Kemono Friends Picross

Kemono Friends Picross is an upcoming puzzle game for the Nintendo Switch in the Picross series of puzzle games developed by Jupiter, as well as the first Kemono Friends game to be released on a dedicated video game console. The game is set for release on October 4, 2018 in Japan and in the West, though specific regions haven't been specified. However, due to the lack of a region lock for the Nintendo Switch, both the Japanese and English versions of the game can be purchased and played worldwide. The game is download-only, available through the Nintendo E-Shop.

Gameplay
In Kemono Friends Picross, the player is tasked with uncovering pictures by solving nonogram puzzles while on a timer. In the puzzles, players are provided with blank grids of squares, with numbers on the top and left of the grid which indicate how many squares can be filled in for the rows and columns in question. The goal of the game is to use logical thinking to figure out which squares can be filled in to complete the picture, and which cannot. They are given a tool which allows them to mark correct squares, along with another tool that can be used to mark off squares which are not part of the solution. For novice players, there is also an assist feature that will allow them to more easily complete Picross puzzles. These assist options include Hint Roulette, which randomly reveals a vertical and horizontal solution option, a Navigation feature that gives certain solution hints, and Autocorrect Mistakes.

Upon completing a Picross puzzle, the player will unlock an illustration in addition to the dot-pixel art that is displayed as the puzzle is completed. These illustrations can be seen in the game's gallery mode. An additional feature, Mimamori Friends ("Watch-Over Friends"), allows Friends to be present while the player completes puzzles. Whether or not this feature is simply cosmetic or has a gameplay function is currently unknown. The feature includes two image sets to choose from. Image Set A includes Mine Yoshizaki's original illustrations for the Friends, while Image Set B features Friend illustrations from Kemono Friends Pavilion.

Kemono Friends Picross features the following game modes:


 * Picross - Standard puzzles.
 * Mega Picross - Standard puzzles, but with a new hint type that can span multiple rows or columns.
 * Clip Picross - A set of smaller puzzles which combine to fill in a big picture.
 * Gallery Mode - A gallery which will allow players to view the illustrations that they unlock as they complete more Picross puzzles.
 * Tutorial - For those new to Picross.

Confirmed Friends

 * Hippopotamus
 * Raccoon
 * Serval
 * Red Kangaroo
 * Suri Alpaca
 * Asian Small-Clawed Otter
 * Royal Penguin
 * Fennec Fox
 * Lion
 * Plains Zebra
 * Black-Tailed Prairie Dog