Squeakross: Home Squeak Home

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is a logic puzzle game about solving nonograms (a.k.a. Picross puzzles) to furnish a home for a cute rat. Every puzzle you solve unlocks a new piece of furniture, which you can then place and arrange. It combines the low-pressure challenge of nonogram puzzles with the cozy, relaxing feel of arranging a dollhouse.

There are two parts to the game. In one half, you have a catalog full of silhouettes of furniture and home decor. To unlock each item, you must solve a puzzle. Each puzzle follows the standard rules of nonograms: it’s a grid of squares that can be colored either black or white. Each row and column lists how many groups of consecutive black squares are in that row or column and how many black squares are in each group. The goal is to color in all the black squares so that every row or column is correct. Once filled in, the grid morphs into a picture of the piece of furniture you unlocked.

The other half of the game lets you arrange the items you have unlocked in your rat’s one-room home. When you’re happy with the arrangement, you can let your rat in and it will explore the house, sitting on chairs, sleeping on beds, and using emoji to tell you whether it likes your choices or not. You can customize your rat as well, choosing from a wide variety of patterns, colors, and body types.

This description was written by Gwen C. Katz.