Murder by Numbers (PC) Review

THEY TOOK THE PUN I WOULD USE AND USED IT FOR THEIR TITLE!

I realize this review is way out of date for a game that was released in March 2020, but I love this game so much I am writing this review now.

PLATFORMS: PC, SWITCH
MSRP: $14.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $14.99

If you are a fan of Nintendo’s Picross this is a must play. The actual puzzles in this game are some of the best and hardest nonogram puzzles I have ever played. Murder By Numbers lacks the instant feedback of Jupiter’s Picross games so I could make a mistake and only find out towards the end of the puzzle when things don’t pan out. I loved it.

Top a very good puzzle game with a decent story filled with likable characters and music by Masakazu Sugimori who scored the Ace Attorney games and honestly this is one of the best packages of nonogram puzzles I’ve ever played.

The only fault this game has is that there are some very basic visual novel puzzles included which I wish were a bit harder. Most of the time it was just talking to the right person in the right order rather than presenting the right evidence to the right person, and when I did need to present evidence it was very obvious what I needed to do. I think people who understand how to do nonograms will be able to solve some more difficult puzzles.

Overall this is a game no fan of Picross (or nonograms) should miss. It is just as essential as Jupiter’s Picross-e and Picross-s series.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Amazing picross puzzles
  • Good story
  • Lots of puzzles
  • Colorful artwork
  • Great musical score
Bad
  • Graphic adventure portions have weak puzzles
9.5
Excellent
Written by
Anthony is the resident Canadian. He enjoys his chicken wings hot and drinks way too much Coca-Cola. His first game experience was on his father's Master System and he is a loyal SEGA fanboy at heart.