Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink Review

By John Walker Published 21 March, 2007

Loopy for the loops, we are.

Version tested: DS

I had to be forced to play it. Forced, because my life had been taken over by 1994's Mario's Picross, run on a Gameboy emulator. This was November last year, and it was my first encounter with the block filling puzzles, each so perfectly formed and satisfying to complete. What more could I want from my spare-time fiddling?

But the good Reverend Campbell in his liturgical wisdom forced me to take a break from the Picross frenzy and check out Hudson's fifth game in their Japanese Puzzle Series, Slitherlink. I had a quick look, found the concept less immediately obvious than Picross, and immediately went back. I was on Picross 2 by then, and taking on the huge grids of Wario's puzzles, where wrong answers were ignored to make the challenge even more tough. I can't remember what it was that had me give Slitherlink another go, perhaps more reverential pestering, but, well, I haven't done a Picross since.

I've completed 241 of them so far. While the earlier puzzles can be completed in less than three minutes, I'm now in the fourth difficulty level, due to start puzzle 22, and they're now up to about an hour per grid. Factor in going back to re-do earlier puzzles for the satisfaction of proving how much better at them I am now, and there's been at least 150 hours spent with this wunder-game over the last three or four months, with at least another 100 to go.

Meet the family

'Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink' Screenshot 1

Aw, a 6x6. So delightfully simple, and yet so monstrously satisfying to finish in under 30 seconds. I am the best!

What are they, you ask? You might well have seen them before. They occasionally appear in the newspaper puzzle pages, alongside the vastly inferior Sukodu. My mum was visiting at the weekend, and as ever had a book of Suckodu puzzles in her handbag in case she got bored. I had my DS in my pocket for the same reason. It's not that my family's boring - it's that we have a very low boredom threshold, and are always prepared for the worst.

Er, there was a point to this. Her book contained the occasional Slither Link, under some idiotic name like, "Loop the Loop". They're around.

You begin with a grid, with a few numbers scattered about in the squares. The task is to fill in a single connecting loop that touches the edges of each numbered square the number of times that, er, the number on it says. So, say there's a 3, the square it's in will need three edges to be filled in. If it's a 0, then none, obviously. Fill in the red lines, X out the rest. Put a 0 and a 3 next to each other, and you know which three sides of the 3 must be filled in, right? And that's how it works: you start to see these patterns, these techniques, and the logic of your available moves becomes gloriously apparent.

Hudson have taken this simple puzzle, and put it on the DS in the most perfect way imaginable. It is, without hesitation, the best puzzle game I've ever played.

Learning curves

When I first began, ploughing through the first 20 games - the 6x6 grids - was fairly elementary. It only took me four or five minutes to complete each, and I felt like the master of the gaming world. Then came the 10x10s, which were a shock. Suddenly, with so much extra space (over twice as big, see), it wasn't quite so elementary to dump the lines in where they belonged. How I laugh at my poor, innocent self as I reflect on those days. What I previously knew was no longer good enough. I had to learn new methods, new techniques. And before I had these mastered I was experimenting with the dotted blue lines it lets you draw in. I was guessing, learning by trial and error. Each puzzle took between 10 and 15 minutes, and my brain was getting bigger.

'Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink' Screenshot 2

The top screen will show you four of the most important techniques for avoiding mad guessing and blue line-based stumbling.

By the time I'd made my way through 90 of these, they were only taking 5 to 10 minutes, and the blue lines were history. And then suddenly it was 18x10. (The levels don't in fact divide by grid size. It's somewhat ambiguous as to how exactly the split is made). Then the third section changes from 18x10 to a whopping 24x14 two thirds of the way through. By now a grid had more white spaces than numbers, and each was a 15 to 20 minute task. More than a bus ride. But now I was discovering even more fantastic techniques for approaching the puzzles. Cranium swelling.

