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Zonic · Nov 6, 2014

Hi everyone, my name is Kendal and Im the CEO and lead programmer at Spiky Fish Games. Were excited to announce that our debut game, Sketchcross, is launching exclusively for PS Vita in early 2015.

Sketchcross is a logic puzzler based on the nonogram ruleset. If youre not familiar, think of a mix between crosswords and sudoku. Youre given number clues on the rows and columns to help sketch in the corresponding squares on the grid. Doing so starts to reveal the picture youre creating. A full-fledged nonogram-based game has not yet been fully realized for Playstation here in North America, and we were determined to change that.

Sketchcross will launch with 50 puzzles ranging from simple 5×5 shapes to complex 30×30 animals. The game has been designed to be easily expandable and our plan is to offer additional puzzles after launch.

Solving puzzles reveals the completed shape in block form, solving all the puzzles in a book awards the player that books unique trophy. Trophys are stored in your trophy room and are accessible at any time. Additionally, each puzzle has a time leaderboard where you can compare your completed times with the world and friends.

Sketchcross features Normal and Frenzy mode. In Frenzy mode youre given a short amount of time to complete a randomly generated puzzle. Its a race against the clock that tests your puzzle solving skills. I cant wait to see how many puzzles players can finish without running out of time!

Our team has been working really hard and Im so excited to share this announcement with you.

Announced via PS Blog.

bigkrev · Nov 6, 2014

Literally could not be more excited

Worried about the initial puzzle count- 50 puzzles, ranging from 5x5 to 30x30- the 5x5's are going to be boring to anyone who has ever played a Picross game before, and the 30x30 are probably going to be unwieldy. Hope they give lots of DLC support!

Takao · Nov 6, 2014

Picbox is available for PSM if you want Picross and lack a Nintendo handheld.

Camjo-Z · Nov 6, 2014

As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

GhostWriter24 · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

This is dangerously close to the "Square just shot themselves in the foot" post.

kulapik · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

I'm guessing this is sarcastic, but if not...

jonno394 · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

Nintendo didn't invent the nonogram puzzle....hopefully you're sarcastic

Deleted member 284 · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

As a Nintendo fan, this thinking makes me sick. It's no big deal if some third party copies Nintendo.

djplaeskool · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

So nonograms are a Nintendo property now?
Sounds legit.
Assuming this is a joke post.

FDC1 · Nov 6, 2014

50 is a ridiculously low number for that kind of games, specially if it includes 5x5 levels which can be completed in 30s. I hope it's very cheap.

Deft Beck · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

This seems a little hyperbolic. This sort of puzzle game was not invented by Nintendo.

Takao · Nov 6, 2014

hook, line and sinker

Camjo-Z · Nov 6, 2014

GhostWriter24 said:
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

This is dangerously close to the "Sony shot themselves in the foot" post.

I'd say you were closer to the mark with your PSAS edit.

Takao said:
hook, line and sinker

it's almost too easy

Amir0x · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

lol ;P

Berg · Nov 6, 2014

picross => sketchcross ...
man sony has no shame!
edit: welp, not sony developed, but, still!

matrix-cat · Nov 6, 2014

I wonder how it'd work with the Vita's screen. You're not going to be doing 15x15s (or higher) with your chubby fingertip.

BTW, isn't Picross E5 already out in Japan? I wish Nintendo would be quicker about localising them.

Foshy · Nov 6, 2014

I'd love a Picross game on the Vita but the artstyle is so ugly. I think I'll pass.

dakkumauji · Nov 6, 2014

I'm completely down for this.

Hopefully it becomes a hit enough for them and they'll start doing 3D picross again cause Nintendo sure isn't doing it.

Son Of D · Nov 6, 2014

GhostWriter24 said:
This is dangerously close to the "Square just shot themselves in the foot" post.

kulapik said:
I'm guessing this is sarcastic, but if not...

jonno394 said:
Nintendo didn't invent the nonogram puzzle....hopefully you're sarcastic

olubode said:
As a Nintendo fan, this thinking makes me sick. It's no big deal if some third party copies Nintendo.

