Say what you will about using the word “addictive” to describe videogames. I honestly can’t think of another adjective to better call the picross genre in particular. Something about them makes me want to keep playing every new release, and boy, there have been plenty of those lately. So when outside of already fantastic gameplay comes a combination with retro game nostalgia, I’m hook, line, and sinker.
Such is the case of developer Jupiter’s collection of old school arcade/console collections. There have been a few already, for Capcom, SNK, and even Namco, so it’s not surprising to now see one for Konami, as that company was once one of the biggest names in the business. Over the past few years, though, it’s fallen from the good graces from once it stood, but it seems like Konami is making a comeback, and while this isn’t exactly one of their games, it’s still quality.
As with previous Picross S releases, the main draw of Picross S Konami Antiques Edition is its vast amount of puzzles and nostalgic tidbits hiding behind them. If you’re somehow uninitiated with the picross concept, it’s basically a grid with a certain number of boxes that can be either filled or left empty, and as you figure out where to dot, a picture is formed as you figure out how many to include by looking at numbers placed on either side of it.
The Konami-flavored theme in this is as well developed as previous editions, so if you’ve played any of those, you’ll have a good idea what kind of challenges you are bound to run into here. The only real drawback this time is ironically the soundtrack for the game. Granted, outside of the classic titles themselves, Konami is widely known for having some of the best music, with Castlevania being one of its highlights.
Sadly, Konami Antiques Edition is the weakest out of all of them so far in that regard. The tracks that are included are way too few and short, so even when playing with the random option on, you’ll hear the same handful of blips and blops start to repeat all too quickly. It’s annoying! Especially considering the absolute wealth of videogame music that could’ve been pulled.
Outside of that nitpick, the rest of the content in this one is top notch. There’s lots of sprites for a number of classic and completely obscure Konami releases here, ranging between their 8 and 16-bit gold with which the once top tier developer built their fame. For those who are both fanatics for picross and retro games, this release is a no-brainer, and in case you know nothing about Konami, it’s a great way to get acquainted altogether.
