Piczle Cross Adventure
Piczle Cross Adventure
Game
Game2020
Murder by Numbers
Developer Mediatonic
Murder by Numbers is a visual novel video game developed by Mediatonic and published by The Irregular Corporation. The game follows TV actress-turned-detective Honor Mizrahi and her robot companion SCOUT as they find themselves involved in several murder cases. Players must investigate areas for clues and complete nonogram-style logic puzzles to progress the story. It was released in March 2020 for Nintendo Switch… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
314 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
81
LovedLoved
162 positive · 37 negative
95% range 75–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 162 | 37 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 57 | 1 | 49 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,220 of 1,442 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
82% recommend · 160 yes, 36 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 196 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,422 of 1,694 positive).
Players praise the blend of picross puzzles and detective visual novel storytelling. [1][2][3] Many enjoy the charming characters, humor, and 90s setting. [4][5][6] Some find the story forgettable or the pacing interrupted by puzzles. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [17]
In a later story chapter there is a timed picross challenge where you have to solve four consecutive 5x5 problems inside one minute. For me as a veteran gamer with age-related reduced physical/motorical reflexes/skill it borders on the impossible to solve it. This blocks my story progress and is a game-stopping issue for me. Ironically this game's story elements and characters are set up to promote diversity and …
- [2]
This game is a cozy detective visual novel crossed with nonograms. You play as Honor, a TV star turned amateur sleuth, alongside her robot partner SCOUT, solving 1990s-style murders via the nonogram puzzles. The combo worked well for me and I enjoyed the game. What I Loved The nonogram puzzles are the heart of the game and they're satisfying to figure out. Scanning evidence by filling in grids never got old, and …
- [8]
Pros: I fuggin' love Picross. Cons: I'm not sure I love Picross enough to interrupt an admittedly interesting story every two minutes for a 15x15 puzzle. With the exception of the main protagonists most of the recurring characters make you wish the murderers would expand the pool of victims. What do you mean I missed a hidden puzzle somewhere and now I'm locked out of an S rank. What do mean I have to play through …
- [1]
Detective story with a little bit of puzzle solving. Story is more on the light side and easy to read. You gonna meet plenty of characters that you can talk with and as you progress new evidence will be discovered which can be used during conversations. Puzzles are your typical picross style tile marking. Nothing too hard, but it gets more challenging later in the game. Visual style is nice to look at and characters …
- [3]
This game really is Ace Attourney meets Picross. It's super chaming and the story is great. I love the characters. Go play it.
Summarised from 34 of the 285 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
82% of the 196 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Murder by Numbers. The complaint that keeps coming up: timed picross sections can be frustrating or block progress. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Murder by Numbers was generally well received by critics on both platforms, according to review aggregator Metacritic, and Polygon included it in their feature on the best video games of 2020.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 314 · most liked firstContinuing our yearly Halloween tradition by starting a new visual novel game! This year, we're doing Murder By Numbers!✨ twitch.tv/sab_irene
neutral · AI labelView post →Detective story with a little bit of puzzle solving. Story is more on the light side and easy to read. You gonna meet plenty of characters that you can talk with and as you progress new evidence will be discovered which can be used during conversations. Puzzles are your typical picross style tile marking. Nothing too hard, but it gets more challenging later in the game. Visual style is nice to look at and characters behavior is well presented. Music fits the mood and adds to atmosphere. Usually…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →okay so i was told that i was LITERALLY just describing Murder by Numbers here (thank you jack) so i played it and it was great. they put faggots in this game everyone go play it too (steam / eshop)
