Mario's Super Picross (Game)

Mario's Super Picross

GAME » on September 14, 1995

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The Japanese-exclusive Super Famicom followup to the Game Boy puzzle game Mario's Picross, providing over 300 new puzzles (half of which use traditional rules in a mode now hosted by Wario).

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Overview

Mario no Super Picross (known in later re-releases outside of Japan as Mario's Super Picross) is a puzzle game developed by Jupiter (with Ape) and published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom exclusively in Japan on September 14, 1995.

A console sequel to the Game Boy (Platform) game Mario's Picross, Super Picross uses various elements from its Satellaview (Platform) predecessor Tamori no Picross and features over 300 nonogram puzzles of various sizes (from 5x5 to 25x20). Half of these puzzles make use of the original game's "Time Trial" mode (which is changed to "Wario no Super Picross" and is now hosted by Wario (Character)). The game also supports the Super NES Mouse peripheral and allows an additional player to join to co-operatively solve puzzles.

The game was later used as the base for the 1999 eight-part Nintendo Power (Concept) sequel Picross NP (Game) and was digitally re-released as a Virtual Console (Concept) title for the Wii (Platform) (on December 19, 2006 in Japan and on September 14, 2007 in Europe as an import title), the Wii U (Platform) (on April 27, 2013 exclusively in Japan), and the New Nintendo 3DS (Platform) (on November 3, 2016 in Europe as an import title and on November 28, 2016 in Japan). It was also made available for the Nintendo Switch on September 23, 2020 in North America as an import title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online service.

Gameplay

The basic puzzle-solving mechanics from Mario's Picross are carried over to this game, in which players are given a grid of tiles (5x5, 10x10, 15x15, 20x20, or 25x20) and must create a rudimentary picture by determining which tiles to darken (or "chisel away") based on the numerical clues of each row and column.

Players use the A and Y buttons to fill in tiles, and use the B and X buttons to mark tiles with an "X" (which is used as a reminder to not fill in that tile). Pressing the A/Y button on a filled-in tile, or the B/X button on a marked tile, clears the tile.

Once the correct tiles are chiseled away, the puzzle is automatically complete and players are greeted with a special version of that puzzle as a colored-in picture (which sometimes animate as a bonus).

Modes of Play

The game includes two modes: "Mario no Super Picross" (hosted by Mario (Character)) and the unlockable "Wario no Super Picross" (hosted by Wario (Character)).

In the standard "Mario" mode, players are given a 30-minute time limit and must restart the puzzle if they fail to complete it in time. Filling in the wrong tile automatically deducts minutes from the timer (with each subsequent mistake increasing that penalty). Players can opt to receive a "hint" at the start of the puzzle, automatically solving one random row and one random column. Additionally, players can receive additional "hints" at the cost of time.
In the traditional "Wario" mode, players are not given a time limit and cannot know if they filled in the wrong tiles until the puzzle is complete (or if the player gives up). Due to the added complexity, players can use the mode's "? Start" function to make temporary marks (highlighted in yellow) to guess, letting them revert back if they choose.

Each mode has their own background theme and their own set of three background music choices (with a fourth added for each mode once it's "Super" level is unlocked). Both modes allow a second player to join (once a second controller is activated) for co-operative play.

Levels

Each of the game's 312 puzzles are split up into multiple "levels", with all standard levels having 12 puzzles each. Only the first four Mario levels are available at the start, with the first four Wario levels unlocked once a Mario level is complete. Game progression is as follows:

Mario Level 1 (5x5, 10x10) - The first eight puzzles are notable for spelling out "Mario no Picross".
Mario Level 2 (10x10, 15x15)
Mario Level 3 (15x15)
Mario Level 4 (15x15)
Mario Level 5 (15x15) - Unlocked after Mario 1-4 is complete.
Mario Level 6 (15x15) - Unlocked after Mario 1-4 is complete.
Mario Level 7 (15x15) - Unlocked after Mario 1-4 is complete.
Mario Level 8 (20x20) - Unlocked after Mario 5-7 is complete.
Mario Level 9 (20x20) - Unlocked after Mario 5-7 is complete.
Mario Level 10 (20x20, 25x20) - Unlocked after Mario 5-7 is complete. Only the final level is 25x20.
Mario Super Level (25x20) - Unlocked after Mario 8-10 is complete.
Mario EX Level (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario Ultra is complete. Accessible through the Wario Ultra menu, and resembles the title screen. 12 puzzles, with a final 25x20 puzzle unlocked once the others are complete.
Wario Level 1 (10x10, 15X15)
Wario Level 2 (15x15)
Wario Level 3 (15x15)
Wario Level 4 (15x15)
Wario Level 5 (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario 1-4 is complete.
Wario Level 6 (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario 1-4 is complete.
Wario Level 7 (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario 1-4 is complete.
Wario Level 8 (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario 5-7 is complete.
Wario Level 9 (20x20) - Unlocked after Wario 5-7 is complete.
Wario Level 10 (25x20) - Unlocked after Wario 5-7 is complete.
Wario Super Level (25x20) - Unlocked after Wario 8-10 is complete.
Wario Ultra Level (25x20) - Unlocked after Wario Super is complete. 8 puzzles.
Wario EX Level (15x15, 20x20) - Unlocked after Mario EX is complete. 12 puzzles, with three final 25x20 puzzles unlocked once the others are complete. The first 12 puzzles are unique as they represent different parts of both Mario and Wario (with the names shown as if they were narrated by Wario, calling Mario a "Bad Guy" and Wario "Yours Truly").

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