Nintendo has once again surprised the gaming world with the announcement of a new mobile game, Pictonico, a minigame collection that utilizes photos taken on the player's phone. This follows last year's low-key release of Fire Emblem Shadows, suggesting Nintendo sees ongoing potential in the mobile market despite previous indications of waning interest.
A Sudden Reveal
The announcement was made via the Nintendo Today app, though not as late in the day as the recent Star Fox reveal. Pictonico is described as a fast-paced minigame collection reminiscent of the WarioWare series, which makes sense as WarioWare studio Intelligent Systems is listed as a co-developer. The game features over 80 minigames where the faces of yourself, friends, and family appear in various wacky scenarios, such as stretching a person's jaw to eat a cob of corn or unwrapping a mummy to reveal who is inside.
Why Not WarioWare?
The connection to WarioWare raises questions about why Nintendo chose to brand Pictonico as a standalone title rather than leveraging the WarioWare name. This could have generated more interest and positioned it as a successor to WarioWare: Snapped, which used the Nintendo DSi's camera. However, that game only used silhouettes and was not particularly well-received.
Pricing and Availability
Pictonico will be free-to-start, offering a demo of some minigames. Players can purchase volumes to unlock the full collection, though pricing details have not yet been announced. The game launches on May 30.
Nintendo's Mobile Strategy
This is not Nintendo's first foray into photo-based games. The Nintendo 3DS had Face Raiders, a free pre-installed game where players shot at photos of faces. It remains to be seen whether players will pay for a similar experience. Alongside Fire Emblem Shadows, which blends strategy battles with social deduction, Nintendo appears to be using mobile platforms for experimental titles. Other recent mobile releases include the Hello, Mario and Hello, Yoshi apps for young children, and Pokémon TCG Pocket, which is managed by The Pokémon Company.