positive · AI labelView post →In a later story chapter there is a timed picross challenge where you have to solve four consecutive 5x5 problems inside one minute. For me as a veteran gamer with age-related reduced physical/motorical reflexes/skill it borders on the impossible to solve it. This blocks my story progress and is a game-stopping issue for me. Ironically this game's story elements and characters are set up to promote diversity and inclusivity - the afore mentioned gameplay element fails to deliver this at its…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's my first #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for this week! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Murder By Numbers Developer - Mediatonic Publisher - The Irregular Corporation Release date - March 5, 2020
neutral · AI labelView post →Going into this, I was unsure how I felt about visual novels... I can confidently say that this solidified my distaste for this genre. To be fair, I wasn't interested in reading tons of dialogue and, instead, wanted the achievements and some nonogram puzzling. This game almost warranted an auto clicker with how much clicking I had to do just to progress the endless dialogue. I have about 12 hours in this game and that's with completely skipping through the entirety of the story. I can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#10 Murder by Numbers is a murder mystery VN game with puzzle elements added in. If you enjoy well developed characters, great plot and are a fan of Ace Attorney, I highly recommend you check it out! #MurderByNumbers #NintendoSwitch
positive · AI labelView post →This game is a cozy detective visual novel crossed with nonograms. You play as Honor, a TV star turned amateur sleuth, alongside her robot partner SCOUT, solving 1990s-style murders via the nonogram puzzles. The combo worked well for me and I enjoyed the game. What I Loved The nonogram puzzles are the heart of the game and they're satisfying to figure out. Scanning evidence by filling in grids never got old, and tying each puzzle to a clue made them feel like each one had a purpose.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10. Murder By Numbers Absolutely PHENOMENAL game! I love how they integrate Picross into this detective title naturally. I love the 90s setting paired with the humor of the game and the memorable cast. Such a great time and highly recommend if you're a detective and Picross fan!
positive · AI labelView post →DEV DIVE TIME! This week I'm joined by the ever charming @edfear.co.uk, to talk abut his work on the visual novel-picross mashup Murder by Numbers! We discuss game pitching, writing queer characters in games, and learning on the fly. youtu.be/02ybgZJY23M?... #indiegames #gamedev #devdive
neutral · AI labelView post →Some thoughts on Murder By Numbers, a mystery/Picross puzzle game known to me primarily as that thing that Moa did after Hatoful Boyfriend! I have mixed thoughts including the stupidest criticism of a Picross game ever. You'll think I'm an idiot. Brace yourself.
neutral · AI labelView post →was recommending games to someone and realized I never hear anyone talk about Murder By Numbers, which is like what if Phoenix Wright had Picross in it and was gay? That game got me into both Picross AND Phoenix Wright. Go play www.nintendo.com/us/store/pro...
positive · AI labelView post →Playing Murder by Numbers with @littlekuriboh.bsky.social and @sanguinelimbo.bsky.social on Twitch today! Will we beat the game?! GOD I HOPE SO!!! www.twitch.tv/littlekuribo...
neutral · AI labelView post →🄵🅁🄾🄼 🅃🄷🄴 🄵🄰🄻🄲🄾🄽 🅅🄰🅄🄻🅃🅂 #365xFalconGames25 A game a day keeps the doctor away! Game 2️⃣0️⃣5️⃣ This is Murder by Numbers! Do you know it?! What are you sharing today? #gaming #GamersUnite
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wish there was a more neutral rating to give this game. As a visual novel, it's okay I guess. I bought this moreso for the picross rather than novel aspects. The picross puzzles are all solvable by logic and most are not on a timer. There are a few easy rapid fire 5x5 ones that must be completed within a time limit to progress. The puzzles do not go larger than a 15x15, which is a little disappointing. What turns this into a thumbs down game for me (and where I have stopped…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I should have talked about it sooner, but any picross fan owe it to themselves to play Murder By Numbers. Let me give you the sales pitch: Do you like picross? Do you like Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright? Do you like the 90s? Well this is the game for you. Just finished it myself #blutoid
positive · AI labelView post →perfectly functional game with some serious dissonance between when it wants to be cozy, feelgood, and inoffensive, and when it wants to be gripping, intense, and dramatic. ultimately, it falls flat on its face at both. the lighthearted approach is undercut by how much the game wants you to take its Drama and Tragedy seriously, the serious approach is undercut by an extremely simplistic story, frustratingly tropey characters, and a refusal to engage with the concepts of crime and murder on any…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, I am saying not recommended, but bear in mind this is from the perspective of someone who was more in it for the story than the puzzles. I actually enjoyed the puzzles at first but the pacing of how and when they are integrated started to really grate on me after a while. The biggest disappointment is that its first impression is amazing, and it goes downhill the farther along you go. To set expectations, if you have played basically any Ace Attorney game you'll see everything coming a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great fun! The story is epically 1990s, and charming. The nonos are pretty technical and hard though, but their hint system was very helpful. There's a tricky timed nono section during hacking that some may not enjoy. All in all, super recommend, though perhaps not the easiest first nono game. PiczleCross Adv eases you in with more choices. But this has nice memory nonos outside of the main game story
