Picross S2 (2018)

I found Club Nintendo's free 3DS Picross game addictive enough that I decided it was time to pay for more of these puzzles. I liked the idea of solving them on the Switch's larger screen, and Picross S2's "Clip Picross" mode seemed similar to the "Micross" mode I'd enjoyed so much in my introduction to the series.

This game was even more addictive than the last. The interface is pleasant and well designed, and there are far fewer penalties than in Twilight Princess Picross, giving the game an even more relaxing and leisurely vibe. I'm not sure if it was the improved tutorials or something finally "clicking" in my brain, but I found the Mega Picross puzzles far less vexing than I had before.

I have a few small complaints:

• Coming to this from one of the 3DS entries, it's surprising to see the touchscreen not supported at all. Controlling the game via buttons eventually became second-nature, but it's still an odd choice IMO.
• I miss having Nintendo-licensed characters and sprites in puzzles.
• Puzzle 120 is awful. It is the only puzzle in the whole game where I eventually had to look up a solution after many, many attempts. It honestly feels like it's missing a tile hint or something. Worse still, this is a "no assist" puzzle that you must complete to unlock a portion of Clip Picross.

Nitpicks aside, Picross S2 is an excellent puzzle game and a tremendous value for the price point.