Thank you Lightwood Games for sending us a review code!

The design of the 3DS is ideal for puzzle games and Lightwood Games specializes in making them. Block-a-Pix Color has 120 puzzles in varying difficulties that can take a few minutes to nearly two hours to complete.

Each puzzle has a grid of pixels with numbers on them. The numbers indicate how many blocks need to be filled with the designated color. With logic, you can deduce which direction to fill in the blocks with stretchable rectanglular shapes. When in doubt, you can check for errors to make sure you haven’t made any mistakes. You can have the errors automatically removed, but by doing so you will not have a gold medal by the completed puzzle’s picture.

I once activated the fix feature unknowingly. The other time I used it was intentional since I put over a half an hour into a puzzle that I didn’t know where the error occurred. I think a pixel was accidently tapped without my knowledge in that particular case. I’ll gladly sacrifice the gold medal instead of wasting my time.

As you solve the puzzles, you’ll be timed on how long it takes you to complete it. I found out the hard way that the timer stops at 99:59 though the accurate time is displayed upon completion and in the gallery. One of the largest grid size puzzles (100X65) took me one hundred ten minutes and forty-six seconds to solve. The last few minutes of the solving process involved me finding the tiny two pixel sections that I forgot to complete.

Not all of the puzzles are that time consuming. The smallest size puzzles (10X15) took me a little over four minutes while the 20X30 ones took me less than six minutes to solve. One of the 30X45 puzzles took me nearly thirteen minutes to complete and the 50X75 size occupied me for close to forty-two minutes.

These puzzles are great for long trips and plane rides. You can exit a puzzle and resume it if you need a change of pace. Each picture has a different theme and there is a lot of variety. It’s nice seeing everything come together as you solve each puzzle.

The graphics are simple and the pixel art is nicely done. The background music is pleasant but repetitive. I didn’t feel the need to lower the volume though.

Block-a-Pix Color is a nice family friendly title that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. There are no moral issues to worry about. The asking price of $7.99 is reasonable as this game can keep you busy for several hours at a time.