Game of the Day: Picross Quest

There's a mystery image to every puzzle in today's Game of the Day, Picross Quest. Though it looks difficult, Picross Quest is actually a lighthearted, gentle brain teaser called a "nonogram game". This particular version is a recreation of Mario's Picross for the Nintendo Gameboy. Nonogram games are very popular in Japan (in fact, that's where they were first invented) and are essentially paint-by-the-numbers puzzles. The name "Picross" is a combination of the words "picture" and "crossword", which does a good job of explaining how it works.

To play, you have to fill in the blank squares based on the numbers intersecting on a column and row. If a row has the number 5 and the grid is only 5 squares long, then just fill in all the squares. If the grid is wider than 5 squares, then you've got to look to the column numbers to see where your 5-square row starts and ends. Fans of the math crossword game Sudoku will have the easiest time understanding how this works. If you get confused, the instructions are included in the game. Tons of nifty picture prizes await you, so check out Picross Quest below!

Play Picross Quest!

What's your favorite pixel art in Picross Quest?