Nonograms Katana

About

Nonograms Katana is a single player casual puzzle game. It was developed by Ucdevs Interaction and was released on September 15, 2015. It received very positive reviews from players.

Nonograms Katana is a puzzle game where players solve pictures encoded in number grids, also known as Hanjie, Picross, or Japanese Crosswords. By following the clues provided, players determine which cells to fill with boxes and which to leave as empty spaces to gradually reveal the hidden image. The game offers a challenging and engaging way to sharpen the mind by requiring logical thinking and deduction skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,899 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

monetization563 negative mentions

Hands down the best nonogram app I've played, with a vast array of user-generated puzzles.
The interface is intuitive and customizable, making it easy to solve even large puzzles.
The game offers minimal ads that are unobtrusive, allowing for a smooth gameplay experience.

Recent updates have introduced intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay and are difficult to close.
The guild progression system is slow, making it frustrating to gather resources and upgrade buildings.
Some puzzles are not solvable without guessing, which detracts from the logic-based nature of the game.

monetization
597 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
2%
94%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users initially appreciating the minimal and non-intrusive ads, primarily consisting of small banners. However, recent updates have introduced more aggressive advertising practices, including loud, unskippable video ads and fullscreen ads that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration among players. While some users are willing to pay a small fee to remove ads and support the developers, the overall sentiment indicates a decline in user satisfaction regarding the ad experience.
- “What feels like limitless puzzles, a powerful (if initially confusing) UI, and a fantastic 'city management' style game packaged alongside that keeps you coming back to solve more nonograms and get more resources plus, very very few microtransactions (and cheap to get ad-free!) 100% recommended for anyone into picross.”
- “This developer deserves the support, paid $2 for the VIP, no ads, and extra features, but I got it to support a great job.”
- “Monetization is fair and reasonable, was happy to pay.”
- “Now, there are damn ads when clicking on the play now button, and they are 20s non-skippable cancer ads - same as for the 3rd game or so!”
- “I'm just getting terribly annoyed by the ads that have become so much more invasive lately: ads that end, but you can't get to the puzzle (I have to close and restart the app), ads that force you to play the ad, ads with sound and the absolute worst: the banner in the puzzle with spinning numbers, it makes me dizzy and I have to leave the puzzle, sometimes multiple times, to get rid of it.”
- “The game itself is okay but the ads are either very flashy so annoying during the puzzle, or sometimes you get an unskippable/backable ad and you have to force close the app to continue.”
gameplay
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
The gameplay is highly praised for its customization options, smooth mechanics, and a wide variety of puzzles that cater to different skill levels. Players appreciate the minimal and non-intrusive ads, as well as the engaging guild and dungeon features that enhance the overall experience. While some find certain aspects, like the grindiness of side content or the difficulty of larger puzzles, less appealing, the overall sentiment is that the game offers a rich and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is very adjustable and the classification is helpful to see which nonograms are possibly annoying.”
- “Gameplay is smooth and intuitive.”
- “Gameplay is great, very customizable, wide variety of fun puzzles to solve.”
- “One thing that sorta bothers me is the way that you can get trapped behind the mechanical spider in the dungeon during combat with an enemy you have to spend mental power on to damage, and can't do anything until the enemy kills the spider - completely wasting it.”
- “The guild added some nice features in extra gameplay but it has gotten bad once they introduced the dungeon.”
- “Recently ruined by nonstop animated banner ads during gameplay.”
story
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The game's story aspect is enhanced by a variety of optional quests and guild features that create a cohesive and engaging experience, allowing players to earn resources and level up while enjoying both user-created and preloaded puzzles. While the quests add depth and motivation, some players feel that the progression can be slow and that certain elements, like item drop rates, may hinder enjoyment. Overall, the combination of quests, guild mechanics, and a casual adventure mode contributes to a fun and absorbing gameplay experience, even for those who prefer to focus solely on puzzles.
- “The whole section of quests and expeditions, while being optional, builds a very cohesive experience.”
- “Endless nonograms and an incredibly deep system of quests in a sort of adventure mode that just casually added an entire isometric RPG as a 'feature' in this free game.”
- “The app continues to evolve with a quest mode.”
- “The quests were the edge that you had over other nonogram games, but it basically made buying jewels a necessity if you want to advance at all. If that isn't possible, there isn't really a reason to play this game over any version.”
- “The end of a long quest should make me happy, not have a 40% chance to make me want to quit the game entirely. Each update goes downhill.”
