Forum - View topicPokemon Picross Review
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
|
||
|
On paper, I should adore Pokemon Picross. A) It's Pokemon, and I greatly enjoy Pokemon, and B) it's Picross, and I adore Picross. I will play just about any Picross game I can get my hands on (a couple mobile ones got deleted off my phone because of crappy controls, though). So, by all means, Pokemon Picross should quickly become a favorite game, right?
Wrong. Well, maybe. At it's base, it's a Picross game. Other than the addition of Pokemon skills, it plays just like any of the ePicross games, including Mega Picross puzzles. Let's compare this to Pokemon Shuffle, another "free" Pokemon eShop puzzle game, as there are many similarities. Pokemon Rumble World, though not a puzzle game, also is similar. Pokemon skills are more useful than in Pokemon Shuffle, where they have a percentage chance of working if certain conditions are met. In Pokemon Picross, some skills are automatic, some you have to trigger, and some only work on certain sizes of boards. But if it's automatic, or if you've triggered it, it will work 100% of the time. To compensate for this, most skills have a cooldown period in which you can't use it from that Pokemon. Also unlike Pokemon Shuffle, there is a much more limited set of skills (only 12 in Picross), and they go by type (so Water types will always have Blue Force, for example). Like Pokemon Shuffle, "defeating" a Pokemon allows you to catch it. However, whereas Pokemon Shuffle gives you a chance to catch it, increased based on how well you do in the puzzle, simply clearing the puzzle will catch the Pokemon*. Let's take a moment to discuss the controls. The game requires a stylus. Trying to press any button on the controller gives you a "please use the stylus" message. Even if it's just using left or right to move your cursor, or A to select something. In the puzzles themselves, you can switch to button controls... but you STILL have to use the stylus to exit out of the puzzle once you clear it! It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen in a game, and none of the Picross e games require a stylus. As with any of the "free" eShop games, there's a limit on how often you can play. Pokemon Shuffle uses hearts, Pokemon Rumble World has timers on the balloons, and Pokemon Picross has an energy gauge. However, unlike the other two, which have specific times for plays, Pokemon Picross' energy gauge works very differently. With Pokemon Shuffle, 1 heart regenerates every 30 minutes (max of 5), and gives you one play. Likewise, with Pokemon Rumble World, each balloon has a set recharge time, and once it's full, you can get a full play off that balloon. Pokemon Picross, though, is different. Each number on the energy gauge represents one square in a puzzle. So if a puzzle has a final total of, say, 50 colored squares, it would take 50 energy to play that puzzle. However, the game still allows you to play the puzzle if you don't have enough energy. You just have to either pay for more energy, or pause and wait for more points. Another similarity to Pokemon Shuffle, is that the game is separated into areas. However, whereas in Pokemon Shuffle you automatically get the next area (assuming it's been released), you have to buy access to further levels. And now, as the words "pay" and "buy" have come up, it's time to look at the microtransactions in the game. In this aspect, Pokemon Picross is NOTHING like Pokemon Shuffle, and much more like Pokemon Rumble World. Except worse. WAY worse. The microtransaction currency in Pokemon Shuffle are Jewels. Jewels are earned in-game from certain levels and challenges, or from every 100 Streetpasses you get. They have 2 uses in the game; a) purchasing more hearts and/or coins, or b) restoring 5 turns/10-15 seconds if you fail to clear a level. However, if you're fine with trying things repeatedly, waiting for more hearts, and grinding for coins, there's no reason for you to ever have to use a single Jewel in the game. The microtransaction currency in Pokemon Rumble World are Diamonds. Diamonds are earned in-game for completing challenges, for every 5 people you streetpass/spotpass, and randomly from people you have streetpassed/spotpassed as you run into them either at the castle town or in levels. Diamonds do a lot of things in the game. You spend them to buy new balloons, some boosts, some outfits and backgrounds, to instantly refill a balloon or to pick which level to go to, and more as you continue in the game. But the biggest thing is buying new balloons. More diamonds are required to buy all of the balloons than are available through challenges in the game. However, even if you don't live in an area where you can get a large number of streetpasses, and don't have friends to spotpass, you can still invite 3 random strangers for free every day, netting you a diamond every other day, not counting if they give you more in the levels. Plus, it only costs Play Coins, of which you can earn 10 a day on your system, to invite more sets of 3, increasing your number of diamonds. So, while diamond gain is annoying, it's not impossible, and you don't have to pay a single penny to play the full game. The microtransaction currency in Pokemon Picross are Picrites. Picrites are the only form of currency in the game. There are no coins to buy things, like in Shuffle and Rumble World. Picrites are earned by clearing missions in the puzzles (maximum of 6 per puzzle), doing daily "training" (maximum 13 per day, but you need to be nearly to the end to get the 13), and by earning medals (seems to be up to 3 per medal). There are no Picrites simply from clearing puzzles, and no way to earn more from a puzzle if you've already cleared all of that puzzle's missions. And Picrites are used for everything in the game. Want a bigger energy gauge, so you can play more often (or not have to pause and wait during some of the larger puzzles)? Have to pay Picrites. Want to move onto the next area? Picrites. Get more Pokemon slots (as some missions require a certain number)? Picrites. Want access to the puzzles that give Mega Stones? Yup. Alt World, for the Mega Picross puzzles? Same. People did the math. Just to unlock all of the areas will cost you 4150 Picrites. To unlock everything, it's 6400. Between what's given to you automatically, medals, and missions, there are only 2250 Picrites available in the game. If you insist on not buying anything with actual money, using Daily Training to make up the difference will take you over a year to get enough Picrites for everything. Now, I don't mind that the "free" games are trying to get me to buy something. What I do mind, is that the game is actively preventing me from moving forward without paying. To put it into perspective, I did go ahead and buy the 2 one-time-deal Picrite packages (200 and 800 respectively, costing $0.99 and $3.99 before tax), bringing the cost of the game, for me, up to roughly the same price as a Picross e game. I did this, because, without it, I couldn't move on past Area 5. And there's 30 areas in the game, at present (I have no doubt that, eventually, the game will be expanded to include all current Pokemon through Generation VI). At least, with the microtransactions, Pokemon Picross, like Pokemon Rumble World, does have a limit, which unlocks a mine/shop that gives you free currency, limiting the price of the game (in both cases, that comes out to about $30 if you use the largest packages). Is it a fun game? Yes. Is it fun doing puzzles of Pokemon? Yes. Is it a unique and interesting take on Picross? Yes. But the requirement for microtransactions is too much in this, so I have to rate it lower. Using ANN's scale, I'd have to rate Pokemon Picross at a C without the microtransactions, and a B with them. If you're not a Picross fan, don't even bother with it, unless you're a huge Pokemon fan and have to have everything. If so, also consider it a C, even with the microtransactions. *As a veteran Picross player, I find the 5/30 minute time limits (normal/special puzzles) ridiculously high. If you exceed the time limit, I don't know if that ends your attempt, or if you can finish the puzzle and not catch the Pokemon. |
|||
|
|||
|
gsilver
Posts: 614 |
|
||
|
Yeah. I definitely agree with you on the presence of Fee-To-Pay mechanics.
I like Picross and while Pokemon was never really my bag, I like some of the designs. It's too bad that they couldn't just make another pay up front version of Picross. From the sounds of it, even if you pay the amount of the normal Picross games, you still end up with a sliver of the content. Not cool. Stuff like this is why I fear Nintendo entering the mobile space. We're already seeing mobile design impact what used to be the domain of proper and complete games. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group