Pokemon Picross (English)

Pokemon Picross is a puzzle game for the Game Boy Color that mashes together the Picross (nonogram) formula with Pokemon. It originally came out in Japan back in 1999, developed by Jupiter Corporation and published by Nintendo, though it never saw an official release outside of Japan. What you are playing here is a fan-made English translation, patched onto the original Japanese ROM, so those of us who can't read Japanese can finally play through it without a guide.

You solve nonogram puzzles by filling in squares on a numbered grid. The numbers along the rows and columns tell you how many consecutive filled squares belong there, and you have to figure out exactly which squares to mark. Every completed puzzle reveals a hidden picture of a Pokemon. There are a bunch of Pokemon to unlock, and as you progress, the puzzles get bigger and more complex. The game keeps track of your time and mistakes, so you can try to perfect your solve.

If you enjoy Picross games like Mario's Picross or Picross 3D, this one is a fun little addition, but it's definitely a niche title. The Pokemon theming gives it some charm, and the translation quality is solid, so it's worth grabbing if you want more classic puzzle gameplay. Just keep in mind it's a relatively simple and short game, not some lost epic.