Art Style: PiCTOBiTS

Take on the challenge of Pictobits, where you reconstruct iconic 8-bit art from an assortment of retro Nintendo titles, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Wrecking Crew, Excitebike, Ice Climber and Balloon Fight. Each level plays themes from the games, remixed by popular Japanese chiptune band, YMCK. The game is heavily themed around the original NES/Famicom era.

In Pictobits, both screens are used. The top screen is initially blank, while the touch screen displays the playfield and any blocks (which are called ‘bits’). You can pick up to eight bits by tapping them with the stylus. You can then place them on any free place on the touch screen by letting go and tapping an empty area. Larger pieces, called ‘megabits’, slowly fall down from the top of the screen. These can be cleared by using bits of the same color to line up four or more horizontally or vertically, or make squares or rectangles. If you’re in trouble, you can use the “POW” power to clear some of the screen of bits, but you’ll be able to pick up one less bit as a result. As you clear megabits, the colors transfer to the top screen. When you have enough of each color, you reveal the secret image, which is a sprite from a Nintendo game.

As you clear megabits, you’ll earn coins. Coins can be used to restore the amount of bits you can pick up as a result of using POW (each restore costs five coins). Any remaining coins get added to your game total. These coins can then be used to purchase music tracks, as well as more difficult “Dark” versions of the stages you have already cleared.