Thank you HopefulToad for providing us with a review code!

Nonogram puzzles originated in the late 1980s. Less than a decade later, Nintendo popularized these puzzles and came up with the term picross as an abbreviation for picture crossword. If you’re new to this style of puzzle game you’ll quickly learn that the concept is simple, but mastering it takes some time. Newcomers will find the included tutorials helpful. Your goal is to fill in the correct pixels using the vertical and horizontal clues provided.

Nonozle includes two hundred hand-made puzzles to solve in varying difficulties/grid sizes ranging from 5 X 5 to 25 X 25. There are also one hundred abstract puzzles bundled in as well. The abstract ones are a little more challenging since there’s no rhyme or reason to the shapes and you have one less clue to work with. Fifty more food and drink themed puzzles can be added for a reasonable price of $0.99. If that’s not enough, you can play randomly generated levels for endless puzzle-solving fun.

Like other picross games I have played, you can fill in squares completely or tentatively mark them. Clearing them out or undoing a move is possible too. It may be considered cheating, but there is an option to check to see if your progress is correct or not. I relied on that feature heavily.

After completing a puzzle, your time will be recorded, and you can retry it to see if you can beat your previous completion time. The amount of time it takes to complete a puzzle depends on how big it is and how few gaps of space you have to work with. 5 X 5 puzzles typically took me less than thirty seconds to solve while 25 X 25 ones kept me busy for fifteen minutes or more. I like how you can resume puzzles if needed. If you really want a clean slate, you can clear your progress completely and start from scratch.

There are multiple color themes to choose from, with the default being a green that will give nostalgia to those who have played with an original Gameboy. Being the girly girl I am, I used the purple theme primarily.

The xylophone background music is relaxing and pleasant. If you really enjoy it, the soundtrack is available for $0.99.

I experienced no stability issues playing Nonozle. It runs well on the Steam Deck, too. The only downside to playing it on the Steam Deck is that it can be challenging to tap on the square you’re aiming for. You can maneuver the puzzles with the joysticks, but the touchscreen is still needed to access the side menus.

The asking price is a reasonable $3.99, but I have seen this title on sale for as little as $0.79. The soundtrack and DLC bundles have also been reduced to 80% off on sale, too. If you’re a fan of picross or puzzle games in general, Nonozle is worth checking out!