Picross -LogiartGrimoire- (Nintendo Switch) – The test

Picross, do you want some, here it is! While Jupiter released a compilation in February 2024 bringing together the games released on Nintendo 3DS, the Japanese developer is back at it again by offering us Picross -LogiartGrimoire-, a picross which tries to shake up the habits of the license a little with a (small) common thread! What does this game give us available on theeShop since April 18, 2024 at the price of nineteen euros fifty?

An interesting concept that dusts off (a little) the license

Picross is a very addictive puzzle genre. The concept is simple but a little complex to explain. We have a grid that we must fill in to create a nice drawing.

We have instructions to guide us through each row and column. For example, on a 10*10 grid, we can have a seven above the first row, which means there will be seven boxes to color in it.

With a little deduction, we will color the line in its center, and then, one thing leading to another, we will guess other places to fill until the end of the picross. To visualize and understand the concept better, you can watch the video provided at the end of the test.

Picross -LogiartGrimoire- offers us a little novelty in this edition with a sort of adventure mode. From now on, we will follow a very light guideline in order to progress in the game.

We have a grimoire with several incomplete pages and the goal will be to successfully complete the entire book.

The picrosses are arranged by theme. For example, there is the “beginning” page where we will find puzzles that represent a heart (for a living being), a newborn or even fire.

To unlock new pages, you have to solve picrosses. For example, we will later access the “tools” page in which we will be able to discover a hammer or even a shovel.

And to unlock new picrosses in these pages… you have to solve picrosses again! Most of the puzzles are blocked and you have to merge the picrosses together to get new drawings.

And to increase our fusion capabilities, and therefore to unlock even more picrosses… we still have to solve picrosses again and again.

This progression is very simple, lacks originality and yet, it is terribly effective. While we usually get bored very quickly with Jupiter's picross games, there is an undeniable addictive side to the experience.

The mini-riddles for each fusion are also extremely simple but they succeed in making us want to discover the drawing hidden behind.

But who does not justify the price of twenty euros instead of ten

Picross -LogiartGrimoire- is going in the right direction. Even if for the moment the adventure is very (or even too) light, we liked this evolution and we hope that the developers go further in future opuses.

Maneuverability and handling are still good. The game is comfortable in docked mode as well as in portable mode with its touch mode.

The difficulty is suitable for all players: the most novice can be corrected for each error while the most experienced can deactivate all the aids.

There are 280 puzzles of all sizes, from 5*5 grid to 40*30. The drawings are quite pretty, especially those of landscapes, even if we cannot recognize certain picrosses without the final colors.

There are also “failed” picrosses, intentionally spoiled drawings, as well as bonus picrosses.

Is it that Picross -LogiartGrimoire- worth twenty euros? Not sure. Apart from the adventure side which is ultimately a fairly minimal addition, nothing justifies this price, which is much higher than the other games in the license (the picross S are available for ten euros).

We have the same number of picrosses and if they are arranged by theme, we find that the additions are far too meager.

If you are looking to do picross, we advise you to turn to the old Jupiter opuses which have the merit of offering the same content for half the price.

We are attaching a thirty-five minute video so you can form your own opinion.