Picross 2
| Picross 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Japanese box art | |||
| Developer | Jupiter | ||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||
| Platform(s) | Game Boy, Virtual Console (Nintendo 3DS) | ||
| Release date | Game Boy: October 19, 1996[1]Virtual Console (3DS): October 24, 2012[2] | ||
| Language(s) | Japanese | ||
| Genre | Puzzle | ||
| Rating(s) |
| ||
| Mode(s) | Single player | ||
| Format | Game Boy:
 Game PakNintendo 3DS:  Digital download | ||
| Input | Game Boy:
Nintendo 3DS:
| ||
| Serial code(s) | DMG-AP2J-JPN | ||
- All ages
Picross 2 is a Japan-only game for the Game Boy and the sequel to Mario's Picross and Mario's Super Picross; it was released in 1996. It keeps most of the same elements of its predecessor, as it deals with a grid and solving puzzles to form images. Both Mario and Wario return and each have different sets of puzzles to solve in the game, giving the player a variety in gameplay. This is one of the few games that can be fully enhanced by the Super Game Boy attachment for the Super Famicom, both allowing full color graphics as well as a two player mode; by performing any input on a second controller, a second player is entered in to the game, and players can then solve puzzles cooperatively. In 2012, the game was released on the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in Japan; it has never been released overseas.
Gameplay[edit]
Picross is a logic puzzle game in which players solve nonograms to reveal a hidden picture. In order to reveal the picture, number clues are given to show how many squares go in each row or column. For example, a "5" horizontally means that there are 5 consecutive marked squares somewhere in that respective row. If there is more than one number, they all appear in that line in their respective order, but there must be at least one blank square between them. The player can also label squares with an "X" if they believe the square should not be marked. Labeling squares with an "X" serves no purpose in the solution of a puzzle, and is only used to assist the player. Players also have the ability to mark the hint numbers along the sides of the grid at will, preferably as each consecutive group of squares is solved on that line inside the grid. New to Picross 2 are 30x30 puzzles, which are split into 15x15 quadrants. A puzzle is not complete until all quadrants are solved, therefore solving the overall 30x30 puzzle.
The game features four modes: easy picross, Mario's picross, Wario's picross, and quick picross.
In both easy picross and Mario's picross, the player is given a time limit. In puzzles with time limits, the player is allotted 30 minutes to complete each 15x15 puzzle, and is penalized for time for each wrongly marked square; 2 minutes for the first mistake, 4 minutes for the second, and 8 minutes for each mistake thereafter. At the start of the round, the player has the option to use a hint roulette, which cycles through the grid to completely reveal one row and one column. Once started, the player also has the option to use another hint roulette at the expense of 5 minutes deducted from the timer; this can be used multiple times as long as there is enough time remaining. When the player runs out of time, the game is over and they must restart the puzzle. While easy picross puzzles are completed after finishing a single 15x15 puzzle, Mario's picross features all 30x30 puzzles. After clearing the first stage of Mario's picross, the player is granted access to Wario's picross.
In Wario's picross, the player isn't notified of mistakes or given any hints, making the puzzles harder to solve. The player has the option to enable a time limit, however, disabling the time limit will not unlock the hidden 10th puzzle on every stage. There is an option in the start menu, exclusive to Wario's picross, called "? Start"; a guessing mode where the player halts progress on the puzzle and can make temporary marks on prospective squares, which can sometimes be necessary due to the lack of hints and the complexity of Wario's puzzles. The player can decide at any time if they want to cancel the guessing mode and remove the temporary marks, letting them continue from a state prior to entering this mode. If the player correctly finishes the puzzle while in this mode, the puzzle is completed as normal. As with Mario's picross, Wario's picross also consists of all 30x30 puzzles.
After every three stages in both Mario and Wario's picross, players must solve a quick picross puzzle. In quick picross, players must quickly create kana from multiple 8x8 puzzles to form a sentence and clear the challenge. The amount of kana required ranges from 8-20 and players are allotted only one minute per character. Each quick picross puzzle can also be solved by guessing the sentence or phrase at any point. Quick picross stages are shared between the two characters and have 10 possible solutions each.
Mario and Wario both have 10 stages with 10 puzzles each. The first 8 puzzles in a stage can be played in any order, the 9th puzzle appears after solving the first 8, and the 10th puzzle appears if the first 9 puzzles were solved without giving up or timing out (but hints are allowed). Wario's picross additionally requires that the time limit not be disabled. If any of these occur, then the 10th puzzle for that stage becomes permanently unavailable for that save file. A stage is considered cleared when all of its available puzzles are solved - if the unlock condition for the 10th puzzle was met, then all 10 must be solved. If the unlock condition was failed, then only the first 9 must be solved.
