Nonograms, also known as Hanjie, Paint by Numbers, Picross, Griddlers, and Pic-a-Pix, and by various other names, are picture logic puzzles in which cells in a grid must be colored or left blank according to numbers at the side of the grid to reveal a hidden pixel art-like picture. In this puzzle type, the numbers are a form of discrete tomography that measures how many unbroken lines of filled-in squares there are in any given row or column. For example, a clue of "4 8 3" would mean there are sets of four, eight, and three filled squares, in that order, with at least one blank square between successive sets.
Mario's Picross is a 1995 puzzle video game for the Game Boy. Developed by Jupiter and Ape and published by Nintendo, it is a compilation of nonogram logic puzzles. The game stars Mario who chisels away at puzzle grids to form pictures. The game initially received positive reviews, with reviewers citing its length and addictive nature as a positive, but its grid sizes and absence of typical Mario elements as a negative.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed and published by Level-5 in Japan and published by Nintendo worldwide. It was released in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. It was re-released in Australia using the British English localisation and European artwork to replace the previously released North American localisation. Curious Village is the first game in the Professor Layton series, followed by Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. An enhanced mobile port of Curious Village featuring additional cutscenes, subtitled "HD for Mobile", was released in 2018.
Picross DS (ピクロスDS) is a puzzle video game developed by Jupiter and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the second Picross game to be released by Nintendo in Europe and North America after Mario's Picross suffered a commercial failure in regions outside Japan, where many Picross games have been released for several Nintendo consoles. Like other Picross games, it presents the player with a series of nonogram logic puzzles to solve. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Europe and Australia.
Professor Layton is a puzzle adventure video game series and transmedia franchise developed by Level-5. The property consists primarily of seven main video games, a mobile spin-off, an animated theatrical film, and an anime television series, while additionally incorporating an array of secondary titles and media, including a crossover game with Capcom's Ace Attorney series.
Picross 3D, known in Japan as Rittai Picross, is a puzzle video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan in March 2009, in Europe in March 2010, and in North America in May 2010. It uses similar nonogram mechanics to Picross DS, but it puts it in 3D. Outside Japan, the game is part of Nintendo's Touch! Generations brand. A sequel, Picross 3D: Round 2, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in October 2015, in North America in September 2016, and in Europe and Australia in December 2016.
SteamWorld Dig is a platform action-adventure game created by Swedish video game developer Image & Form. The second installment in the SteamWorld series and the sequel to SteamWorld Tower Defense, SteamWorld Dig has the player control Rusty, a steam-powered robot who arrives at a small Western mining town called Tumbleton after having received a deed for a mine from his long-forgotten uncle, Joe. The objective of the game is to dig through Tumbleton's mine, which also involves solving puzzles and platforming to avoid traps and enemies.
Thimbleweed Park is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick for Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android, and Amazon Luna. The game was revealed on November 18, 2014, along with a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign with a goal of US$375,000, and was released on March 30, 2017.
The Trace is a 2015 dark immersive murder mystery adventure game developed by British developer Relentless Software. The whodunnit game, which sees the player assume the role of a detective out to solve a series of murder cases by examining the crime scenes, has been described as "part escape-the-room and part hidden-object, with a bit of puzzle-solving mixed in". The game was available for iOS devices
The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief is an episodic point-and-click adventure video game developed by King Art Games.
Pokémon Picross is a freemium puzzle video game featuring Pokémon characters developed by Jupiter Corporation and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo 3DS. The title is part of the "Picross" nonogram series that use number-based grid puzzles to reveal pictures. It was released as a downloadable title on the Nintendo 3DS eShop worldwide in December 2015.
Giga Wrecker is a puzzle-platform game developed by Game Freak and published by Rising Star Games. It was released for Windows in February 2017 and Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One as Giga Wrecker Alt. in April 2019.
The Turing Test is a first-person puzzle video game developed by Bulkhead Interactive and published by Square Enix Collective. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One in August 2016, for PlayStation 4 in January 2017, for Nintendo Switch in February 2020, and for Stadia in May 2020.
Picross e is a series of nonogram puzzle video games developed and published by Jupiter for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. It is the successor to Jupiter's Nintendo-published Picross games including the Mario's Picross series and Picross DS.
Strange Brigade is a cooperative third-person shooter video game developed and published by Rebellion Developments. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 28, 2018, on August 1, 2020 for Stadia, and on June 15, 2021 for Nintendo Switch. In the game, the player fights against different mythological enemies and solves puzzles.
Picross S is a series of nonogram puzzle game developed and published by Jupiter for the Nintendo Switch game console. As with all past entries in the series, the game involves the player completing nonograms in the shortest time possible. Picross S is the successor to Jupiter's Picross e series on Nintendo 3DS.
AI: The Somnium Files is a 2019 visual novel adventure video game developed and published by Spike Chunsoft. Set in near-future Tokyo, the story follows Kaname Date, a detective who investigates a string of serial killings by entering suspects' memories to extract information. Gameplay is split into two sections: first-person visual novel segments and third-person exploration. The plot progresses via branching routes, leading to multiple endings depending on choices made by the player.
The Last Campfire is a puzzle video game developed and published by Hello Games. It was released for iOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on August 27, 2020.
Chronos is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Gunfire Games for the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. An overhauled version of the game, titled Chronos: Before the Ashes was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Stadia on December 1, 2020.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a puzzle-platform game developed by Sketchbook Games and published by Modus Games. The game was released for Stadia on March 27 2020, then for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 6 2021.