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went into this expecting 80% picross puzzles and 20% visual novel stuff. This is actually 90% VN and 10% puzzles. I did not enjoy the VN I saw either.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every two years, I get the urge to play a Nonogram game. Pokemon and Mario Picrosses, Murder by Numbers, Picross S Genesis+Master System… So it’s a very well-timed coincidence that Squeakross, a new take on a Picross mashup, just happens to release right before this year’s bug bit me.
neutral · AI labelView post →Phoenix Wright + picross, set in the 90s with that era jokes and references. Def a hidden gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like the picross puzzles but the dialog is so stupid. I can't take any of the characters remotely seriously or care about them. and it's not just how they talk, they also act without any logic whatsoever. visually it looks really nice which is why I was pretty disappointed and can't recommend this game if you care about story or dialog. however if you do not mind stupid dialog they clearly put a lot of effort in how the game is presented otherwise. the music is good. I learned to not take…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's decent. The cases and characters are somewhat forgettable because of the constant nonogram interruptions taking you out of the story. None of the story is really all that captivating, especially with the writing trying to be dramatic but the next second light and cheerful music is playing completely removing any tension or intrigue. I primarily played it just to casually solve the nonograms, with the story being kind of an aside, and for that it plays well. The nonograms are somewhat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hello, I'm Dorian. I work as a Game Designer at Mediatonic/Epic Games. I worked on Murder by Numbers which is free on the Epic store right now! #GameDev
neutral · AI labelView post →A Picross + visual novel, but it fails miserably. You get clues about the events by solving Picross puzzles. However, the resulting pixel images look nothing like the captioned titles. Also, the Picross puzzles are clearly programmatically generated, so solving them feels more like work than fun. Now onto the story itself: bland and uninspiring. The characters don’t feel like they have any soul. Reviewed by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45820397-DetotatedGamer/]Detotated Gamer
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would give a middle thumb if I could, The writing style is very similar to the ace attorney games, but overall it's a bit too goofy for me. A lot of the characters have one trait that is their whole personality (forgetful, bratty, flirty) and not much else. In a visual novel I feel like the characters should be more complex as they are the focal point of the game. The picross puzzles are fine, they have custom difficulty setting which is nice. Often when you solve them you get a key…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's never too late to Picross (no really, Jupiter still makes them for Nintendo and you can find them on switch, and you can always pirate them if you have ethical concerns!) If you want a different flavor, there's also Final Fantasy Pictlogica (also Jupiter made) but the most recent version is a defunct freemium mobile game. Go 3DS emulation for it. Oh and honorable mention to indie game Murder By Numbers, although I felt like that was more VN than Picross.
neutral · AI labelView post →Yo Murder by Numbers shout out! That's the game that got me into Picross and nonograms
positive · AI labelView post →This game has such weirdly preachy dialogue that doesn't fit in with anything and it's moreso talking to the player being like "hey people use PRONOUNS" while also simultaneously having horrible (and sometimes harmful) queer and poc representation and having unironic dialogue like "blunt force trauma to the head is just so... straight, you know?" and "typical "Hollyweird" liberal, -- so short sighted." You have the token flirty gay male character talking about how he thinks Jeffrey Dahmer has…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Almost finished Murder By Numbers and I really can't stand the game flow anymore. It got so tired by the end of the first case and it kept going.