In stages 1-3, 30 minutes are allotted per quadrant, but from stage 4 onward, 90 minutes are allotted for each puzzle. From stage 7 onward, players are no longer notified if a quadrant has been completed. The puzzles in each stage are also centered around a theme (e.g. stage 4 of Mario's picross features sports themed puzzles). After clearing stage 10, a final stage with a single 60x60 puzzle is unlocked; the puzzle is split into 30x30 quadrants (which themselves are split into 15x15 quadrants) and 30 minutes are allotted per 30x30 quadrant. In total there are 248 puzzles.
Super Game Boy support[edit]
When this game is played in the Super Game Boy, full color graphics are used, and two-player co-op is available. The co-op is activated as a drop-in once any input is taken from the second controller during a puzzle. Each player has their own cursor, and can independently mark or punch out squares.
Special borders are also available. By default, a beige rocky border is used, but other border colors can be chosen by holding a button when pressing start on the title screen:
- Up: Black
- Down: Yellow
- Left: Green
- Right: Red
- A: Beige rocky (default)
- B: Grey rocky
- Select: White
Puzzles[edit]
Easy Picross[edit]
| Pick | Hammer | Coffee Cup | Pocket Watch | Lion |
| Lantern | Silk Hat | Monkey | Magnifying Glass | Stuffed Toy |
Mario's Picross[edit]
| Stage 1 (Nature) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Bird | Hammock | Moon and Owl | Deer | Fairy |
| Help me | Koala | Camp | Lumberjack | Hunter |
| Stage 2 (Around the House) | ||||
| Living Room | Mirror | Studying | Laundry | News on the Toilet |
| Bathing | Kotatsu | Electric Fan | Hair Dryer | Brushing |
| Stage 3 (Fairy Tales) | ||||
| Cinderella | The Little Mermaid | Alice | Issun-bōshi | Kintarō |
| Snow White | Peter Pan | Urashima Tarō | Momotarō | Jack and the Beanstalk |
| Stage 4 (Sports) | ||||
| Football | Pro Wrestling | Volleyball | Boxing | Sumo |
| Golf | Judo | Marathon | Basketball | Home Run |
| Stage 5 (School) | ||||
| Mischief | Horizontal Bar | Field Trip | Lunch Duty | Graduation Ceremony |
| School Infirmary | Visiting Day | Sports Day | Physical Examination | Enrollment |
| Stage 6 (Entertainment) | ||||
| Bungee Jump | Entrance | Water Slide | Cinema | Cherry Blossom Viewing |
| Pachinko | Casino | Crane Game | Karaoke | Game Boy |
| Stage 7 (Childhood) | ||||
| Video Game | Fighting | Bug Catching | Crosswalk | Bed wetting |
| Friendship | Piggyback Ride | Sleeping Scary Dog | Shichi-Go-San | Punishment |
| Stage 8 (Female Occupations) | ||||
| Nihon Buyō | Bus Tour Guide | Waitress | Daycare Worker | Police Woman |
| Idol | Bunny Girl | Supermodel | Nurse | Race Queen |
| Stage 9 (Male Occupations) | ||||
| Pilot | Doctor | Porter | Delivery Man | Sailor |
| Martial Artist | Detective | Magician | Barber | Bodybuilder |
| Stage 10 (Mythology) | ||||
| Werewolf | Gorgon | Skeleton | Pegasus | Gargoyle |
| Vampire | Cerberus | Unicorn | Manticore | Golden Mask |
| Final | ||||
| Sphinx | ||||
Wario's Picross[edit]
| Stage 1 (Around Town) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsai | Painting | I'm late! | Peeping Tom | Graffiti |
| Jinx | Drunk | Dog Walking | Mean Dog | Persistent Salesman |
| Stage 2 (Shopping) | ||||
| Flea Market | Food Sampler | Sale | Convenience Store | Restaurant |
| Browsing | Bar | Fast Food | Show Window | Christmas Sale |
| Stage 3 (Romance) | ||||
| First Love | Toast | Proposal | Boat | Honeymoon |
| Tandem Bicycle | Marriage Meeting | Wedding | Steamy Couple | What's this kiss mark?! |
| Stage 4 (Around the World) | ||||
| Hatsuhinode | Night Sky | Daimonji | Summer Sea | London Fog |
| Lake Landscape | Alpenhorn | Woman with an Umbrella | Migratory Birds at Dusk | Steam Whistle Farewell |
| Stage 5 (Chinese Characters) | ||||
