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A love letter to the legacy of SNK and NeoGeo titles in nonogram puzzle form
If you’ve somehow never heard of either the NeoGeo, SNK, or the Picross series at this point in your life, you’ve made some terrible decisions along the way. If, however, you’re thinking that putting these great tastes together would be akin to a video gaming Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, you may be on the right track. Much like multiple developer collaborations before it, the folks at Jupiter have put together a celebration of great puzzles, mixed with sights and sounds from multiple SNK titles from over the years.On the Picross side of things, not a single feature has been left out. You’ll be able to play Classic, Mega, Color, and Clip Picross either solo or co-op with a few of your friends as well if you’d like. In addition, there are a few massive puzzles in the Extras section that will be sure to test your skills, and possibly your patience, as you try to manage clues at a scale of 30 x 30. In terms of the presentation though, everything is geared towards SNK and NeoGeo classics, which include the likes of Ikari Warriors, Metal Slug, loads of fighting series, and more. Depending on when your primary coming of age in video games hit these may be familiar classics, but they could also possibly be lesser-known to you.In terms of concerns, while there are some great titles represented here, whether or not you’ll always be familiar with the games being referenced would be a fair question. Also, while some of the themes that play behind the puzzles are solid, the length of their loops may be a bit on the short side, so they can get a bit annoying after a while, so more variety or greater length would have been appreciated. None of these are game breakers, but they are details that may point to another one of the collections being a better choice.In the end, given that there’s a plentitude of great Picross titles already on the system, which one you pick will likely revolve around what you’re looking for. If you just love nonogram puzzles, and don’t have a thirst for nostalgic arcade titles from yesteryear, the traditional S series may be your best bet. There are also some offshoots with their own flavor, like the pretty recent LogiartGrimoire, that may be good for something a little different. But if you’re a vintage gamer like myself, it’s hard not to see appeal in these callback versions that celebrate different classic developers. I just hope to continue to see more of them.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [8.8]