The first Picross NP volume, distributed via Japan's Satellaview service. Short but well crafted, for Picross collectors.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle1 player3+
Description
First volume in the Nintendo Power picross series featuring themed grids to solve. Published by Nintendo, released in Japan in 1997 via Nintendo Power. Number grids to solve revealing Nintendo character drawings with themes tied to popular games. First Picross NP on Super Famicom.
Picross NP Vol. 1 review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Deducing each square by elimination, then watching the image surface pixel by pixel delivers a methodical satisfaction that chains grid after grid without pause. This volume doles out its puzzles in tiers, each calling for the next through the same logical gesture. The principle never changes, but its purity and tempo make it a lastingly gripping pocket companion.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
First volume of Nintendo's Picross NP series, distributed in early 1997 exclusively on a Nintendo Power flash cartridge and built around grids revealing characters from in-house franchises. As the series opener, it sets the format the following volumes would extend. Desirability rests on the scarcity of the NP medium and on its lead position for whoever assembles the entirety of this picross series exclusive to the service.
Is Picross NP Vol. 1 still worth playing in 2026?
Picross NP Vol. 1 opens a series of volumes distributed in Japan through the Satellaview service, with themed grids tied to Nintendo franchises. The pleasure of deduction stays intact, and revealing pictures of familiar characters adds a welcome affectionate touch. The format is short and the difficulty measured, making it mainly a collector's item for Picross enthusiasts. Pleasant to work through, it speaks to genre fans willing to dig into Japanese rarities rather than to a broad audience.
