There's an odd peace that comes with solving a puzzle. The uniformity, the sense of accomplishment, the satisfaction included upon inserting that final piece, and of course, the visual element of watching an image take shape. It all goes into a perfectly distracting activity that, in this current time, could go a long way.
Picross, also known as Griddlers or Nonograms, are number-based logic puzzles that are solved by filling in spaces on a framework. Often used to create simple visuals, they consist of a grid that uses numbers along its exterior to determine what boxes get filled and to provide clues as to how to accomplish doing so. There are plenty of games that make use of these mechanics, including the newly released Murder By Numbers game from Mediatonic (currently available on the Nintendo Switch and PC).
In Murder By Numbers, you play as television detective Honor Mizrahi, who teams up with an amnesiac robot companion named SCOUT to solve mysteries in a Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-styled visual novel. While investigating crime scenes and examining evidence, players will have to solve pixelated picross puzzles to gain clues used to solve mysteries.
Fans of manga or anime should get quite a kick out of this title. Visually, the game seems sharp but familiar, with art duties handled beautifully by Hatoful Boyfriend creator, manga artist Hato Moa and developed by Mediatonic. Much of the promotional material highlights puzzle-solving over the story, but considering the team behind it, there are bound to be a few touching moments alongside the twists.
With news seemingly becoming more and more overwhelming as the days go by, the gaming community often lets titles like Murder By Numbers slip right by without a second thought, in favor of more immediately cathartic avenues of release. Puzzles, however, have added benefits past "just" being a distraction for adults, including improving memory and problem-solving skills and delaying cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimers.
Moreover, they can be done cooperatively, which, in a time of social distancing and isolation, is paramount to keeping a hold on the bonds that keep the gaming community whole. Additionally, puzzles and puzzle games frequently allow their player bases to approach things at a more relaxed speed, a luxury not often afforded in today's attention-deficient and loot box driven gaming industry.
Sure, there's the potential for pixel art in Picross games. There's also logic and math too, but perhaps the most beneficial effect of this style of puzzle gaming isn't in its art or difficulty. It's the moments on the subway or at home where we all get to sit back and feel a fleeting sense of accomplishment or control while seeking to escape the humdrum nature of our day-to-day life.
There's a reason you'll find at least one person on your local commute hammering away at a sudoku screen on their mobile device. Murder by Numbers looks to be a game that takes influences from the aforementioned Ace Attorney series, CSI, and yes, cheesy pop music - all of which provide great escapism for those who need it.