PictoQuest
- February 4, 2020
- NanoPiko
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StorePictoQuest is a single-player fantasy role-playing game with good mechanics and a memorable soundtrack. In this game, you help young heroes retrieve the legendary paintings of Pictoria by solving logic puzzles and fighting enemies. With special missions, magic items, and a world map to explore, PictoQuest is an addictive and engaging experience for all players.
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Reviews
- The game features a fun and cute art style with charming animations for completed puzzles.
- The combination of picross puzzles with RPG elements adds a unique twist, making it engaging for fans of the genre.
- The puzzles have a comfortable difficulty progression, starting easy and becoming more challenging as you advance.
- The RPG mechanics feel underdeveloped and do not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- Many players found the time pressure from enemies to be stressful and detracting from the relaxing nature of traditional picross games.
- The game lacks depth and replayability, with some puzzles being too easy and the overall content feeling limited.
- story35 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story in the game is largely considered superficial and unengaging, serving primarily as a backdrop for the puzzles rather than a compelling narrative. Many players find the RPG elements and dialogue to be lackluster, with the plot often described as a mere collection of flavor text that does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, while the game features a story, it is deemed irrelevant and easily ignorable, with the focus remaining on the puzzle mechanics.
“Overall, I liked the presentation and was looking forward to this with the overall story and cute art.”
“Very enjoyable picross game with a goofy story and fun twist on timed puzzles!”
“If you are a fan of picross games, then this is a great game for you; it has plenty of levels and challenges along the way as well as an enticing storyline.”
“While there is some story, there is not enough of it to deem it an especially good or interesting part of the game.”
“The story is throwaway, and the items aren't particularly useful.”
“The story is cursory and not taken seriously; you're not supposed to care about it.”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is centered around solving nonograms, enhanced by light RPG mechanics that introduce timers and power-ups, which some players find engaging while others see as a hindrance. While the puzzles are well-designed and the art is appealing, the RPG elements feel underdeveloped and can detract from the core puzzle-solving experience. Overall, the game offers a unique twist on the genre, but its execution leaves room for improvement, particularly in balancing the RPG mechanics with traditional nonogram gameplay.
“The simple RPG mechanics make it easier to get used to the increasing difficulty, and the levels and art are beautifully designed, making the grids fun to solve.”
“The puzzles, which scale up to 20x20 boards, are very well-designed, and the battle mechanics will make you think.”
“The RPG element adds just enough to the picross gameplay to make it unique in the genre, and it makes some levels extremely tense.”
“At least the achievements are straightforward, but sadly, this game put all efforts into a halfway cute presentation and zero into gameplay, so I can't recommend it.”
“The RPG mechanics are pretty limited; it really just comes down to using one of two items to uncover small sections of the puzzle for you, and the enemies attack you based on a timer.”
“Rather than adding to the gameplay, RPG elements interfere with the nonogram solving.”
- music30 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its catchy and fitting nature, particularly during boss battles. However, some reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, and the lack of volume control options is a drawback. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, it may not be memorable enough to stand out in the long run.
“What I found particularly memorable and pretty great is the boss music!”
“I especially enjoy the swap between rather relaxing music for every normal level and intense music for boss battles to make it harder for those that listen to the background music.”
“The music is pleasant enough, and they introduce a new song for each of the 10 worlds you play through (though you can cycle through and listen to any of the songs, regardless of the world).”
“It is impossible to separately control the volume of the music and sound effects, nor is there any way to rebind keys.”
“Lack of variety in music also got kinda boring after a while; I ended up muting it near the end and playing something else instead.”
“The soundtrack is too short.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by simplistic, cartoonish 2D art that lacks depth and detail, often reminiscent of low-effort mobile apps. While the art style is described as cute and appealing, it fails to meet the expectations of PC gamers accustomed to higher-quality visuals, with limited options for improvement. Overall, the graphics are serviceable but do not create a cohesive or visually impressive experience.
“The art style of the game is very cute and I haven't had any technical problems.”
“The artstyle throughout the entire game and also the background music were nicely carried out.”
“It has a nice graphic style, simple yet strong interface, and enough content for its asking price.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the mobile app, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the mobile app, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“The mobile app features simple, cartoony 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low-effort mobile apps.”
“Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its surprisingly funny and well-crafted humor, particularly through its original bosses and side-quest characters, which contribute to a light-hearted adventure. While the English translation has some flaws, it inadvertently adds to the comedic moments, and the engaging dialogue with NPCs enhances the overall experience. The humor is complemented by catchy background music and a decent puzzle length, making for an enjoyable and entertaining gameplay experience.
“However, it's surprisingly funny and well made.”
“Bosses and side-quest characters are often hilarious and original; the background music is rather simple but catchy. The game features a decent length with 100 puzzles, and what's most awesome is that some mad lad went above and beyond to animate each one of them (on top of all the monsters).”
“100 puzzles, mistakes aren't very punishing, there is no guessing, and it's a light-hearted adventure with some welcome humor.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, with many users expressing that they likely won't revisit it after their initial playthrough. While some players may find enjoyment in attempting to improve their puzzle-solving times, the lack of a tracking system diminishes this aspect.
“The game offers a wealth of different choices and paths, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“With multiple endings and various character interactions, I find myself coming back to explore every possible outcome.”
“The random events and challenges keep the gameplay fresh, ensuring that no two sessions are ever the same.”
“For the sale price, that was plenty for me, but there's almost no replay value and I will probably never launch this game again.”
“One thing to note though - if you're the type who wants replay value in the form of improving your times on puzzles, the game doesn't track it.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Monetization for Pictoquest has been criticized as exploitative, with users labeling it a cash grab by mobile developers, as the game is essentially a stripped-down mobile app being sold as a full PC title.
“Pictoquest is a free mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a paid product, as if it was a real PC game (it's not). It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is a barebones nonogram game.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious, particularly with the larger 20x20 puzzles, though it remains engaging rather than boring. Additionally, the less-than-ideal English translation adds a humorous element to the experience.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the grinding mechanics to be overly tedious, which detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“The constant need to grind for resources becomes a chore rather than a fun challenge.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report a high level of stability, noting the absence of glitches or technical difficulties during gameplay.
“The game runs smoothly without any glitches or technical difficulties.”
“I haven't encountered any bugs, making for a stable gaming experience.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; it never crashes or freezes.”