- “If beating all the quests matters, the drop rate on some items is extremely rare.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
82%
11%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback from users, with many expressing frustration over its inability to be turned off, even when sound settings are adjusted. Players report that the music often plays unexpectedly, disrupts gameplay, and continues even after exiting the app, leading to a significant decline in their overall enjoyment. While some users desire relaxing background music, the current implementation is seen as irritating and glitchy, detracting from the gaming experience.
- “Please add some chill music to listen to while solving.”
- “Only thing I'm missing is some music while I'm playing.”
- “So much so that I don't even want to play this anymore because it's not relaxing with that annoying music.”
- “Dropped to one star because of the music that plays, even when all sound settings are turned off.”
- “It's such a good nonogram game but for some unfathomable reason it's started playing music sometimes with absolutely no way to shut it off, which is incredibly frustrating.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and aesthetic appeal, with many users highlighting the professional artwork and vibrant colors. While some players note that the visuals can be rough around the edges or could benefit from further refinement, the overall presentation is considered impressive, especially in later levels. Customization options and a pleasing interface enhance the visual experience, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate aesthetics in gaming.
- “Excellent concept and interface with beautiful graphics to top it off.”
- “A fantastic nonogram app - controls, graphics, gameplay have a multitude of settings to use to carefully tune your experience with amazing puzzle art.”
- “Brilliant graphics on later levels, not keen on the black and white ones, but absolutely love the color puzzles. More color puzzles with more updates, please!”
- “It looks rough around the edges, but that's just visuals.”
- “But I think the app can be made better in terms of the graphics.”
- “The graphics leave a bit to be desired sometimes... can't really complain for free!”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
94%
Reviews indicate that while the game offers a polished nonogram experience with quality-of-life features, the grinding aspect is a significant drawback. Players find the side content excessively tedious, especially with the introduction of guilds and dungeons, requiring them to solve numerous puzzles daily for minimal progress. Despite some options to alleviate the grind, many feel that the game becomes increasingly laborious and frustrating as they advance.
- “Every feature you could want, and there is no grindy money grab.”
- “The grinding feels rewarding and is well-balanced, making progress satisfying.”
- “I appreciate how the game allows for grinding without it feeling tedious or forced.”
- “Its unacceptable to spend forever collecting map pieces, then spend a ton of resources to start a level 2 expedition, then spend all week grinding puzzles to finish the expedition, just to lose a coin flip and get basically nothing.”
- “It's pretty good as a nonogram game, but it started being really grindy since the introduction of the guild and now with the new dungeon it's just too much, you have to solve like 30 puzzles a day to actually get some progress.”
- “The only issue is it has all this great content... locked behind absolute slogs of grinding.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
Overall, user reviews on stability are mixed; while some players report a bug-free experience and no significant glitches, others frequently encounter freezes and crashes, particularly when loading ads. The game's stability seems to vary, with some users experiencing issues in the current version, while others have had a smooth experience over extended playtime.
- “It doesn't overload you with ads and is bug-free.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or freezes.”
- “But, occasionally freezes/crashes while trying to load ads.”
- “Right now it can freeze any time without warning.”
- “Current version is buggy and will often not open.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently find the humor in the game to be a standout feature, describing it as very funny and amusing, particularly through clever wordplay and humorous quotes. The lighthearted nature of the puzzles adds to the overall enjoyment, making it a fun experience for players.
- “It is very funny and amusing.”
- “Very funny app.”
- “Really funny.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game is highly optimized, offering smooth performance without stuttering or lag, and features intuitive controls. Players appreciate the extensive customization options, including gameplay tailoring and cloud saving, alongside a diverse range of puzzles. Additionally, the presence of non-invasive ads enhances the overall experience without detracting from gameplay.
- “You can tailor the gameplay to your liking, it supports cloud saving, there are a lot of puzzles (easy and hard), and it all runs smoothly.”
- “Runs smoothly, controls make sense, and it has a ton of puzzles!”
- “Non-invasive ads, fantastic optimization options, and gameplay.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of frustration and nostalgia regarding the emotional aspect of the game, highlighting a deep engagement that has lasted for months. However, recent technical issues, such as intrusive ads, have disrupted their experience, leading to feelings of annoyance and disappointment.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's exceptional replayability, emphasizing that it offers endless fun and opportunities for repeated playthroughs.
- “I have nothing to say except infinite replayability and infinite fun.”