Deft Beck said:
This seems a little hyperbolic. This sort of puzzle game was not invented by Nintendo.

If I'm right it's a parody of a post in the Playstation All-Stars announcement thread. Or something like that anyway.

zroid · Nov 6, 2014

Well done, Camjo-Z.

Also this looks cool might buy

CrunchyFrog · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

This has to be a joke post.

EDIT: It is. Still the fact that sentiment was had by any human being makes me a bit uneasy.

Deleted member 284 · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
it's almost too easy

Ya got me.

Son Of D · Nov 6, 2014

CrunchyFrog said:
This has to be a joke post.

Camjo-Z said:
I'd say you were closer to the mark with your PSAS edit.

it's almost too easy

.

Acquiescence · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo the new Miles/Wynnebeck, confirmed.

CrunchyFrog said:
EDIT: It is. Still the fact that sentiment was had by any human being makes me a bit uneasy.

The power of Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.

MrNyarlathotep · Nov 6, 2014

If youre not familiar, think of a mix between crosswords and sudoku

lol, why not just say picross?

Jimmyfenix · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

How do you feel about Axiom Verge?

Edit Damn!

gruenel · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick.

Get well soon!

linkboy · Nov 6, 2014

MrNyarlathotep said:
lol, why not just say picross?

I want Picross 3DS

As this, I'll pass. I've got a Picross 3DS clone for my Nexus 7 and still have puzzles on Picross 3D to complete.

Love nonogram puzzles though, so much fun.

Carl · Nov 6, 2014

Takao said:
Picbox is available for PSM if you want Picross and lack a Nintendo handheld.

PicBox was really cool and it got me into this sort of game. I will definitely be buying this.

Percy · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
I'd say you were closer to the mark with your PSAS edit.

Holy shit lol

mclem · Nov 6, 2014

Curious, here. I'm a bit fan of Picross, but a little curious about how the interface works out. It works on the DS in part because the entire puzzle can be onscreen in one go yet still be interacted with using the stylus with sufficient precision. I'm not sure the Vita's capacitive screen is necessarily suited for that, and I think I'd be more inclined to use straight D-pad controls instead - but I'm very used to direct stylus controls, these days, and losing them would be significant.

I might be doing it a bit of a disservice, to be fair; I'll be interested to hear how the control actually feels.

MrNyarlathotep said:
lol, why not just say picross?

I believe the name Picross is actually owned by Nintendo.

Nibel · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo playing the entire thread like a fiddle.

That being said, Nintendo should work on that Picross 3D sequel already.

Oersted · Nov 6, 2014

Muppets, now this... so random^^

crazygambit · Nov 6, 2014

Is it just me or you can't solve that 5x5 puzzle without guessing?

Actually there are 2 possible solutions, so you have to look at the shape of the animal to determine the correct one? Super lame. If that happens on 5x5 puzzles I don't even wanna think about 30x30 ones.

MaximumSpider · Nov 6, 2014

Can't believe almost no one got that joke!

depward · Nov 6, 2014

Love me some picross on 3DS so I'll def be supporting this on Vita.

wheapon · Nov 6, 2014

Looks pretty good but I hope they have better completion screens in the final game. I always liked seeing the colorized/animated versions of the puzzles in Picross.

BlackBuzzard · Nov 6, 2014

Camjo-Z said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. Picross is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

I knew this was familiar

Blu_LED said:
As a Nintendo fan, this literally makes me sick. SSB is a staple of Nintendo, and it's not right for another company to basically copy and paste the game and call it their own. Hopefully Nintendo will sue or something, because this is so wrong.

zroid · Nov 6, 2014

crazygambit said:
Is it just me or you can't solve that 5x5 puzzle without guessing?