negative · AI labelView post →I never watched any trailer for this game. it was gifted to me and i decided to go all blind to play this game. I was expecting more of an adventure game ala phoenix wright. but this is not it. This game is a puzzle game (nonogram puzzle) at its core. Good thing i also love to do nonograms. The production value is not what i'm expecting for a nonogram game. The story also surpassed my expectation. I love the soundtrack too. I highly recommend it to gamers who love to do nonogram. but for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Murder by Numbers is a fun mix of visual novel storytelling and picross puzzle-solving that really nails its quirky, detective vibe. The characters and humor make it easy to get invested in the murder mysteries. That said, the pacing drags a bit toward the later chapters, and the number of puzzles feels a little light, plus, most of them are on the easier side. Still, it’s a charming, feel-good mystery game that puzzle fans will enjoy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's... okay. Maybe pick it up on sale for $5 or so? I originally recommended it, but thought about it more and decided it's hard to recommend when compared to its peers. As someone who loves visual novels AND Picross, the combination of a visual novel and nonogram puzzles in this way sadly seems like a misstep. The puzzles are hilariously intrusive to the narrative in almost every instance they appear, and one of them had so few boxes filled in that it was freakishly difficult compared to all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Murder by Numbers is a detective Nonogram game. I was simply looking for a Nonogram game because I haven't played one in a while and I would've never expected this one to delivery so much more than I was expecting! The cast of characters are brilliant and there has to be over 50 unique characters at least... The story of this game is absolutely fantastic, the music is addictive and very well composed, the art style is lovely... I'm proud to say that every puzzles can be completed without…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right from the outset, the game shows it has personality and quality from its introductory video and song. They ended up being one of the things I looked forward to the most when booting up the game each time. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and the animation quality throughout the game. The writing was fun and the characters/dialogue were enjoyable. I play Picross games on my phone, and these were much more difficult, so if you enjoy these types of puzzles, I would also recommend it for that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →= LIVE! = your days are numbered (haha getit) streamin' a game i've actually seen NOTHING of!! so this is gonna be a completely new experience for me, -w- join us for some Murder by Numbers !!!!! www.twitch.tv/rustyfoxxo
neutral · AI labelView post →@edfear.co.uk hey Ed, I do game dev interviews and I love love love Murder by Numbers, if you’d be interested in doing an interview about your work on the game, DM or email me!
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros: I fuggin' love Picross. Cons: I'm not sure I love Picross enough to interrupt an admittedly interesting story every two minutes for a 15x15 puzzle. With the exception of the main protagonists most of the recurring characters make you wish the murderers would expand the pool of victims. What do you mean I missed a hidden puzzle somewhere and now I'm locked out of an S rank. What do mean I have to play through the case again to pixel-hunt for it. This destroys the KChasm. I've set this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a huge sucker for anything picross, Gridhack looks very much like my kind of game. Makes me sad we never got another Murder By Numbers. store.steampowered.com/app/5351100/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Ayurisu is now 🔴 LIVE 🔴 playing Murder By Numbers! We thought the victim had been strangled but then discovered he was poisoned instead (always wait for the updated autopsy report)! Let's find out who did it! #AyurisuLive #SS2026 #CharityStream www.twitch.tv/ayurisu
neutral · AI labelView post →Ayurisu is now 🔴 54E 🔴 playing Murder by Numbers! We're here to solve crimes and really make sure every clue we find counts! Oh and there's a cute intro song! #AyurisuLive www.twitch.tv/ayurisu
neutral · AI labelView post →If she likes puzzlers I’ll say Murder By Numbers was my plane game for a while.
