Pokémon Picross
Solve nonogram puzzles to capture Pokémon in this freemium 3DS title.
Pokémon Picross is a free-to-start puzzle game for the Nintendo 3DS, developed by Jupiter Corporation and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It belongs to the Picross series, where players solve number-based nonogram puzzles on a grid to reveal images of Pokémon. The game was originally planned for a 2000 release on the Game Boy Color but was canceled for reasons that were never explained. Fifteen years later, it was revived and announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation, then released worldwide as a downloadable title on the 3DS eShop in December 2015.
In the game, players complete puzzles to earn Pokémon, which can be selected before starting a stage. Each Pokémon has a unique ability based on its type—such as auto-correcting mistakes or pausing the timer—that helps solve puzzles. After using an ability, the Pokémon enters a cooldown period, and its power may only work on grids of a certain size, ranging from 10x10 to 20x15. The game also includes win conditions tied to the Pokémon the player has collected.
The freemium mechanics center on Picrites, a currency used to unlock new areas, increase the number of Pokémon that can be set, access Mega Evolution and Alt World stages, or instantly restore the Energy gauge (which refills over time). Players can earn Picrites by completing stage objectives—like using a specific Pokémon or finishing within a time limit—or by playing the Daily Challenge, which involves clearing several small puzzles quickly. Some objectives also unlock Mural Tiles, which are individual nonogram puzzles that form a larger mural. If a player spends roughly $30 USD on Picrites, the currency becomes free afterward.
The game launched with 300 stages and includes an Alt World, where puzzles are repeated under Mega Picross rules. These add extra challenges, with different ordering and no Picrite rewards. Mega Evolution versions of captured Pokémon can also be obtained through special mega-variant puzzles.
Jupiter Corporation had originally planned a Pokémon Picross for the Game Boy Color 16 years earlier, with previews appearing in Japanese gaming magazines in spring 1999, but it was canceled without explanation. It was the only announced Pokémon game to be canceled. In September 2020, a playable version of that original Game Boy iteration was discovered in the Nintendo "Gigaleak 3" along with other unreleased data.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Jupiter
- Publisher
- The Pokémon Company (JP); Nintendo (WW)
- Director
- Tomohiro Matsui
- Producer
- Masayuki Wada
- Eisuke Kasejima
- Hitoshi Yamagami
- Makoto Nakayama
- Artist
- Norichika Meguro
- Yoshimi Nakajima
- Manami Yamazaki
- Composer
- Yuka Tsujiyoko
- Series
- Pokémon
- Released
- December 2, 2015 (JP)
- NA/EU
- December 3, 2015
Facts from the source article.
Reader's Guide
Pokémon Picross received 'generally favorable' reviews according to Metacritic. Critics highlighted its gameplay but criticized the free-to-play mechanics. Destructoid found it an improvement over previous Picross entries, praising the extra objectives, mural images, and Mega Picross mode. Stephen Totilo of Kotaku gave a high recommendation but called the free-to-play mechanics a 'temporary nuisance'. Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer found the game 'difficult to recommend universally', noting that free-to-play was not conducive to a Picross-style puzzle title, though he commended the spending cap that made in-game currency free after 5,000 Picrites were purchased. Following the closure of the 3DS eShop in March 2023, the game is no longer available for download. In 2023, Jupiter managing director Norichika Meguro stated that while the company wanted to collaborate with Nintendo, it was more difficult due to how protective Nintendo is of its intellectual property.
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