Summary
ThePicross eseries of 3DS games is coming to theNintendo Switchas part of an all-inclusive re-release calledPicross S+, developer Jupiter Corporation has announced. The collection will nearly double the company’s selection of puzzlers on Nintendo’s latest console, which has so far primarily consisted ofthe Switch-exclusivePicross Sseries.
Jupiter’sPicrossfranchise dates back to the Game Boy days, having predominantly been focused onNintendo’s handheld consoles, presumably because its gameplay is a great fit for gaming on the go. The games themselves are a type of nonogram puzzlers, which are also known by many other names like paint-by-numbers, pick-a-pic, hanjie, and picture logic. Regardless of the moniker, the goal is always to color cells in a grid or leave them blank—based on the total number of filled units next to each column and row—in order to reveal a hidden picture.
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This formula served as the basis for ninePicross egames that released for the 3DS across a seven-year period ending in 2018. All of those titles will be included inPicross S+, with the full collection being set to retail at $44.91. That oddly specific figure stems from the business model of this re-release, which will attach a $4.99 price tag to each individual title, selling all installments fromPicross e2onward as DLC, while offering the content from the 2011Picross eas the base game. This approach promises to make the overall package highly accessible, allowingNintendo Switchplayers to gradually pay for more content at their own pace in a fairly consumer-friendly manner relative to contemporary monetization practices.
Fans of the franchise might also notice thatPicross S+promises a collection of nine 3DS games, even though only eight of them made their way to the West. The ninth entry in the series never launched outside of Jupiter’s home country, with this re-release hence being the first occasion on whichPicross e9will make its way outside of Japan. As for when exactly that’s meant to happen, the developer has yet to commit to a specific release date for this collection, having only said thatPicross S+is coming to the Switch sometime in 2024.
The upcoming collection promises to revive the vast majority of Jupiter’s 3DS catalog, which hasn’t been available for purchase since Nintendo shut down its dual-screen gadget’s eShop back in March. That still leaves the developer with several morecelebrated 3DS games likePokemon Picrossto revisit, but seeing how all of them are based on licensed properties, porting them to newer platforms isn’t merely a question of Jupiter’s willingness.
Be that as it may,Picross S+will add to the already substantial list of great puzzlers for Nintendo’s hybrid system, in addition to helping cement theSwitch’s legacy as a great console for puzzle game fans. The upcoming re-release will up the number ofPicrossgames on the device to 21.
Picross S+is coming to the Switch sometime in 2024.
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