Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons Review – Satisfying Simplicity

I’m going to sound like such an old woman, but… nowadays, gamers expect video games to wow them. To the point that they will offer up the slightest hint of criticism if that doesn't happen. Even though I, too, want an experience worth paying for every time, that doesn’t necessarily mean said experience has to be convoluted for the sake of it.

Nothing quite trumps simplicity done well, and that’s exactly what Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons delivers.

It’s deeply fulfilling despite the bare bones of its premise, which is simply to create pictures related to Story of Seasons by following the numerical hints on each grid. Lovers of puzzles will undoubtedly know the format well, and most likely laugh in the face of the mounting challenge as you progress through the levels.

What do you think of Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons?

But me? I’m an amateur. I don’t tend to tease the cogs in my brain unnecessarily – which explains a few things, come to think of it. Yet, I was interested in this particular brain teaser because of its loose Story of Seasons connection.

My expectations were low; I anticipated getting bored of this Steam title rather quickly, either because the game lacked enough substance or because my brain couldn’t solve the most rudimentary of puzzles. To my surprise, though, I found myself unable to put the game down; such simplistic in-game mechanics, yet they entice you in with every completed grid.

Several days later, it’s become part of my night-time routine. I put some hideously mismatched pjs on, make myself a Horlicks, and sit down for a couple (or 10 plus) nonograms. Despite being designed to make you think, it’s not an intense process that keeps you wide awake; I found it had a similar effect to reading a book just before bed. I found myself settling down, my eyes growing tired from sleepiness tinged by that undercurrent of wanting to power through. Just… One… More…

Rainy Frog Co. Ltd.

To find myself so enchanted by such a stripped back game shocked me, as did the smile I wore as I checked my most recent time for one of the larger, more taxing grids. Part of its bewitching quality, as far as I’m concerned, is how easily you can pick it up and put it down. Granted, my first few days of play had me hooked, fuelled by an insatiable desire to prove myself a logical thinker.

But once that initial grip eased, I discovered a game I could dip in and out of without feeling the irritation of FOMO. Having sunk an obscene number of hours into large RPGs this year already, it’s nice to have a game that demands little from me; what I put into it is what I get out. It’s a basic exchange, but no less satisfying for it.

However, I don’t want my enjoyment to cloud the issues that Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons has. It has a crude hint system, for starters. In fact, it feels pretty non-existent. Although I appreciate that picross isn’t meant to cause mental fatigue, it’s also important to bear in mind that some people will need more help than others; when no help appears, it’s a detrimental oversight.

Rainy Frog Co. Ltd.

Partnered with this rough “aid”, the interface isn’t optimised for fluid gameplay – it takes time to move the cursor around. No, we don’t need to rush or beat someone else to the finish line, but when you’re trying to beat your personal best, watching the cursor sluggishly move is wearisome. More so with the timer climbing.

Whenever I found myself slightly vexed, however, I pressed the Y button to momentarily hide the grids so I could watch my little farmers tending to the land, their smiles rosy. In an instant, all was well again. Not that I was exactly distraught beforehand, but seeing their cute faces was undeniably calming.

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. It does what it does to a decent standard, nothing more, nothing less. It won’t be held in hallowed acclaim by all who play it, but that doesn’t negate the entertainment it offers, nor the power of well executed simplicity.

Pros: Story of Seasons themed visuals, enjoyable puzzles, and hundreds of nonograms to solve

Cons: Slow interface and controls, and visually underwhelming solutions

For Fans Of: Story of Seasons, Picross, sudoku

7/10: Very good

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons is available on Steam, and Switch. Switch review code provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.