[DS] Picross DS

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

The one way they could have fucked this up is to have poor controls, like so many of the Flash picross games across the web, but the controls are absolutely perfect.

I like the stylus control for filling in squares a lot, but I wish there was a way to switch between pen, x, and all that using buttons instead of having to make the long, difficult trek from the playing field to the top left corner of the screen.

But wait, efficiency: you can use the D-pad if you're left-handed or ABXY if right to choose between the four tools! Success!

but wait

When you release a direction or button, the tool deselects. It doesn't stay in that tool, no. Instead, you get put into a state of no tool at all, unable to do anything until you select another tool with a button or on the screen. So, in order to fill in blocks with this kind of control, you need to hold up/X the entire time. Wanna cross some blocks out? Move your thumb down and hold down/B the whole time.

I find this dreadfully annoying. Why can't it just stay in that mode?

Otherwise, .

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yeah, I'd only played up to 10x10s when I made that post. With the 15x15s, deselecting so that you can drag works very well. Probably the best way that part of the gameplay can be controlled.

However, I don't really like the zooming at all because I much prefer to be able to see the whole board at all times. It might be better if the screen autoscrolls when you fill in blocks and try to go past the edge of the screen, but having to stop, then drag the screen over, and then continue drawing is a pain. Plus, I like to see more numbers than just three on each side of the board at once, and tapping back and forth between columns or zooming in and out got really old really fast.

I ended up just going back to D-pad controls on full zoom out. Kinda hard to see everything because of the screen resolution, but I'm used to playing it like that through years of emulation, so it works for me and I'm happy so far. Gonna be interesting to see what happens when I get to the even bigger grids.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by 2401 Penitent Tangent

And it seems like some of the minigames are a tad broken, not always detecting where you tap fast enough.

Yeah, I noticed that Hit doesn't seem to register in some cases unless I try multiple times to get a tap on squares. I do kind of like Sketch for a quick break, but I hope there are more than just a few of those puzzles.

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

Also, I have one other complaint: I'm not a fan of Normal Mode. Sometimes I slide the stylus one over too far on accident and I get dinged. I mean, in free mode, I can just reverse the accidental mistake I knew I made. Free mode is more like doing it on paper.

I actually am not a big fan of Mario's Picross 1 & 2 because they only have puzzles in the mode with the time limit and penalties for mistakes. Mario's Super Picross has the Wario mode which is like Free Mode, though, which is why I <3.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

Spoiler:

Do you eventually unlock more music options ala Clubhouse Games?

Spoiler:

Nope, although each of the two EXTRA sets have a special song (both Super Mario Bros. remixes), and the classic puzzles have their own song too, a sound update of one of the Mario's Picross BGMs.

How ya doing, buddy?