Blending Sudoku, Picross, and Mine Sweeper –

Mixing puzzle elements from Picross and Sudoku, Tappingo is a different type of puzzle game that offers a casual but yet refined experience for a low cost.

Using the stylus, the goal is to create 8-bit sprites by stringing together tiles in the correct order.  Each puzzle has numbered blocks that will extend into lines of a specific length when tapped. This number represents the total length each line/tile needs to be.  In order to complete the image, certain lines must be extended before others to reach these specific lengths.  This might sound confusing on paper but learning how the game works only takes a couple of minutes thanks to a simple and short tutorial. In other words, this game uses the same deductive reasoning found in Sudoku, Picross, and even Mine Sweeper.

It might look complicated but gameplay is very easy to understand

While some puzzles are definitely easier than others, trial and error mistakes are inevitable especially in the later stages.  The problem with this, like Sudoku, the player might not realize a mistake has been made until several moves later which can require a bit of backtracking.  Luckily, undoing lines is just a single tap away but it might be better to just fully restart completely if players are going for faster completion times. The timer is just there to provide optional incentive as there is no penalty for taking a longer amount of time.  There are no multiplayer options and gameplay is set as your pace; this creates a casual and laid back gameplay experience.

Overall, Tappingo sports a brightly colored and charming visual presentation while the soundtrack is quite satisfying although limited.  Each puzzle image is usually some type of animal, food, or nerdy computer object like a floppy disk but adding in Gameboy and N64 controller images are a nice touch.  The only problem is sometimes completed puzzles look garbled when they are put together on the top screen during gameplay, only making visual sense until they are viewed in tiny thumbnail form from the main menu. The 3D effect doesn’t really add anything and isn’t necessary but it is there if players want to use it. And it is also worth pointing out that the touch screen stylus control is dead-on and even works well when tapping those tiles at the edge and corners of the screen.

Don’t see too many of these any more.

Tappingo is a light hearted puzzle game that basically turns your 3DS into an easy going coloring book.  With simple but yet accomplishing gameplay, pleasant presentation values and relaxing soundtrack, low cost but high quantity, this eShop download is worth your time and a much less stressful puzzle game in comparison the more frantic Tetris’, Bejeweleds, and Dr. Marios.

Better Than: Banana Bliss: Jungle Puzzles
Also Try: Wakedas
Wait For It: Witch and Hero 2
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com