You may be wondering why would I waste my time reviewing yet another Picross S game developed by Jupiter. Sure, it makes sense to review a special one like Picross S: Genesis and Master System Edition, but one of their mainline titles? What’s the point? Normally I’d agree with you, but Picross S7 is the first game in the series to actually feature improvements that make its predecessors feel less polished and feature-rich in comparison. Yes, I’m dedicating an entire review on a brand new Picross S game just because it happens to feature touchscreen controls. It deserves the recognition.

In terms of content, Picross S7 is just like any other Jupiter-developed picross game. You have your wide assortment of traditional picross puzzles, as well as some alternatives like Mega Picross, as disappointing as ever, and Color Picross, as entertaining and thought-provoking as ever. Clip Picross is also present as a reward for sticking to the game for a long period of time. Finally, there are a handful of immense, 30×30 puzzle challenges which took an eternity to solve. Those designs aren’t as exciting as completing a puzzle based off a Sega character, but there’s a lot of variety to satiate your picross addiction for a while.

The real star of this collection isn’t the visuals (which are simple but serviceable), the (average at best) soundtrack, or the hundreds of puzzles at your disposal. No, the reason why Picross S7 is so much better than any of its predecessors is something I, as well as thousands of Picross enthusiasts have been asking Jupiter for a while: the inclusion of touchscreen-based controls.

There are two kinds of touch-based controls: Hold and Toggle. Hold has the touchscreen work only when you hold down a button alongside it, and Toggle “unlocks” it with a simple press of a button. I ended up preferring Hold, as it allowed me to fill out entire lines and even smaller puzzles at once, but both presets work really well. Every single menu and button recognizes touch controls, allowing you to basically play the entire game with one hand if you so choose.

It amazes me how the inclusion of a single feature can completely revamp a tried and true puzzle formula. Picross S7 is still more of the same, which isn’t exactly a bad thing for us nonogram addicts, but the long-awaited implementation of touch-based controls improves this particular sequel so much to the point of rendering its predecessors obsolete in comparison. Now, if Jupiter delivers a sequel to its Sega-themed puzzle collection with these brand new control options, we might end up having the perfect nonogram collection in the near future.

 

Graphics: 6.5 It looks like pretty much any other Jupiter-developed Picross game, but without the novelty of completing puzzles based on video game characters.	Gameplay: 9.5 I’ve been waiting for touchscreen controls in a Picross game for so freaking long. It does improve the overall gameplay, as expected.
Sound: 6.0 Just like the visuals, the soundtrack isn’t bad at all, but it feels a bit less enthusiastic after playing another Picross S title which featured a licensed soundtrack.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Picross S7 makes up for its relatively quaint puzzle designs with the inclusion of touch controls and some gigantic 30×30 challenges.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Picross S7 is available now on Switch.

Reviewed on Switch.