The game gives you tips like: if two 3s are diagonally next to one another, you can fill in the opposite corners on each; or: two 3s alongside each other will have their three vertical edges (including the shared one) filled in, plus Xs above and below the middle line. But there are loads more. They're horrible to explain in text. Proof: If you have a line pointing to a 2, with a 3 diagonally next to it, then you can fill in the opposite corner of the 3. As odd as they sound, they became instinctive, my eyes scanning the screen like a puzzling hawk, spotting recognisable groupings of numbers, or spaces I could eliminate to prevent the line from looping too soon, then swooping down, stylus in my talons, and attacking my prey.

Come puzzle 18 of the final block and - surprise! - 36x20. Twenty times bigger than the original puzzles, and each taking between 45 minutes to an hour. These are my current foes, most nightmarish because a single mistake is near impossible to spot, meaning finding yourself in a dead end often means restarting.

But when I go back to those 10x10s, they take less than two minutes, and that's only because it's as fast as I can tap. What I know now dwarfs what I knew then. I've learned. I've grown as a person. I'm your king! Well, I'm especially good at Slitherlinks.

Farflung lurch technique

These little boxes of joy never disappoint. They never fail like a high difficulty Suckodu might, forcing you to guess. Instead there's always a logical next move. You either didn't spot it yet, or you didn't learn a technique advanced enough to spot. Hundreds of puzzles in, I'm still learning new tricks. They're ludicrously elaborate now, based on groupings of 3s and 1s on an edge, or 2s in corners of 3s and 1s, where I spy the correct conditions and leap upon it, hoping it will open up another section of lines to fill in. Seeing one you've missed is like discovering the box of expensive chocolates you were given in fact has another layer underneath. This is how puzzles should always be - so perfectly constructed and utterly rewarding to complete. Even completing the Telegraph cryptic crossword (a feat I've only ever managed in a team with my mum) doesn't match the satisfaction of seeing the loop link up and the "COMPLETION!!" appear on the screen.

More peculiar is the anthropomorphism I've developed when I view the numbers. Numbropomorphism as someone suggested (I rudely forget who, so fail to award credit). 3s are greedy, boisterous, and definitely male. They bully the other numbers, barging their way through queues and spilling pints. 2s are the very opposite, prim and polite, sensible, and certainly female. They are business-like, efficient and tidy, but remarkably clever. They tolerate the 3s, but find the 1s tiresome. And indeed the 1s are tiresome. Needy cowards, they feebly sit in the way, refusing to help.

So yes, I've gone insane. But what do you expect after spending at least an hour a day with this game for the past third of a year? It kept me sane over Christmas, and more importantly, keeps me sane on the bus. It fills awkward gaps in a busy day, and adds the required extra entertainment when watching a mediocre television programme. And yes, it's fighting with Private Eye for my Special Morning Sit-down entertainment.

'Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink' Screenshot 3

A 10x18 and it gets too big for the bottom screen. The top screen becomes very helpful, but not nearly as helpful as remembering to put every X in as you go.

If you're not convinced at this puzzling perfection, there are all sorts of flash games scattered around the internet, and various newspapers occasionally print them next to the sillier puzzles. But, and here's why this Hudson release is so damned perfect, none compare to the ease with which it can be played on the DS. Unlike Sudoku, Slitherlink sits far more comfortably with a stylus and touch-screen.

For one thing, the different colours make it far easier to spot patterns, with red lines, yellow Xs and white numbers. To recreate this in the newspaper would require a box of crayons and more patience than Robbie Williams' therapist. And for another, you can make mistakes, with the game remembering every move you've played and letting you take them back one by one. And the first time you play it, it will take you through the most remarkably comprehensive tutorial, all pictorial, that will make sure you have the basics from the very beginning.

'Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink' Screenshot 4

The motherload. This is an early stage of a 36x20, where I've filled in just the scrappy lines that are immediately obvious. The tough puzzling is to come.

The design gets even better. The red lines you draw, when connected up, have a rainbow pattern gently running around its course. It's a tiny detail, but it's a fantastic visual demonstration of the intricate looping structure you're building. Then the top screen shows a full display of the grid, very useful when the puzzle is too big for the touch-screen. Every shortcut you could want has been thought of - double-tapping takes it from a line to an X, and another clears it away, rather than having to switch between each as you go along. It's neat, sleek, and astonishingly clear. If every puzzle game could only be so wonderfully built.