| 難 | 問 | 克 | 服 | 限 |
| 制 | 間 | 時 | 終 | 悩 |
| Stage 6 (Picross Comic) | ||||
| Everyone is taller than me | Good, a Super Mushroom | I'm big!! | Easy shot! | It didn't work.. |
| Playing Mario's Picross? | I can't solve it! | I wonder what it is? | I got it with 2 minutes left! | Hey! Where is everyone? |
| Stage 7 (Animals) | ||||
| Gorilla | Panda | Grizzly Bear | Elephant | Cheetah |
| Hippopotamus | Kangaroo | Tiger | Giraffe | Rhinoceros |
| Stage 8 (At the Beach) | ||||
| Baby Sea Turtles | Sand Castle | Trolling | Suikawari | Man of the Sea |
| Water Skiing | Sunbathing | Scuba Diving | Surfer | My foot is stuck in a giant clam! |
| Stage 9 (Arctic) | ||||
| Aurora | Sperm Whale | Flock of Swans | Penguin | Quinzhee |
| Dog Sled | Snowboarder | Skating | Skier | Santa Claus |
| Stage 10 (Dinosaurs) | ||||
| Stegosaurus | Plesiosaurus | Brachiosaurus | Black Beauty | Pteranodon |
| Triceratops | Pachycephalosaurus | Deinonychus | Parasaurolophus | Survival of the Fittest |
| Final | ||||
| Tyrannosaurus | ||||
Quick Picross[edit]
| Quick Picross Vol.1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| しちにんのさむがりや | ふしぎのくにのアリババ | ||
| ゆきがふったらゆきだおれ | ぼうずにくけりゃけさがため | ||
| わがはいはねころんでいる | コンドルはとんびじゃない | ||
| うまのみみにねんど | しょうねんよたいしたもんだ | ||
| はなよりダンシングクイーン | マリオとワリカン | ||
| Quick Picross Vol.2 | |||
| ほたるのひかりまどうしのつえ | いぬもあるけばぼうけんきぶん | ||
| ひょうたんからコマンタレブー | かってかぶとのおすをもらった | ||
| やねのうえのバイオモンスター | やみつきたなるのがピクルスだ | ||
| にかいからめぐちゃんが てをふる |
なつはサーフィン ふゆはスキヤキ | ||
| キノコといえば スーパーマーケット |
とんでひにいるなつの おじょうさん | ||
| Quick Picross Vol.3 | |||
| おじいさんはやまに しばたさんをさがしにいった |
マリオとルイージは いつもなかをたベたのか | ||
| もしもしかめやまさんは いらっしゃいますか |
やきゅうもすきだけど サッちゃんもすき | ||
| じんせいらくありゃくもに おどろくこともある |
ゆきのふるよはたのしい ペチャクチャ | ||
| さるもきからおちるのを ニュートンはみた |
かきくえばかねがなくても なんとかなるさ | ||
| ごいけんごかんそうは ニンテンドウまで |
うらのはたけでポチが なくなくはたらいている | ||
Staff[edit]
- Main article: List of Picross 2 staff
Gallery[edit]
Logo[edit]
The game's logo
Artwork[edit]
Mario
Mario
Mario & Wario
Wario
Wario
Sprites[edit]
Mario
Mario
Wario
Wario
Princess Peach
Screenshots[edit]
Title screens[edit]
Mario (Game Boy)
Mario & Wario (Game Boy)
Mario (Super Game Boy)
Mario & Wario (Super Game Boy)
Level completion screens[edit]
Mario congratulating the player
Wario congratulating the player
Other[edit]
How to Play
Mario's Picross levels
Wario's Picross levels
Mario's gameplay
Media[edit]
- For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Picross 2 media.
 Title Screen | File info 0:30 |
| Mario Map BGM 1 | File info 0:23 |
| Wario Map BGM 1 | File info 0:30 |
| Puzzle BGM 2 | File info 0:30 |
| Puzzle BGM 3 | File info 0:30 |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピクロス2[?] Pikurosu 2 |
Picross 2 |
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.jupiter.co.jp/e/product/game/gb/mariospicross2.html[dead link]
- ^ ピクロス2 | ニンテンドー3DS | 任天堂. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Official Website from Nintendo (Japanese)
- Official Website from Jupiter (English/Japanese)
| Game Boy games | |
|---|---|
| Super Mario franchise | Alleyway (1989) • Baseball (1989) • Super Mario Land (1989) • Golf (1989) • Dr. Mario (1990) • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) • Donkey Kong (1994) • Mario's Picross (1995) • Picross 2 (1996) |
| Donkey Kong franchise | Donkey Kong (1994) • Donkey Kong Land (1995) • Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996) • Donkey Kong Land III (1997) |
| Yoshi franchise | Yoshi (1991) • Yoshi's Cookie (1992) • Tetris Attack (1996) |
| Wario franchise | Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994) • Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! (1994) • Wario Land II (1998) |
| Miscellaneous | Tetris (1989) • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) • Game & Watch Gallery (1997) • Game & Watch Gallery 2 (1997) |
