-hand prices I can’t complain. I do prefer the simplicity and immediacy of 2D Picross though. Pixel art over voxel art.