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Picross S

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Picross e.

Picross S
Genre(s)Puzzle
Developer(s)Jupiter
Publisher(s)Jupiter
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
First releasePicross S
  • WW: September 28, 2017
Latest releasePicross S: Doraemon & F Characters Edition
  • WW: March 27, 2025
Spin-offsList of Picross S Spin-offs

Picross S is a series of nonogram puzzle video games developed and published by Jupiter for the Nintendo Switch. It is the current incarnation of Nintendo's Picross series, with Jupiter releasing the games under license. with all past entries in the series, the game involves the player completing nonograms in the shortest time possible. Picross S is the successor to Jupiter's Picross e series on Nintendo 3DS.

Games

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Picross S

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The first game in the series, Picross S was released worldwide on the Nintendo Switch on September 28, 2017,[1] to mixed reception.[2] Reviewers cited its presence of new puzzles as a positive but its blandness and lack of creativity in comparison to past entries as a negative.

Picross S2

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Picross S2 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on August 2, 2018.[3] This was the first game to add the Clip Picross feature, which allows players to complete a larger picture by filling out small puzzles. These are unlocked by completing every 5th, 10th, and 15th level of a page. The game was received better than Picross S1, but was still criticized for its lack of innovation.

Picross S3

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Picross S3 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on April 25, 2019.[4] It is the highest rated game in the series based on Metacritic review scores.[5] The game was heavily praised for the new Color Picross mode despite only having 30 of the puzzle type. In Color Picross, the picture is determined by the numbers in the top and left of the puzzle, as well as each of the colors being listed in order, leading to more complex and innovative puzzles.

Picross S4

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Picross S4 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on April 23, 2020.[6] Picross S4 was generally liked and positively reviewed by critics due to the simple and classic nonogram gameplay, but was criticized for adding no new gameplay modes.

The only new feature is the Extra menu, which gives the player two large 30x30 puzzles. If you have save files for Picross S1, Picross S2, or Picross S3 on your system, you will receive a special 40x30 puzzle for each game you own. The only way to play every puzzle in the game is to own all of the previous games in the series.

Picross S5

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Picross S5 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on November 26, 2020.[7] This game retains all the same modes and features of Picross S4, and adds two small "quality of life" features. A High Contrast mode was added for Color Picross, which changes the colors to make them easier to differentiate for colorblind players. The total completion time is displayed when all puzzles in a mode are completed, and for the full game once all modes are completed. These features were added to the four previous games in the series via patches released on the same day.

Picross S6

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Picross S6 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on April 22, 2021.[8] This game retains all the same modes and features of Picross S4 and S5. The puzzle grids in Extra Mode now feature alternating colour lines every 5 squares, to make the larger puzzle size easier to parse; this feature was added to Picross S4 and S5 via patches released around the same time.

Picross S7

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Picross S7 was released in Japan and Hong Kong on December 23, 2021, in Europe and Australia on December 27, 2021, and in North America on January 10, 2022.[9] This game retains all the same modes and features of Picross S4 and S5, and adds touch screen support for handheld mode.

Picross S8

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Picross S8 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on September 29, 2022.[10] This game retains all the same modes and features of Picross S4 and S5, and also adds a multiplayer function for up to 4 players at a time.

Picross S9

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Picross S9 was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on April 27, 2023.[11]

Picross S+

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Picross S+ was released in Japan, Europe and North America on February 29, 2024.[12] This game features puzzles previously featured in the Picross e series on Nintendo 3DS, with 300 puzzles from the first Picross e title included and titles from later entries available as DLC.

Spin-offs

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As with their Picross e series, Jupiter has used the mechanics and UI of Picross S as the basis for a number of licensed spin-off Picross games.

Kemono Friends Picross

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Kemono Friends Picross, based on the Kemono Friends media franchise, was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on 4 October 2018.[13]

Picross Lord of the Nazarick

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Picross Lord of the Nazarick, based on the Overlord anime, was released in Europe and North America on July 25, 2019.[14]

Picross S Genesis & Master System edition

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A crossover installment featuring puzzles based on 59 Sega Genesis and Master System games developed and/or published by Sega, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd and Phantasy Star, was released on August 5, 2021 in Japan, Europe and North America.[15] Also known as Picross S Mega Drive & Mark III edition in Japan and Picross S Mega Drive & Master System edition in Europe, in line with the branding of Sega's 8-bit and 16-bit consoles in those regions.[16]

Picross S Namco Legendary edition

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A crossover installment featuring puzzles based on 30 arcade games developed and/or published by Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment), including Galaxian, Pac-Man and Dig Dug, was released on May 30, 2024 in Japan, Europe and North America.[17]

Picross Records of the Shield Hero

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Picross Records of the Shield Hero, based on The Rising of the Shield Hero media franchise, was released in Japan, Europe, and North America on October 3, 2024.[18]

Picross S Doraemon & F Characters edition

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A crossover installment based on 28 manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio, including Doraemon, Kiteretsu Daihyakka and Perman, as well as his science fiction manga for mature audiences. It was released worldwide on March 27, 2025.[19]

Gameplay

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Main article: Nonogram

In the same fashion as past entries in the series, the games involve the player completing nonograms.[20]

Puzzles included in Picross S series games
Title Picross/Mega Picross Clip Picross Color Picross Extra Mode Total Puzzles
Picross S 300 — — — 300
Picross S2 300 120 — — 420
Picross S3 300 150 30 — 480
Picross S4 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S5 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S6 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S7 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S8 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S9 300 150 30 5 485
Picross S+ 1350[a] 565[a] 10[a] 60[a] 1985[a]
Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition 300 150 30 — 480
Picross S Namco Legendary Edition 300 250 30 5 585
Kemono Friends Picross 300 110 — — 410
Picross Lord of the Nazarick 162 330 27 — 519
Picross Records of the Shield Hero 332 175 47 8 562
  1. ^ a b c d e With all DLC present

Reception

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Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
Picross S 67/100[21]
Picross S2 73/100[22]
Picross S3 78/100[23]
Picross S4 77/100[24]
Picross S5 71/100[25]
Picross S6 77/100[26]
Picross S7 80/100[27]
Picross S8 –
Picross S9 –

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Picross S".
  2. ^ "Metacritic". Metacritic.
  3. ^ "Picross S2".
  4. ^ "Picross S3".
  5. ^ "Picross S 3 critic reviews". Metacritic.
  6. ^ "Picross S4 announced for Switch". Gematsu. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Picross S5".
  8. ^ "Picross S6".
  9. ^ "Picross S7".
  10. ^ "Picross S8".
  11. ^ "Picross S9".
  12. ^ "Picross S+".
  13. ^ "Kemono Friends Picross".
  14. ^ "Picross Lord of the Nazarick".
  15. ^ "Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition".
  16. ^ "Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition Could Be Puzzle Perfection For SEGA Fans". Nintendo Life. July 28, 2021.
  17. ^ "Picross S Is Back With The 'Namco Legendary Edition' Later This Month". Nintendo Life. May 22, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Picross Records of the Shield Hero".
  19. ^ Romano, Sal (March 12, 2025). "PICROSS S Doraemon & F Characters edition announced for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  20. ^ Vogel, Mitch (October 8, 2017). "Picross S Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Picross S for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "Picross S2 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  23. ^ "Picross S3 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  24. ^ "Picross S4 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  25. ^ "Picross S5 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  26. ^ "Picross S6 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  27. ^ "Picross S7 for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
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