TalonMan

User Score
6.9

Presentation - 5.0
Gameplay - 8.0
Value - 8.0

I'm a big fan of "slow-paced" puzzlers that allow me to simply sit back, relax, and use my brain to figure out how to solve a particularly difficult puzzle. Games like Picross, Sudoku, and any type of jigsaw puzzle are what I like to consider the perfect "time suck" game. So naturally, when I saw the description and screenshots for Piczle Lines DX, I knew this game would be the type of game I would enjoy.

Focusing strictly on puzzle design and mechanics, I was not disappointed. This is precisely what I expected when I purchased the game and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the start. The concept is simple: Draw connecting lines between matching numbers, based on colors. Once all the lines are properly connected, a picture is revealed. Simple, straight-forward, and uncomplicated! 

Connect the dots!

For all its simplicity, it's hard to imagine what could possibly go so wrong with a game like this? It's obviously not meant to be graphically intense or a fast-paced arcade type game, and for what it does offer it's done very well. It's the subtle things in most puzzle games that you aren't really aware of - things that probably go by unnoticed until you play this particular game. Suddenly, those things stand out and they don't stand out in a good way!

The first thing I will mention is the music - oh, dear GOD, I wanted to puncture my own ear drums to get some relief from it! Thankfully, there is an option to disable the music and believe me, sitting in complete silence while playing this game is an absolute joy!! There are (maybe?) two songs in the entire game - neither song has more than five or six chords in it and it plays over and over and over again! Games like this require a significant amount of patience and concentration and you will spend hours on some of the bigger puzzles, staring at the same screen. And when you are constantly being assaulted by the same repetitious song, it is more than a little distracting - you find yourself actually wanting to shut the game off to escape from it!

Piczle Lines also lacks any sort of hint options. Granted, I'm not a big fan of cheating in games, and I'm certainly not looking for the game to solve itself. But some of these puzzles are gigantic, and when there are multiple (same) numbers on the screen with several different possible paths, it can become very difficult to even see what paths are available. It would be really nice if there were a simple option to have the game at least highlight matching numbers in the area, so you didn't have to squint your eyes trying to look for all the possible connecting points. The fact that there is absolutely no hints at all, will very likely leave you frustrated when you encounter an extremely busy puzzle and very little idea as to how to solve.

Overall, the game does exactly what it says it does - it offers a challenging puzzle system, there is a HUGE variety of puzzles (both in Story Mode and Puzzle Mode), and this game will definitely keep you busy for hours! It just needed a little more polish to make it perfect, and it's a shame that it falls so short in this area - especially since Picross can be had for half the cost, and is a much cleaner game than this.