Japanese to Eurogamer Dictionary

The catch? It's somewhat in Japanese. But this doesn't present a problem once the menus are fathomed. For your merry convenience, here's a quick guide. To start tap the top-left box, then the top box on the right. Then the four options that appear are the four difficulty levels. Once in a game, The three buttons on the right at the foot of the touch-screen are as follows: Tips, switch unfinished numbers to red, and options. And in the options, all that matter are the top-right to start a puzzle over, and just below it to give up completely. (Oh, and you can turn the horrid music off here too.)

It's taken over my life, and it's currently taking over Tom's, as he pops up in IM windows to alert me to his latest speedy solving times. It's so perfectly implemented, never fiddly, always smooth. It does, it must be noted, start to struggle once you're at the very end of a 36x20, when managing all the data on screen, but that's the most minor of gripes. While the Hudson Puzzle series has contained some gems, especially the joyful Honeycomb Beat, none match Slitherlink's ease of use, intuitive controls, and blissful perfection in puzzle design.

10 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of John.

About John Walker

Read more articles from John by visiting the John Walker archive page.

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Comments (105) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • spongebob #1 5 years ago

    TEN? I am a sucker for good puzzles. Please say that this is coming to Europe!

  • Laserbream #2 5 years ago

    CHRIST TEN OUT OF TEN

  • lemon #3 5 years ago

    So, it's like Minesweeper.

  • MadMirko #4 5 years ago

    Where did this come from?! This needs to be secured for the better half ASAP.

  • jonsaan #5 5 years ago

    try the new picross game from nintendo, Japanese only, but simply awesome!

  • lambtron #6 5 years ago

    Unexpected score-arama!

    Personally I think you were a bit harsh on some other DS games - rocket slime in my opinion is a 9 or 10 for example. This looks like perfect on-the-train fodder anyway.

  • dirigiblebill #7 5 years ago

    Er. So, which is the jump button again?

  • kinggid #8 5 years ago

    Does this make this the best DS game yet? Have any others had a 10?
    It does look great, like a more complex minesweeper.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #9 5 years ago

    Yes, better than any of those, by any quality criteria you care to measure.

  • [maven] #10 5 years ago

    Whoah, this came out of nowhere, and the review has me salivating. Is an English version announced? Otherwise I may as well order it now...

  • kincaide #11 5 years ago

    Yeah - is there a US release of this?

  • faux_carnation #12 5 years ago

    It's only £15 on play-asia.

    /buys

  • Artemis_Matsas #13 5 years ago

    Go hug a tree you Eurogamer Hippies!!!

  • phl0w #14 5 years ago

    Isn't it "Sudoku"? Or is Suckodu another puzzle, I'm not aware of? Because with Sudoku you NEVER have to guess either, there's always a logical next move too, if you can't find any, you're not thinking hard enough.

    Anyway, any chance this gets a PSP release?

  • IAmBatman #15 5 years ago

    So how much of the menu and stuff is in Japanese? Will I be horribly confused and end up quitting instead of saving if I import this?

  • [maven] #16 5 years ago

    Ordered it (with UPS shipping even).

    CURSE YOU!

  • Tomo #17 5 years ago

    ROBIN GET THE BATMOBILE.

    US RELEASE?!! LANGUAGE BARRIER!>!?

    /explodes

  • CivilD #18 5 years ago

    Oh man, you get these in Sudoku books sometimes and i've been searching for a book with just them in it. NOW THERE IS A DS GAME. I've died.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #19 5 years ago

    The menus present an obstacle for about the first 30 seconds, and then never again.

  • NewYork #20 5 years ago

    FINE, I'LL BUY* IT.


    *illegally download

  • spongebob #21 5 years ago

    Every time I see a comment starting with the words "better than", a little bit of me dies inside. When oh when will that get old?

