Picross and Anime: A Puzzlingly Good Combination!

Do you like Picross puzzles? Do you like anime? Do you wish your two interests would intersect more often? Then look no further than Jupiter for your newest obsession. Not the planet of course, but Jupiter Corporation, the game publisher. In business since 1992, Jupiter Corporation has perfected its skills in collaboration with others to give us nostalgic favorites such as Pokèmon Pinball, the Game Boy Camera, and Spectrobes. But anyone who’s in the know knows that Jupiter Corporation has an impressive catalog of Picross games.

Formally known as nonograms, Picross is a type of puzzle first attributed to graphics designer Non Ishida in 1987. They’re a type of logic puzzle that’s completed by filling in a grid of squares using number clues on the top and side of the puzzle. First published in print in the late ’80s, Nintendo picked up on the puzzle fad and began creating Picross video games in the early ’90s, coincidentally with the help of Jupiter Corporation. They began with Mario’s Super Picross for the Super Famicom in 1995, and thus began a lifelong collaboration between Nintendo, Jupiter Corporation, and the Picross puzzle genre.

This brings us to today, where Jupiter Corporation has an astounding 23 Picross titles across the last two consoles/handheld generations alone. Two of their newest titles introduce the anime series Kemono Friends and Overlord to the Picross genre.

While both series forgo a plot in order to get people straight to flexing their puzzle-solving skills, with literally hundreds of puzzles to play, you can’t say either title is going to waste your time. Rather, these games are a good time waster, a way to enjoy your memories of your favorite anime, and give your brain a workout. Both games are available digitally for the Nintendo Switch for $9.99, along with Jupiter Corporation’s main Picross S series for the Switch, which has an impressive 5 entries as of last November. What other animes should get the Picross treatment? Let us know in the comments!