Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition

Genre: Picross Puzzle

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

(Note: Due to the similarities between this game and Picross S6, I’m copying most of this review from my Picross S6 review… which in turn was mostly copied over from my Picross S5 review… which in turn was mostly copied over from my Picross S4 review… which in turn was mostly copied over from my Picross S3 review. I changed the details that have changed in each installment. As you can probably guess, that’s not very much.)

Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition is of course a Picross game that offers players four different types of Picross-style puzzles – the game includes 150 traditional Picross puzzles, 150 “Mega Picross”-style puzzles where some of the numerical hints combine multiple rows or columns at once, 30 Color Picross puzzles, and 150 unlockable “Clip Picross” puzzles comprised of numerous smaller Picross puzzles.

This is much in line with what was in Picross S4, Picross S5, and Picross S6, except unlike those games, this game does not include 2 large “Extra” Picross puzzles, with an additional three unlockable if you have save data from other games in the series. The one thing Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition offers up in place of this missing content is a heaping helping of nostalgia in the form of a lot of classic Sega characters plastered on the game’s menus, on the borders of puzzles, and as the puzzles themselves.

This can make for moments where it feels like the game is helping you to cheat – as you’re solving puzzles, it will cycle through various still images of classic character sprites, many of which are also included in the game’s puzzles. If you happen to notice one of these images matches the puzzle you’re working to solve, it essentially gives away the answer, which is a bit frustrating for those who actually like to solve the Picross puzzles they’re working on without help.

The game’s puzzles are backed by four chiptune songs to choose between while you play that are reminiscent of the sort of music that was in classic Sega games (though I can’t place any of it personally), as well as the option to just have “relaxing” background arcade sounds as you play.

Beyond this, the controls are good, the options and tutorials are solid, there’s decent 2-player Co-Op… really, this game does just about everything I want in a good Picross game, although there are no significant new features or modes added in the game, and even less content than prior entries in the series. Also, it still has the same big flaw every other game in the series did – this game has absolutely no touchscreen controls, which I’d argue is kinda’ a staple of this genre on any platform with a touchscreen.

I should also mention one other flaw this game has – not all of its puzzles are original. Rather, the Mega Picross mode re-uses some of the puzzles from the traditional Picross mode. It’s fine, as the different modes make each of these puzzles play differently, but it’s still a bit of a let-down to solve a puzzle and see an image you already have in your collection.

At this point, if you’ve been reading my reviews of this series, you know the drill. Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition is a nearly ideal Picross game, blah blah, lack of touchscreen still disappointing, blah blah. However, it’s getting really hard to ignore how lazy these releases have become. The developers have done nothing with the prior game rather than bringing in new puzzles, and completely ignored the one major flaw. What’s more, this release has even less content than the three previous games in the series, and the only thing in place of that content are the classic Sega characters and a presentation that can actually give away the answer to the puzzle you’re solving. Unless you’re either a huge Sega fan who loves Picross, or have played every other game in this series and want more, stick with other Picross games before you buy into this one.

tl;dr – Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition is a Picross game with 150 traditional Picross puzzles, 150 Mega Picross puzzles, 30 Color Picross puzzles, 150 Clip Picross puzzles comprised of multiple smaller puzzles. Unfortunately, it lacks the “Extra” content of prior games in the series, and the Sega branding here is a mixed bag, since the backgrounds that shift as you play can give away the answer to the puzzle you’re solving. Beyond this, the game is otherwise the same nearly-ideal version of Picross as the rest of the series, sharing the main flaw of its predecessors – a lack of touchscreen controls. This is a decent Picross game, but it’s a lazy sequel that uses Sega’s branding in place of content and most players will be better off getting other games in the series.

Grade: B-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Laziest Copycat

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