I have always found logic puzzles very relaxing. Turning to them when I need to escape for a bit. There is a comfort to the logic in them. Sudoku, Slitherlink and Nonograms. Or Picross as we know them in the West. Voxelgram adds another dimension to Picross…literally.
I first became aware of 3D Picross on the 3DS. It keeps the same logic, but adds a couple of layers on top. As you need to solve the puzzle in three dimensions, rather than just a 2D image.
Unfortunately, whilst standard Picross has seen many versions released. Including numerous versions on on the Switch. Some of which have branched off into other genres too, such as the excellent Lord of Nazarick and the upcoming Murder by Numbers, which add story elements to the game. 3D Picross has barely seen the light of day.
Until now that is, as Voxelgram has come to the Switch to take advantage of a gap in the market and fill a void. For me on a personal level I couldn’t be happier.
Something that is vital to games like this working, is how it controls. You need to be able to focus on the logic side of the puzzles and not battle the controls. With Voxelgram that becomes vitally important due in part to adding a 3D space and camera controls.
It does takes a short while to get used to the additional dimension in Voxelgram, but this isn’t an issue with the game itself. This is purely down to your brain adjusting. When it does you can navigate with ease.
Basic camera control with one stick, navigating around the 3D shape with another. Removing, colouring and marking blocks with set buttons and hiding / revealing layers with shoulder buttons. It is all very clearly defined and soon become intuitive to use.
There are some minor niggles outside of the core gameplay however. The menu system isn’t the easiest to navigate and I struggled at times to see what I was actually selecting in them.
To offset that though, there are some really lovely touches. The presentation is just lovely, using little 3D dioramas to chart your progress. As you complete a puzzle, the item is produces is added to one of the 3D dioramas to fill them out bit by bit,
This isn’t overdone either, adding just a small flourish to a package that concentrates almost entirely on getting you into playing and completing puzzles. It is probably the only bit of fluff in an otherwise very streamlined experience.
It all comes together wonderfully, making Voxelgram a joy to play. The latter puzzles (or which there are over 150) get very taxing, solving them will make you feel great about yourself.
Because the puzzles are purely logic based, you never feel cheated. You know that you will find a solution, just by going over the key rules for Picross and thinking about what you need to do.
If you have any interest in logic puzzles, then pick up Voxelgram. For the £5.79 you’ll pay, you get plenty of content. Making this worth every single penny and then some.