    Rest assured, the people posting "better than" messages have died inside a long time ago :)

  • chupachups #22 5 years ago

    Look at these graphics:

    [link url=http://images.eurogamer.net/asset s/articles//a/7/4/3/5/7/a_med_eg_slither04.jpg
    ]http://im ages.eurogamer.net/assets/artic...[/link]

    Look at this score:

    10/10

    See? You don't need cutting edge hardware to make a good game.

  • JetSetWilly #23 5 years ago

    Where do I buy, where do I buy?

  • asphaltcowboy #24 5 years ago

    Fantastic, might have to pick this up for the GF (well, and myself of course!)

  • botherer #25 5 years ago

    As far as I know, there's no English language release planned of any of the excellent Hudson series. However, perhaps this review will encourage a publisher to take a look.

    However, as I said, it's really not a problem.

    phl0w: Suckodu is my HILARIOUS Rory Bremner Satire name for Sudoku. Also, you *do* have to guess at the high end. The super-difficult book Sudoku Genius by Tom Sheldon discusses the pros and cons of this, and highlights those puzzles that require it so sensible people can ignore them, or scribble on them with a marker pen. Also, it would be a disaster on the PSP, without the stylus controls.

    IAmBatman: If you follow my super-excellent instructions in the review, you'll have no troubles at all. The first time you run it it will ask for a name, save slot, etc, but that's all fairly obvious too. Plus you get to invent a Japanese name for yourself!

    lambtron - I don't think I was harsh on Rocket Slime. I gave it an 8 because it was very good. And said how madly lovely it was, over and over : )

  • botherer #26 5 years ago

    JetSetWilly:

    As someone else said, the best place seems to be Play Asia. I can't find it anywhere else. And it's a measly £15 for over 200 hours of puzzle joy!

    [link url=http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g-4 9-en-15-slitherlink-70-1l0i.html
    ]http://ww w.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g-4...[/link]

    (John Walker is not sponsored by Play Asia, although he wishes he were, as it would save him a lot of money)

  • el_pollo_diablo #27 5 years ago

    Wonderful!

    I'm enjoying these 'tea break' titles on the DS more and more.

    If you haven't already, also check out:

    - Big Brain Academy (vastly superior to Brain Training)
    - 4 Games in 1 (Boggle will have to do until Bookworm makes it to the DS)
    - Quickspot (spot the difference)
    - and 42 All Time Classics, which is just PERFECT.

  • neilka #28 5 years ago

    The status at Play Asia has just changed from "ships in 24 hours" to "ships within a week" - they must be mystified as to why so many Europeans have started buying it in the last hour...

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #29 5 years ago

    Actually, Slitherlink would work fine on PSP, as it also supports d-pad-and-face-buttons control, which is in fact the Control Style Of Champions. It might miss the top screen, but the wider display would be a boon on later puzzles so it'd be swings and roundabouts.

  • erp #30 5 years ago

    mine! (£14.67 from yesasia with free shipping!)

    but hang on: playasia are listing at least 12 games in this series so far!?! where on earth did these come from?? i'd never even heard of the series until today.

    has anyone seen any reviews of any of the other games in the series? or better yet, an overview of the series as a whole?

  • JetSetWilly #31 5 years ago

    botherer: Cheers for the link, I'm sold!

  • botherer #32 5 years ago

    erp:

    The series is of varying use to a non-Japanese speaker. And to those who really don't need any more Sudoku puzzles in their lives.

    For instance, two of them are Crossword games, which are obviously a bit pointless without the language. Then Vol 8: Nankuro isn't understandable either.

    Vol 1 is jigsaw puzzles : )

    However, Vol 10 to 13 are all very interesting looking, and perhaps might get reviews some day.

    Oh, and Vol. 4: Kakuro will entertain.