It's just you

edit: actually never mind you might be right :lol (it's just the last bit though)

2+2=5 · Nov 6, 2014

I love this kind of games, but the artstyle needs to be changed, picbox on PSM looks miles better

crazygambit · Nov 6, 2014

zroid said:
It's just you

But it clearly has 2 valid solutions, so you'd need to guess the one that gives you a horse. Or am I missing something here?

Die Squirrel Die · Nov 6, 2014

zroid said:
It's just you

Are you sure, because I'm pretty sure the rightmost blocks in the 3rd and 5th rows could swap columns and the solution would still be correct.

mclem · Nov 6, 2014

crazygambit said:
Is it just me or you can't solve that 5x5 puzzle without guessing?

Actually there are 2 possible solutions, so you have to look at the shape of the animal to determine the correct one? Super lame. If that happens on 5x5 puzzles I don't even wanna think about 30x30 ones.

You are absolutely correct; there's no strictly logic-based way to determine which pair of tiles in the bottom-right are correct:

Code:

# # . . .
# # . . .
. # . ? ?
. # # # .
. # . ? ?

Both these solutions fit the clues:

Code:

# # . . .   # # . . .
# # . . .   # # . . .
. # . # .   . # . . #
. # # # .   . # # # .
. # . . #   . # . # .

Now, to be fair, if they're smart they'll accept solutions that match the hints rather than solutions that match their answer, but even so, that's terribly poor practice.

crazygambit said:
But it clearly has 2 valid solutions, so you'd need to guess the one that gives you a horse. Or am I missing something here?

It's worse than that - I'd argue that the 'wrong' answer still looks like a plausible image - a dog, stretching their back legs.

FDC1 · Nov 6, 2014

crazygambit said:
Is it just me or you can't solve that 5x5 puzzle without guessing?

Actually there are 2 possible solutions, so you have to look at the shape of the animal to determine the correct one? Super lame. If that happens on 5x5 puzzles I don't even wanna think about 30x30 ones.

you're right

Zeeman · Nov 6, 2014

crazygambit said:
Is it just me or you can't solve that 5x5 puzzle without guessing?

Actually there are 2 possible solutions, so you have to look at the shape of the animal to determine the correct one? Super lame. If that happens on 5x5 puzzles I don't even wanna think about 30x30 ones.

Yeah, I just tried it myself, and unless I'm mistaken there is some guesswork involved at the end. How do you make that mistake on a 5x5 puzzle and then decide that that's the one to show off?

E: wow, beaten by everybody

zroid · Nov 6, 2014

crazygambit said:
But it clearly has 2 valid solutions, so you'd need to guess the one that gives you a horse. Or am I missing something here?

Die Squirrel Die said:
Are you sure, because I'm pretty sure the rightmost blocks in the 3rd and 5th rows could swap columns and the solution would still be correct.

you're right, my bad. I wasn't looking at the end of the solution, only the beginning. that's dumb.

well if the puzzles aren't even going to be designed properly then fuck this!

crazygambit · Nov 6, 2014

zroid said:
well if the puzzles aren't even going to be designed properly then fuck this!

Pretty much. With only 50 puzzles, having a flaw in a 5x5 one is not exactly inspiring confidence. I'd love to play something like this on Vita, but I'm out.

Kalor · Nov 6, 2014

This seemed like it could be cool at first but the fact that they showed a puzzle that can't be solved logically doesn't inspire confidence. 50 puzzles isn't a lot either since they are starting with 5x5, I've played enough Picross by this point that 5x5 are boring.

daydream · Nov 6, 2014

Wtf @ two solutions for that 5x5 puzzle. :S

Not really feeling the artstyle, either.

Fusilli Craig · Nov 6, 2014

Came to post about the 5x5 solution but you guys have already figured that much out.

Really if you are a nonogram fan and don't already own a 3DS you are doing yourself a disservice. PicrossE 1-5, Mario Picross, Picross DS and Picross 3D are likely hundreds of hours of content.

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