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Taking the base Picross formula and adding in some extra rules and complications works out quite well here, indeed
There’s no question that in the puzzle space Picross is among the better series out there. Depending on the puzzle size and complexity there’s just something quite satisfying about filling in the squares of your pixel puzzle using a combination of deduction, thoroughness, and just a bit of luck sometimes. While there have been variants on the formula, most of the time they stay pretty close to the spirit of the original and merely pepper in new themes, aesthetics, or relatively minor enhancements. Tents and Trees is quite a bit more bold than the rest, letting you only be responsible for adding tends in the grid properly, but there are a number of rules to consider. Early on, the rules are quite helpful indeed as they help to eliminate spaces in ways the normal picross numbers along the axis don’t. Each tent must be directly next to a tree in a straight line, and no tents may be directly diagonal of another tent. Keeping these in mind you can get through challenges pretty handily at first. But then, as the puzzles keep getting bigger the rules have a Jeckyl and Hyde effect, sometimes providing guidance but others making deep mistakes so consequential that your best move is to simply reset the puzzle and start again. Satisfyingly challenging, and then both somewhat familiar but also fresh, this is a smart puzzler worth a look.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [8.7]