    You can see them all here:

    <a href="http://www.hudson.co.j p/puzzle
    ">http://www.hudson.co.j p/puzzle
    </a>

    (er, for no reason that link is splurging gibberish. Delete after "puzzle/";)

    And I think there's playable demos on that site, but I'm stuffed if I can remember how to get to them. And of course a quick Wikipedia search for each will offer comprehensive instructions.
    Edited by 3 at 21/03/07 @ 13:05

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #33 5 years ago

    Several of the Puzzle Series titles are reviewed here, along with other DS puzzle games:

    <a href=http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/dsrev/roun dup3.htm
    >http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.co...</a>

    Most of the ones not covered in the roundup above (eg Crossword and Nankuro) absolutely require a full command of Japanese, being word-based.
    Edited by 3 at 21/03/07 @ 13:15

  • gerald #34 5 years ago

    Try it online

    If you can read german: Play "Schlangenlinie" and a numerous other puzzles (incl. rules).

  • MrChuckles #35 5 years ago

    Buy 'beyond suduko' at your local whsmiths to see the current crop of crazy jap games. My fave are the mosaic, battleships and dominoes ones.

    Slitherlink are a bit more annoying than them.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #36 5 years ago

    Of the three newest releases in the Puzzle Series, Akari is a little bit like Slitherlink For Kids, cute but very very easy; Hitori is ideal for slightly lazier thinkers as it's rather more forgiving of trial and error; and Nurikabe is brilliant brain-twisting stuff, probably the third-best in the series after Slitherlink and Illust Logic.

  • GrandpaUlrira #37 5 years ago

    wtf?

    10? Oh man, and I was only looking forward to picross until I read this.

  • Toothball #38 5 years ago

    I was convinced from the word "Picross". One of the DS Sudoku games has a load of Picross puzzles included, but the Sudoku part put me off a little. This looks pretty exciting too.

    Extra: Illust Logic is also Picross? I'm off to Play Asia.
    Edited by 1 at 21/03/07 @ 13:18

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #39 5 years ago

    The Nintendo DS Picross game is terrible. For Picross on the DS, get Illust Logic or Essential Sudoku instead.

  • Kiigan #40 5 years ago

    I play this constantly, as does my missus. I see Slitherlink in my sleep, it owns me. Love it to bits.

  • UncleLou #41 5 years ago

    Very interesting.

    However, as lemon said:

    So, it's like Minesweeper.

    I had that impression, too. Is it really a much better game, or are you also a hopeless Minesweeper addict, John? ;)

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #42 5 years ago

    It's nothing at all like Minesweeper.

  • CivilD #43 5 years ago

    The DS Picross game is absolutely sublime, i've been playing it for a while now.

    Does anyone know if there's a DS game for the Bridges puzzle? You get them in Sudoku books sometumes.

  • DrCongo #44 5 years ago

    UncleLou, try the online version linked somewhere above. It really is, to paraphrase Pulp Fiction, pretty fucking far from Minesweeper.

    /is sold

  • asphaltcowboy #45 5 years ago

    Play online

    Once the page has loaded, click number 4 and you should be able to play the game, if you don't have a pop-up blocker turned on :)
    Edited by 2 at 21/03/07 @ 13:44

  • UncleLou #46 5 years ago

    Cheers guys, I'll try the link. I could do with a great puzzle game on the DS.

  • Benjaminos #47 5 years ago

    Sorry, I can't take your DS puzzle reviews seriously. Not after how completely and entirely wrong you were about Picross DS.

  • quedex #48 5 years ago

    Been buying the slitherlink puzzle books from japan regularly. They're great fun.
    Don't see how it's supposed to work on the DS though - the puzzles are too small to be interesting.

    @disc: Buy the books from Nikoli - ALL of their puzzles are hand created, and they are MUCH more satisfying to solve.
    Edited by 2 at 21/03/07 @ 14:17

  • botherer #49 5 years ago

    Benjaminos: Seriously, I cannot fathom how you can support it. Surely the very point of a Picross game is to be able to SEE the puzzle as you fill it in? Having to drag the screen around to see a complete row entirely defeats the puzzle. What is your defense for this?

    quedex: That makes no sense whatsoever.

