Jupiter has officially announced Picross S8 and has confirmed the upcoming puzzle game's release date for the Nintendo Switch. While for most Picross fans this will be just the latest way to sate an addiction to the nonogram puzzles, Jupiter is doing something special for Picross S8. While there won't be a new game mode or the addition of any more puzzles than normal, Picross S8 will include the biggest major addition the franchise has seen in some time -- something that can be shared with friends.
Picross S8 will officially be adding local multiplayer. When it launches on Nintendo Switch, Picross S8 players will be able to group up for a total of four players and complete nonograms together. Each player's pieces will be highlighted by an identifying color, so everyone can see who did what, mistakes and all. To clarify, Picross S8 will only support local co-op. There's no online multiplayer functionality, unfortunately. Maybe Jupiter can add that later.
As for when Picross fans can start playing, the game will officially launch on September 29. That's right, Picross S8 is just a week away from release. Jupiter has also confirmed what players can expect from the new nonogram game. There will be over 300 puzzles available through both the standard Picross and Mega Picross game modes, 30 Color Picross puzzles with animated art, 150 Clip Picross puzzles, and five massive Extra puzzles with three locked for owners of Picross 4, Picross 5, and Picross 6.
There's one last surprise to confirm from Jupiter for the release of Picross S8. The new game will feature full touchscreen support so that the nonograms can be solved with a stylus. If that wasn't enough, Jupiter will be patching all of its Switch Picross games to support both full touchscreen support and local multiplayer. The update for older Picross S games is planned to go out alongside the release of Picross S8.
Those who may have missed what makes Picross and nonograms a success over the years won't have to pay upfront to see what the game is like. There's a special trial version for Picross S8 that should be arriving on September 22. It's a great way to see if Picross is something worth spending time on.
As great as local multiplayer and touchscreen support is for the Picross franchise, most Picross fans will simply be happy to have yet more puzzles to solve. It's a fun game to play during a break, before bed, or when otherwise trying to relax. And Jupiter releases new games so frequently and so affordably that it's like there are always more puzzles to solve.
Picross S8 releases September 29 on Switch.