A sequel to Nintendo’s block-drilling puzzler Picross 3D is due to launch in Japan later this year with an array of new features and support for amiibo figures and cards, the publisher announced this week.
A 3D adaptation of the nonogram formula, the original Picross 3D launched for the Nintendo DS in 2010. The game offers dozens of puzzles that require careful observation and strategic chiseling in order to reveal a polygonal figure hidden within an otherwise featureless slate of breakable blocks.
Picross 3D 2, known in Japan as Rittai Picross 2, shifts the series to Nintendo’s 3DS platform, and features updated graphics in addition to new gameplay gimmicks. Nintendo notes that the new game will feature over 300 puzzles for players to solve, with difficulties ranging from short and simple to screen-spanning and complex.
The original Picross 3D allowed players to download bonus puzzles from Nintendo’s since-shuttered DS servers, adding dozens of playable levels to the base game. Picross 3D 2 is likely to follow suit, given that Nintendo has greatly expanded its online presence via its eShop service in the years following the launch of the original Picross 3D.
During gameplay, Picross 3D labels its cubes with numbers that indicate how many blocks must remain in each row or column after players chisel away extraneous material. The game’s difficulty stems from being able to deduce the next likely drilling point after clearing away blocks that players identify as being safe to destroy, without damaging the puzzle’s needed cubes.
Completed puzzles in Picross 3D award players with animated characters and scenes depicting each level’s chiseled object. Completed puzzles often put a quirky, lo-def spin on everyday household objects, and frequently reference other Nintendo games and characters.
Picross 3D 2 launches in Japan on October 1. Release dates for North America and Europe are not yet known.