  • quedex #50 5 years ago

    What doesn't make sense?

  • botherer #51 5 years ago

    What scale do you demand? Is 36x20 too small?

  • Santino #52 5 years ago

    cheers for the play asia link, just ordered this and can't wait till it arrives. i love these sorts of games.

  • Benjaminos #53 5 years ago

    Botherer: Um, you do know the DS has two screens, right? And the top one shows the current state of the whole puzzle at all times?

  • quedex #54 5 years ago

    @botherer: Yes. :-)
    They do two ranges of books, one goes up to 36x20, the others go up to 45x30.

    That screenshot of 36x20 puzzle makes it look too awkward having to keep scrolling around, especially when you've got used to doing the same puzzles on a single sheet of paper.

  • botherer #55 5 years ago

    Good lord.

    I want that puzzle so bad.

    Honestly, the smaller puzzles are perfect treats for small gaps in your day, and the scrolling is as nothing when given the ability to delete lines, the different colours, the little rainbow pattern, and the option to have incomplete numbers turned red.

  • tentonipete #56 5 years ago

    if you have to guess at all then it is not a sudoku.

  • asphaltcowboy #57 5 years ago

    The online puzzles are cool! very addictive (and there are only 2!). Definitely something to get for the gf's birthday... :D

  • enzima #58 5 years ago

    I really am the biggest sucker for puzzles, i didn´t even finish to read the review that i already oredered it from play asia. Botherer prepare yourself for a bunch of question if translation is required!
    Now i cant wait (today i also bought a ps3), today must be my day or something!!!

  • MrChuckles #59 5 years ago

    As i said (Everyone ignores me), get a copy of 'Beyond Suduko' (monthly puzzle mag) in WHSmiths. It has all the new style Jap puzzles, and tells you how to play them, and gives hints.

    Then it won't matter if this is all in japanese or not. :)

  • CivilD #60 5 years ago

    The Picross screen actually works very well. When you touch a square the numbers for that row and column pop up at the side and the top, so it's not like you're going back and forth to check the numbers all the time.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #61 5 years ago

    You haven't actually played any of the other Picross games on the DS, have you?

  • el_pollo_diablo #62 5 years ago

    All this talk of lines and numbers is all very well, but when, WHEN will they do a ds conversion of Uo Poko, officially the greatest game in the universe?

    Eh?

  • Benjaminos #63 5 years ago

    You haven't actually played any of the other Picross games on the DS, have you?

    (Edit: I know that wasn't expressly aimed at me, but still..)

    I just don't understand either of the criticisms you level at Picross DS, to be honest..

    The menu system is fine, I can reach a puzzle with four taps of the stylus. As for being "swamped in Japanese menus", why is it you could be bothered to learn the menu structure for Illust Logic or Slitherlink, and not Picross DS?

    Also, I find the control system completely intuitive - why wouldn't you want to fill in the coloured squares with a stylus? I can't think of a more natural way to do it. It's simple - left hand on the d-pad, right hand holds the stylus.. hold up and tap to fill in a square, hold down and tap to mark it as empty, tap and drag to move the screen. There's even a key/legend in the top left corner of the screen to remind you, should you forget!

    You don't even mention the puzzle editor (with the capability to send puzzles to your friends via wi-fi), the multiplayer, the fact that Nintendo are releasing weekly packs of ten puzzles that you can download and play.. maybe you should have spent a few more minutes deciphering the menus.
    Edited by 1 at 21/03/07 @ 17:55

  • jonsaan #64 5 years ago

    @Benjaminos

    It seems the WOS review roundup has got Picrossds and the Hudson one the wrong way round. Picross DS even allows you to download mario related puzzles if you take it online. It's the blueey one shown in the screenshot for the Hudson game.

    And it's totally excellent.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #65 5 years ago

    They're not the wrong way round, the screenshots in the roundup are arranged in pairs.

