Voxelgram 2

Voxelgram 2 is a logic puzzle game based on a 3D adaptation of nonograms (a.k.a. Picross puzzles). You follow numerical clues to assign a color to each block or remove them, eventually carving out a voxel model of an everyday object. It’s a relaxing game with smooth 3D controls that retains the stress-free nature of nonograms.

You don’t need to know anything about the first Voxelgram (nor the original Picross 3D back on the Nintendo DS) in order to pick up Voxelgram 2. The game comes with short tutorials meant to bring you up to speed on the rules. Each puzzle starts as a full cube-like shape segmented into smaller blocks, with clues assigned to each line of blocks along the three dimensions. The clues will help you decide which blocks should be colored in, and which blocks should be removed, until you eventually complete the puzzle.

The clues are somewhat lighter than with the traditional 2D nonograms, since you only get the full number of blocks on a line, along with the number of gaps (if any) between groups. For instance, instead of a 3-2 clue, Voxelgram 2 will display 5¹, meaning there are 5 blocks in total on the line and 1 gap between them at some point. You lose a little bit of information (e.g. a 5¹ clue could also mean there’s a group of four consecutive blocks followed by a single one), but it’s arguably easier to manage multiple clues like these in three-dimensional space.

The main innovation added to this sequel is the two-color scheme. By default, you don’t just shade in specific blocks in the grid; you have to assign one of two colors to them, based on the color of each clue. For instance, a blue 5¹ only tells you about blue blocks, so anything on the line that’s not blue can be either a void or a green block. Clues from other lines will help you decide whether you should remove a block or shade it in with the second color. It spices up things a little but it’s still very approachable. If you don’t enjoy these rules though, there’s an option to remove them altogether and have single-color puzzles instead.

Once you’ve assigned a color to each block and removed the rest, if your logic was correct, the remaining blocks will reveal themselves as a rough voxel model of an item, like a broom, a fish, or a slice of cake. These items are then showcased inside small dioramas. There are 250 items to carve out in the game, and 250 more if you own the first Voxelgram (puzzles from the previous game were adapted to the new two-color rules). The game also features a generator for randomized puzzles and access to community-made levels.

Manipulation of the 3D shapes is smooth and snappy, with various settings you could tinker with to remove as much friction as possible while you’re searching for the next clues to follow. There are also two assist modes available: one to highlight faulty lines as soon as they appear, and another one to highlight actionable lines at any point. The background music isn’t great, but it's easy to turn it off; it’s a small dent in an otherwise pleasant experience.

This description was written by Oriane Tury.