Best Free Picture Puzzles / Nonograms App: iPacross iOS

For the iPad, iPacross is the best nonograms /picture puzzle app. It’s a somewhat old app that was developed back in 2010 and was reformatted for the iPad. Still, the amount of free picture puzzles available, how the pictures look at the end, and the usability is just unmatched. There’s also a 2-player feature but, for me, the fun of playing the game is that it’s something I can do by myself to unwind.

iPacross iOS App Review

As mentioned in a previous article, nonograms are logic games that are based on picture puzzles. The numbers represent how many boxes in a row are filled in. The colors used on the grids in Pacross are easy on the eyes and numbers are easy to see. It is a free app but is only available for iOS devices.

Controls are very easy to get accustomed to. Simply tap the option to fill in or to mark a box as empty (the “X”). Then, you can apply that to selection to one box or drag to apply to several boxes at once.

Since I’ve been playing this type of game for a while, I started in the Hard mode. That just means I’m given a 15×15 grid to work with. After I finished those, I moved on to the other modes. For beginners, there is a tutorial. It’s a short one but very helpful.

The maniac mode does require scrolling but, since there are so many pixels on the larger ones, the resulting pictures are more detailed. Puzzles are one color but finished pictures are colored in so you know what it is.

A ton of free puzzles are included, one set of 16 puzzles in each difficulty mode. Additional level packs are $0.99 each or $4.99 for a full unlock. Arcade mode let you know if you made an error and give a time penalty. This feature is not available in the free mode for Expert and Maniac levels.

Best Free Picture Puzzles / Nonograms App: iPacross iOS

iPacross is by no means a new app but it’s still the best in my opinion. The app is maintained well and kept updated. Puzzles are presented in several fun themes and for varying skill levels. Whether you play for free, spend 99¢ on a level or two, or spring for the full version, you’ll definitely get hours of enjoyment out of it.

For those with a mobile device running Android, check out GraphiLogic.

Have you tried playing iPacross or something similar?