What the hell is Pixel Puzzle Makeout League?

Life is full of problems. It’s how you solve them that counts. For superhero-in-training, Pixel Girl, it’s simply a matter of turning her problems into picross puzzles (‘pixel puzzles’ in her own words) and solving them that way.

Locked door barring the way? No problem puzzle fans, It’s pixel time! Solve the puzzle and the door opens. Need a cat? Solve the cat face puzzle.

Pixel Puzzle Makeout League is that most chill of games – the visual novel, combined with the most chill of puzzles, picross

The humour shines through in buckets, as the members of your superhero squad are revealed and become datable. Chess! Crossword! Sudoku! And the beautiful puzzle piece, Piecea, are all datable. The visual novel plays out in a ridiculous yet weirdly relatable fashion; choose your responses in conversation, choose which member of the team to bring along on your missions, hang out more and get the chance to start romancing.

This is the game I never knew I needed despite having a weird fascination with this Lumines fanfic from UK Resistance 2004. Pixel Puzzle Makeout League was first borne unto the world at a dating sim themed gamejam in 2017 and is aiming for a summer 2020 release.

We’ll be getting an interview with the team at developer Rude Ghost Games soon, and Pixel Puzzle Makeout League is being published by Skymap Games with a tentative ‘Summer 2020’ release date.

I was thoroughly charmed by PPML and while I was mostly drawn to relaxed games at PAX East, it stood out as fun. Let’s see how it fares with the recently released Murder by Numbers claiming the picross plaudits of late.

Some PPML facts:

Features

• Join and date the Puzzle League: a group of 4 superheroes based on crossword, sudoku, chess and jigsaw puzzles
• Plenty of pixel puzzles to solve, both during the adventure and in free play mode
• An overarching supernatural plot that weaves in multiple dates with every character
• Exotic date locations: a coffee shop, the library, mountain climbing and maybe the center of the earth?!
• Twists, turns, thrills, chills, puzzle fun, and puzzle puns! It’s not over until the ending!
• DATE A GIANT PUZZLE PIECE

Here’s a trailer.

It’s coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch. Go add it to your Steam Wishlist and feed Lord Gaben’s algorithmic desires. 

Pixel Puzzle Makeout League is utterly ridiculous in all the best ways, and is one of our Top 5 Games of PAX East 2020. (They also had the best t-shirts.)