positive · AI labelView post →Did anyone else play Murder by Numbers, the murder mystery picross/nonogram game by Mediatonic? I'm heartbroken that there's no sequel, or even any game quite like it.
positive · AI labelView post →I really like the representation in Murder By Numbers which is a picross mixed with visual novel game. There is even one case that happens in a drag bar. And the drag queen there... love her!
positive · AI labelView post →Murder by Numbers is a story-based Picross game/visual novel. It's a detective story where you do Picross puzzles to get clues and advance the story. It's pretty fun.
positive · AI labelView post →PROS: The nongrams are just really fun and you can get hooked playing for hours just doing the memory puzzles the cast is generally well liked and fleshed out. Not Ace Attorney good but up there. Solid mysteries. Ntohing groundbreaking but clever and functional. CONS: Nothing stands out The 90s setting feels mostly pointless and unrelated to the plot or characters stories. It just comes off as sloppy and inexperinced
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like nonograms, go for it, the game is 2/3 puzzle and 1/3 visual novel. Has a nice interface. For the VN part, the writing is pretty basic, a little shallow perhaps. LGBT friendly. There is no romance, only investigations (and a little bit of drama). Buy it on discount.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →cute little game and i love nonogram puzzles
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is great for those who love Pixel Puzzles. It is fun, has a great story with a wonderful and vibrant cast of characters, and stays challenging through to the very end. I love murder mystery games and puzzles and this did scratch that itch for me. I would not be doing my due diligence if I did not make note of the following: - Content Warning: Probably already tell by the title but this deals with Murder, Violence, and other Crimes. - This is a LGBTQIA+ friendly game. If you cannot…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love them! Murder By Numbers is a great picross game with Ace Attorney flavours (you're maybe already well aware). Banging Masakazu Sugimori soundtrack too.
positive · AI labelView post →I'm really excited about Squeakross too! If you like pairing picross/nonograms with other game design elements, I can't recommend Murder By Numbers enough (I think its on switch and PC?)!!
positive · AI labelView post →A good, humourous (and queer) visual novel broken up with some easy-to-middling-difficulty picture logic puzzles. I enjoyed it while it lasted
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Murder by Numbers: Private Eye Perceives Puzzles With Picross Prototype -Overview: Murder by Numbers is a puzzle and detective game, with heavy emphasis on the puzzles. You play as the actress Honor Mizrahi, solving various crimes (usually murder) with the help of your robotic buddy SCOUT. To find clues, you must solve various nonograms, which ramp up in difficulty through the cases. -The Good: -The Characters: The character writing in this game is nothing short of PHENOMENAL. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzle game (nonogram) with a nice mystery plot.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game really is Ace Attourney meets Picross. It's super chaming and the story is great. I love the characters. Go play it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lots of potential here. The music and the intro animation are very cute. But it is not quite as polished as I would like. The investigation feels a little clunky. I would prefer to be able to click around the room. Maybe this is nitpicking but the font makes this game look cheap lol
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Murder by Numbers is a cute puzzle game which I enjoyed playing in bursts. The mechanics are challenging while also being satisfying to complete. The storyline is also quite charming and will keep you entertained. The mechanics are basically self explanatory and often I could relearn them after a few weeks not playing within 10 minutes or so.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game #1 Beaten in 2025 Murder By Numbers Solving murders with the power of picross. This game was fun but a bit too long, with the final two cases dragging a bit. The characters are great and the music is top tier. 7.5/10
positive · AI labelView post →Overall: 👎 I would not recommend it if you want to solve picross puzzles. But if you like Visual Novel, you might enjoy it? The game is well made, but the focus is not so much on the puzzles as it is on the story and the investigating taking place. I wish there was less dialogues and more puzzles. Positive +Cool anime-like opening. +The in-game discussions scenes are well made with beautiful art. Negative -There is a lot of screen shaking in the animated scenes. Maybe add an option to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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