    Picross DS has a far more complicated menu system than Illust Logic, but it's the scrolling that really screws it up. It's *ridiculously* fiddly to do a 15x15 puzzle by constantly having to scroll the screen around to see where the edges are and therefore where the squares have to go. And the thing is, it's totally unnecessary - Illust Logic makes much more intelligent use of the screen area to fit puzzles in without making it a horrible nightmare to use.

    I can see how people would like Picross DS if it was the first Picross game they'd played, because Picross generally is great. But if you've played any other one, be it on DS, Game Boy, SNES or anything else, you'll recognise the interface as the appallingly cack-handed abortion that it is. Hell, the PD one for the GBA does a better job.

  • jonsaan #66 5 years ago

    Well I can't argue with that. Because it's the first Picross I've played! I will track down the ones you recommend and shut up right now:)

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #67 5 years ago

    [faints]

  • Benjaminos #68 5 years ago

    Don't get too surprised, as I still own a copy of Mario Picross for the GB, and I still think you're talking cobblers.

    Edit for some actual content: I can't see why scrolling is such a bugbear for you.. the whole puzzle is permanently visible on the top screen all the time anyway, and if you're using the stylus to colour in squares, what difference does it make if you have to tap one or two times extra to move the screen?
    Edited by 1 at 21/03/07 @ 18:49

  • botherer #69 5 years ago

    I think Slitherlink has brought some kind of mad love to the world.

    The comments thread didn't descend into a screaming mess of "BETTER THAN HALO 2 THEN?"s.

    People have expressed their Slitherlink and Picross love.

    A wonderful game has been bought by many.

    jonsaan's reply was a reasonable and modest comment on a forum.

    And then Stu actually went back to Picross DS to check he wasn't wrong!

    (He wasn't. It's a horrible idea to scroll the screen. Even the vast Picross in 94's Mario Picross 2 get it better on a Gameboy).
    Edited by 2 at 21/03/07 @ 18:57

  • L0cky #70 5 years ago

    'Factor in going back to re-do earlier puzzles for the satisfaction of proving how much better at them I am now'

    Which is exactly why I can't take Elite Beat Agents out of my DS to give this a try :(

  • Carrybagma #71 5 years ago

    but
    but
    but

    It's not even shiny...

  • JayPee #72 5 years ago

    Oops.

    Bought.

  • spelk #73 5 years ago

    Get a taste for it here:

    [link url=http://www.puzzle-loop.co m/
    ]http://www.puzzle-loop.co m/
    [/link]

    (in English too)

  • Adman #74 5 years ago

    Ordered it, along with Illust Logic.

    Trying not to play around on the puzzle-loop website so that it still feels fresh when it arrives. Not easy.

  • Cataferal #75 5 years ago

    Im not usually one to jump on the bandwagon so fast, but i know how potently addictive these DS puzzle games can be. Eurogamer gave me a justified heads-up on 42ATC, so im willing to trust them on this one as well.

    *Pulls a sad face at Play-asia's "dispatched within 7 days" notice* Bastards!
    Edited by 1 at 22/03/07 @ 00:44

  • Zuiyo #76 5 years ago

    Ten out of ten... is this the best videogame ever? It must be!

  • trevd72 #77 5 years ago

    i have sudoku essentials which is picross and sudoku and that seems like an amiable little game. what do the picross and sudoku connoisseurs make of this game?

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #78 5 years ago

    Read the first two paragraphs, man...

  • Rancohn #79 5 years ago

    Yet more puzzle joy for the DS - truly the best puzzling console there is, which is why I have one.

    Apart from those on the Rev's website, what other Japanese puzzling goodness is recommended here (assuming no language barriers)?

    I doubt I will ever get my hands on Guru Logic Champ (been after it for 2 years but still never found a copy).

    R

  • gerald #80 5 years ago

    Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection: The ultimate little-squarish-puzzle-games-collection. Works on PC, Mac, Unix and Pocket-PC. Great timewasters!

    Look for "Loopy", if you want to play Slitherlink.

