Nintendo has launched an entirely original mobile game that ignores its iconic mascots, instead using players' own photo albums as the raw material for a series of frantic microgames. The title, Pictonico!, is the standout in this month’s new releases, which also include the mobile debut of Slime Rancher and a major update to the bullet hell shooter Phoenix 2. Available on both iOS and Android, Pictonico! costs £6.99 on iOS and £5.39 on Android. This marks a significant departure for the Japanese game giant, which typically relies on its own IP for mobile ventures.
Nintendo's Photo-Album Microgame Revolution
Pictonico! harvests pictures from the user's phone, with a particular fondness for people's faces. Those faces are then animated to laugh, cry, chat, smile, or chomp down canapés in games that last a maximum of three seconds. Underpinned by Nintendo's typically self-assured engineering standards, the way pictures are chosen and animated never fails to amuse and impress. The game's design prevents monotony through cleverly integrated increases in difficulty, ensuring that extended play remains engaging.
Keeping Microgames Fresh Over Time
Initially, players must simply figure out what to do against a strict time limit, but soon actual skill becomes necessary. Since each session features a different friend or relative in the quick-fire rounds, the game stays remarkably fresh. It may not be the sort of title one would play for hours at a time, but it is ideal for a swift, invigorating break in the day. The result is a highly polished experience that earned an 8/10 score from reviewers.
Chess Roguelites, Farming Sims, and Physics Puzzles
Alongside Nintendo's offering, this month brings Gambonanza, a chess-based roguelite from Stray Fawn Studio, and the mobile port of Slime Rancher from Playdigious. Gambonanza joins a boom period for games subverting chess, following titles like Shotgun King and Pawnbarian. Each level is a puzzle requiring players to use chess pieces and moves to wipe out a computer-controlled opponent. Captured pieces disappear forever, but players can buy more between rounds, along with perk-conferring gambits that stack to create powerful combinations.
Gambonanza and Slime Rancher
The AI adversary occasionally makes confusingly foolish mistakes in early rounds, but that does not diminish the significant challenge. This highly polished and mentally taxing game feels as though it was made for touchscreen, earning an 8/10 score. Meanwhile, Slime Rancher makes its mobile debut as a first-person space-based farming simulator. Players use a vac-pac to Hoover up friendly-looking slimes and their favorite food, then fire them into transparent walled pens to harvest freshly excreted 'plorts' for cash.
Perchang World: A Physics Sequel
Perchang World, a sequel to the decade-old physics puzzle game, is available on iOS via Apple Arcade subscription. Players roll a series of marbles through obstacles in multi-coloured 3D landscapes, triggering flippers, columns, magnets, and see-saws to boost them along. The physics have a pleasing quality, and while it may not demand much creativity, it provides an increasing test of dexterity and timing, with an enjoyably over-the-top plot. It scored 7/10.
Bullet Hell, PIN Puzzles, and a Cautionary Tale
This month also sees a game-changing update for Phoenix 2, a vertical bullet hell shmup originally released a decade ago. The update lets players upgrade 100 tiny, wonderfully detailed collectible spaceships with individual mods. While not all add-ons are useful, some prove spectacularly powerful, augmenting abilities in genuinely new ways and adding extra challenge to speed runs. The game's high production values include graphically diverse ships with own main and auxiliary armaments, and exquisitely designed sound effects that shine with headphones, earning an 8/10 score.
Phoenix 2 Update and What's the Password?
What's the Password? is a single-minded puzzle game where players work out a four-digit PIN from diverse clues, ranging from extremely obvious to cryptic. While occasionally head-scratching, too many levels feel a little obvious, undermining satisfaction, resulting in a 5/10 score. In stark contrast, Mystic Motors: Car Racing Game attempts to add spell-casting to driving but is abysmally poor. It suffers from shaky technical performance, with crashes on the loading screen and when opening loot crates, spells lacking sound effects, and an overall half-finished air.
Mystic Motors' Dismal Debut
The developer's decision to include a monstrous £199 microtransaction remains baffling, and the game earned a dismal 2/10. This cautionary tale underscores the risks of releasing unfinished software. For PC owners, Phoenix 2 has also just come out of early access on Steam, expanding its reach beyond mobile. The variety of this month's releases—from Nintendo's innovative microgames to the broken spell-racing hybrid—demonstrates the breadth of the mobile gaming landscape.