Nintendo has just announced Pictonico!, a brand-new game for iOS and Android devices that revolves around using the player’s camera roll for a series of fast-paced minigames. Though it was only just announced, Nintendo has already confirmed that Pictonico! will be launching on Thursday, May 28, which is a little over a week away at the time of writing.
This is far from the first time Nintendo has experimented with a first-party mobile release. While Nintendo has always been one of the leading voices in the handheld gaming space, it didn’t fully enter the mobile market until 2016, when it released Miitomo, a social networking game. That was soon followed by Super Mario Run later in the year, an auto-runner that received generally positive reviews from critics but drew ire from many players due to its high $10 price point. Another eight Nintendo-made mobile games have been released since 2016, all to varying degrees of success. Some of the most notable, however, are Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, and Pikmin Bloom.
Pictonico! Launches on iOS and Android on May 28
Pictonico! is the next Nintendo mobile gaming experiment. Launching for both iOS and Android devices, Pictonico! will see players manipulating the photos in their camera roll in a series of WarioWare-like minigames. While a full list of Pictonico! minigames isn’t available just yet, the game’s official 30-second trailer shows off a handful of truly bizarre activities.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Regular Cover ArtClean Cover Art
One of these activities sees the player taking a photo of their friend and then moving the on-screen person’s jaw up and down to eat food on a skewer. Another sees that friend being dressed as a baby and has the player dragging a lollipop in front of their face. Pictonico! will let players use photos previously taken or ones taken directly via the app.
On May 28, iOS and Android users will be able to download Pictonico! completely free of charge from each platform’s respective storefront. However, downloading Pictonico! will only give players access to a demo containing “some” minigames. In order to access the entire library of photo-based minigames, players will need to buy both game volumes of Pictonico!. Volume 1 of Pictonico! will set players back $5.99, while Volume 2 is slightly more expensive at $7.99. It’s currently unclear exactly how many minigames will be present in each volume, but the total number of minigames available at launch is confirmed to be 80.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Nintendo’s Pictonico! announcement has already caused a bit of a stir in the gaming community, with many fans across Nintendo’s various social media accounts highlighting the comparison between this fast-paced minigame-based title and the WarioWare series. More specifically, fans have been drawing comparisons between Pictonico! and WarioWare: Snapped!, the 2009 entry that saw players using the Nintendo DSi’s built-in camera to match on-screen silhouettes. The last WarioWare game released was 2023’s WarioWare: Move It!, the series’ 12th installment and a Nintendo Switch exclusive that revolved around using the Joy-Cons’ unique features.
