Mario's Super Picross
Encyclopedia
is a Super Famicom
sequel to Mario's Picross
. It is erroneously named as Mario's Picross 2, which is actually the name of the Game Boy
sequel to Mario's Picross. The game is compatible with the Super Famicom Mouse
.
After the failure of Mario's Picross
in North America
, Nintendo
decided not to release this game in that region and instead only in Japan. It was later re-released for download on the Wii
's Virtual Console
service on December 19, 2006 in Japan. In PAL territories it was released on September 14, 2007, the 12th anniversary of the game's original Japanese release, marking the first Western release of the game. It carries a price of 900 Wii Points, 100 more than a normal Super Famicom/SNES
game. The Western Virtual Console release has been left nontranslated, with original Japanese text intact. The game has yet to make an appearance on the North American Virtual Console after being released nearly four years ago in Europe despite the fact the Game Boy version is available in all regions from the Nintendo 3DS'
eShop
.
, who presents a different challenge due to changes in the gameplay.
Each game is played against the clock. Opposing the picross tradition of black and white squares, the puzzles are set in stone and are picked out by Mario with a pick-axe type tool. The initial levels are smaller and a lot easier and are mainly Japanese symbols and Greek letters. When the player solves a puzzle correctly, the black-and-white representation becomes colored and animated, and the game shows the player the title of the puzzle. When the player finishes a section, Mario will congratulate him on his progress and either bow (in the first and last levels) or give a thumbs up (in all other levels).
The player must work through levels in order to get access to harder levels, with more rows and columns. In Mario's puzzles, if the player marks the wrong cell, time will be lost. The amount of time lost doubles for every mistake (one minute, two minutes, four, and finally eight). In Wario's puzzles, the time counts up from zero, and you are not penalized for marking the incorrect cell. However, you are also not told you made a mistake, and thus the mark will stay until you remove it. Because of this, Wario's puzzles are a little harder than Mario's puzzles, as it takes more guesswork to solve them. This mode is similar to the Free Mode in Picross DS.
, Star Fox and other game characters, as well as famous locations in Japan
.
Some of the puzzles in Mario's Super Picross may be made available to download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
to the game Picross DS
. As of January 3, 2008, there are nine packs.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
sequel to Mario's Picross
Mario's Picross
is the first in a series of Mario themed Picross titles released in the 1990s. It is a collection of nonogram logic puzzles involving a grid with numbers for every row and column, which refer to the amount of marked squares within the grid. The game features Mario as an archaeologist who chisels...
. It is erroneously named as Mario's Picross 2, which is actually the name of the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
sequel to Mario's Picross. The game is compatible with the Super Famicom Mouse
SNES Mouse
The Super NES Mouse is a peripheral released by Nintendo in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . Originally designed for use with the game Mario Paint, the SNES Mouse was sold in a bundle with the game and included a plastic mouse pad...
.
After the failure of Mario's Picross
Mario's Picross
is the first in a series of Mario themed Picross titles released in the 1990s. It is a collection of nonogram logic puzzles involving a grid with numbers for every row and column, which refer to the amount of marked squares within the grid. The game features Mario as an archaeologist who chisels...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
decided not to release this game in that region and instead only in Japan. It was later re-released for download on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service on December 19, 2006 in Japan. In PAL territories it was released on September 14, 2007, the 12th anniversary of the game's original Japanese release, marking the first Western release of the game. It carries a price of 900 Wii Points, 100 more than a normal Super Famicom/SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game. The Western Virtual Console release has been left nontranslated, with original Japanese text intact. The game has yet to make an appearance on the North American Virtual Console after being released nearly four years ago in Europe despite the fact the Game Boy version is available in all regions from the Nintendo 3DS'
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
eShop
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is an online service for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system. Launched on June 6, 2011 in North America and June 7, 2011 in Europe and Japan, the eShop was enabled by the release of a system update that added the functionality to the 3DS' Home Menu...
.
Gameplay
Gameplay remains the same as in Mario's Picross, where the player must decipher the picture in each level, progressing to harder and harder puzzles. However, the player may also play "as" WarioWario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, who presents a different challenge due to changes in the gameplay.
Each game is played against the clock. Opposing the picross tradition of black and white squares, the puzzles are set in stone and are picked out by Mario with a pick-axe type tool. The initial levels are smaller and a lot easier and are mainly Japanese symbols and Greek letters. When the player solves a puzzle correctly, the black-and-white representation becomes colored and animated, and the game shows the player the title of the puzzle. When the player finishes a section, Mario will congratulate him on his progress and either bow (in the first and last levels) or give a thumbs up (in all other levels).
The player must work through levels in order to get access to harder levels, with more rows and columns. In Mario's puzzles, if the player marks the wrong cell, time will be lost. The amount of time lost doubles for every mistake (one minute, two minutes, four, and finally eight). In Wario's puzzles, the time counts up from zero, and you are not penalized for marking the incorrect cell. However, you are also not told you made a mistake, and thus the mark will stay until you remove it. Because of this, Wario's puzzles are a little harder than Mario's puzzles, as it takes more guesswork to solve them. This mode is similar to the Free Mode in Picross DS.
Legacy
Nintendo re-used the game engine in their Picross NP series. In the Picross NP series, players could decipher pictures of PokémonPokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
, Star Fox and other game characters, as well as famous locations in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Some of the puzzles in Mario's Super Picross may be made available to download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
to the game Picross DS
Picross DS
is a puzzle video game developed by Jupiter and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the second Picross game to be released by Nintendo in Europe and North America after Mario's Picross suffered a commercial failure in regions outside Japan, where many...
. As of January 3, 2008, there are nine packs.