Save your pencils and give your sharpeners a rest, because Nikoli’s Pencil Puzzle is on 3DS. Solve four different kinds of brain teasers, including Sudoku, with hundreds of puzzles in each category.

Use the stylus to tap and trace lines in each of the puzzles. Sudoku is pretty self-explanatory. You tap in the numbers on which squares you want, so it’s not like Brain Age where you can write them in. Which means it’s a little more clunkier this way, albeit still playable.

The three other kinds of puzzles are not as well known, but are certainly fun if you like those kinds of riddles. In Shikaku, the field is arranged with numbers and you must draw boxes around each one. The number indicates how big the box needs to be, and no more than one number can be in a box. You must fill the field with boxes to win.

Next is Akari. In this one, you must place ‘light bulbs’ that shine in four directions. The field has to be filled with light, but numbers on the puzzle indicate how many bulbs can be put next to them, and you can’t have two bulbs right in a row. This one was a little trickier for me to figure out, though.

Last is Hashi. This one’s my favorite. Numbers are arranged on the field and you must draw lines to connect them all. The numbers show how many lines can be connected to them. You win when every number is connected.

You can view tutorials on each puzzle and there are more than a hundred to solve in each category. On the top screen you can choose to show a timer, a 3-D scene, or another view of the puzzle. When you solve a puzzle, you earn a hint which you can use to help figure out another tricky brain teaser.

The 3-D visuals on the 3DS don’t affect the game any, although classic Hudson Soft. game fans might enjoy seeing cameos of classic characters like Bomberman and even Milon from Milon’s Secret Castle! If you enjoy using your noodle, then you might want to take a look at this collection. Great for handheld gaming, and you can even save a puzzle to come back to it later!

Kid Factor:

Reading skill is helpful for the instructions, as well as number recognition. The game is educational as it teaches logic skills, but it might be a little too difficult for younger gamers. Nikoli’s Pencil Puzzle is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews