Designed around an ancient Roman theme, Nonogram Prophecy is essentially Picross only with a different coat of paint. This is a casual puzzle game that is suitable for all ages and should easily please fans of similar pen and paper puzzle games like Sudoku.
Presented like a sheet of graph paper, each puzzle is composed of different sizes: 5×5, 8×8, 10×10, 15×15, or 20×20. Obviously the bigger the board, the more challenging the puzzle will be. Luckily, the starting 5×5 puzzles act as a solid tutorial so players can learn the concept of gameplay and become comfortable with the interface. The idea is to use numbered clues, located at the side of the board, to determine which squares should be filled. Once properly completed, the boxes create a pixelated shape, like a hat, battery or face, as a reward. As another incentive, the game keeps track of fastest completion times but this is sort of a moot point since players can instantly replay each stage and easily memorize where each square should go to cheese the local leaderboard.
Eventually the player will unlock color mode which adds another layer to complexity of play through larger boards. Here, players are not only tasked with filling in the correct squares, but also needs to add the correct color. Unfortunately, this creates a bit of an artificial challenge because many colors closely resemble others. For example, it is too difficult to tell the difference between red and orange or blue and dark blue. Also, there are some features that make the UI convenient, like having the ability to instantly fill an entire row, but then the main confirm/cancel buttons are awkwardly mapped to the “Y” and “A” buttons instead of the standard “B” and “A.”
For only a few bucks, Nonogram Prophecy is one of the most chill and casual gaming experiences you can find on the eShop. The visual theme is easy on the eyes, the acoustic soundtrack is calming, and the gameplay is strictly casual as there really is no game over to worry about or fast pace competitive real time multiplayer. Fans of crossword puzzles or Sudoku should find an entertaining alternative with this Picross clone.
SCORE: 7/10
Also Try: My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Don’t Forget About: Picross 3D (DS)
Wait For It: Tetris 100
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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