  • erp #81 5 years ago

    oh god gerald, i so wish you hadn't posted that link... yikes! :)

  • Rufus #82 5 years ago

    Hurrah, 100th DS game review. Can't wait to get this, it'll be interesting to see if it takes over me like Kurushi Final still does to this day. So.many.blocks.

  • frink #83 5 years ago

    I'm loving it...but can anyone explain what the blue and yellow dotted line is for?

  • f00b_inc #84 5 years ago

    Well I caved in too and ordered a copy :) It sounds like perfect bus fodder and I haven't had a puzzle game on the DS since Tetris got stolen last year, lol. Can't wait!

  • RickHard #85 5 years ago

    Does Slitherlink really qualify as a "Video Game" in the same sense as, say, Olbivion, Mario or God of War ? I frankly do not think so. It is a puzzle game, as a crosswords. Because it is played on a screen does not make it a video game.

  • smelly #86 5 years ago

    @RickHard: To me, (not played this yet though, just read the review) this is more of a video game than oblivion, which is more of an interactive story than an actual game.

    Games are toys. Games are there to be played. If you have fun playing said game, then it's a good game.

    And apparently this is just that.

  • smelly #87 5 years ago

    EDIT: Stuart campbell likes it.. Therefore ipso facto, it's shite.

    (and he probably only likes it as he probably didnt pay for it, only downloaded it - probably).

  • Carrybagma #88 5 years ago

    I thought GridWars was great, and he recommended it!

  • Bitkari #89 5 years ago

    Really?

    Wow.

  • TripSkyway #90 5 years ago

    Sounds good I'll see if I can fins a copy.

  • dr_zoidthrob #91 5 years ago

    played it. didn't get it... what am I missing?

    EDIT: I guess random clicking just isn't right, right?
    Edited by 1 at 28/03/07 @ 09:48

  • rosemeyer1939 #92 5 years ago

    Only just got this, and i actually think the review might be right! - could not put it down last night.

    Although... I play purely with D-pad and buttons - beautifully fast!. seems much better than stylus control to me.

  • [maven] #93 5 years ago

    Got my copy on Monday and have been enjoying it since, playing about 2h in bed each evening... :)
    I would still like a complete translation for the options screen and some of the tutorial. What's with the incoming blue lines for the later cases?

  • Adman #94 5 years ago

    Blarg. Play-asia have changed the shipping date from March 29th to April 10th for my copy. At least they shipped out Illust Logic separately.

    And I have Puzzle Quest coming. Woo!

  • legendmir #95 5 years ago

    i too have bought it, mostly because the revioew cracked me up so much, hope its good woo!

  • asphaltcowboy #96 5 years ago

    Well copy arrived on the morning of my gf's birthday!

    /is a lucky man!

  • Adman #97 5 years ago

    Mine arrived today also. Enjoying it muchly, and has bumped Illust Logic out of my DS for now.

  • f00b_inc #98 5 years ago

    Mine just arrived - sitting in the sun struggling to see the screen :) I like it

  • cawley1 #99 5 years ago

    Mine got here today as well, although my major dislike of screens of Jap text (instilled in me in the 16-Bit era) has returned with a vengence!
    Why I always go the US route - anyone got a quick guide for getting into this as every otion I choose takes me to what looks like a tutorial!

  • Adman #100 5 years ago

    Pressing start a lot normally does the job. Once you beat your first puzzle that tutorial will never come back.

  • [maven] #101 5 years ago

    I'm stuck on level 69 on Medium. I can fill in 4 line fragment in the lower right corner, but after that I don't know how to proceed... Help?

  • msephton #102 5 years ago

    I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Wonderswan version of this game that came out years ago. Of course it's slower to play without the stylus, and it may not feature as many puzzles, but it's possibly even more charming.

  • RE*AC*TOR #103 5 years ago

    Arrived yesterday - its fucking awesome.

    Well done Eurogamer! You need to find more import gems for us!

  • msephton #104 5 years ago

    Try http://www.ntsc-uk.com a site that specialises in reviewing import gems.

  • Adman #105 2 years ago

    3 years later I'm still playing this.

    10/10 indeed.