I’ve spent more hours chasing single-player epics than I’d admit. Yet here I am, hunched over nonograms instead of dragons. Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S+ isn’t about sword-and-sorcery quests, but it scratched an unexpected itch. Crypton Future Media and KOMODO deliver over 1,000 new puzzles wrapped in Vocaloid flair. If you came for the logic-paint formula, you won’t be disappointed; if you hoped for radical reinvention, the only “next-gen” element here is sheer grid count.
Overall Impressions
The game’s sheer puzzle volume, pleasant soundtrack, and subtle room décor impress. The core loop—fill or mark squares to reveal pixel art—gains charm from Piapro’s world. However, newcomers who skipped the original may find little new here. Logic Paint S+ retraces its predecessor’s footsteps without bold changes. In the crowded puzzle genre, it sits mid-pack: reliable, polished, and a touch predictable.
Gameplay Mechanics
Controls feel crisp on both Switch and PC. Whether tapping or clicking, the UI stays out of your way. Auto-correction flags mistakes instantly—sparing frustration but removing self-discovery. Many players wish for a “hardcore mode” toggle to disable it. Still, clear feedback (a gentle beep instead of “Game Over”) keeps you solving. Earning Piapro Points to unlock costumes and furniture adds a playful progression layer.
Story and Characters
Let’s not pretend this is Persona-level narrative. Hatsune Miku herself doesn’t embark on a quest—she’s our resident puzzle muse. The “story,” such as it is, emerges largely through the customization mode. Each time you drape Miku in a new outfit or swap out décor, you get a tiny scripted vignette: a cheerful “Thank you!” or a quiet gasp of delight. It builds just enough personality into Piapro’s world to make you care about earning that next wig or lamp. In a genre where characters are often window dressing, I appreciated this light touch. It never pretends to be more than puzzle fuel with an occasional jolt of Miku charm—and, honestly, that’s perfectly fine.
Visuals and Graphics
There’s a certain comfort in cell-shaded simplicity. The puzzle grids rest against pastel gradients that never distract, while the reward screens burst with crisp pixel-art costumes and furniture. Load times are brisk, animations are smooth, and I didn’t spot any glitches beyond a lone frame-skip when previewing a particularly elaborate room. The art team clearly knows its audience: nobody’s here for photorealism. We want clean lines, bright colors, and just enough shine on Miku’s teal pigtails to feel special. Check.
Sound and Music
Crypton’s vault of Vocaloid talent gets a modest showcase here. You’ll unlock half-dozen instrumental remixes—everything from laid-back lo-fi beats to arpeggiated EDM flourishes. They loop neatly without becoming grating. Toss in the soft pencil-scribble SFX and that reassuring “chirp” when you nail a row, and you’ve got a soundscape perfectly pitched to late-night puzzling. There’s no extended story voice acting—just Miku’s tagged lines of encouragement—but for a game whose heart is logic grids, it’s more than enough.
Difficulty and Replayability
Over 1,000 puzzles is nothing to sneeze at. They range from bite-sized 5×5 grids to sprawling 50×50 monsters. If you live for that zen state of solving by deduction, S+ will hold you for weeks. Yet the lack of any true “hardcore” option—no self-imposed penalty to keep that auto-correct off your back—means you miss out on a tier of challenge some tomboyish puzzlers crave. There’s no timed mode, either, which feels like a missed speedrun-friendly feature. Still, the puzzle backlog alone is a serious replay hook. Toss in the drive to collect every outfit piece and room trinket, and I’ve found myself returning just for the low-stakes fun of it.
Trivia Corner
Since debuting in 2007, Crypton Future Media’s Hatsune Miku has ventured into puzzle spin-offs three times, most recently with Logic Paint S+. Producer Hiroshi Okamura has fine-tuned the S+ engine for lightning-fast, sub-two-second room loads—an homage to his sub-10-minute Picross world record—while publisher KOMODO has hinted at upcoming cross-save support between Switch and PC, ensuring seamless progress across platforms.
Final Thoughts
Punch-card perfectionists and Miku super-fans will find plenty to love here. If you were hoping for bold new mechanics or an end to that nagging auto-correct habit, you might feel a bit deja vu. Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S+ is a polished nonogram collection wrapped in Vocaloid flair—exactly what it advertises, for better and worse. In the ever-expanding sea of puzzle games, it won’t topple the genre kingpins, but it’s a dependable, cheerfully tuned addition. And really, sometimes that’s exactly the kind of comfort food a troper like me needs.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
In a world of endless lore and branching paths, it’s oddly satisfying to spend an afternoon filling in squares—especially when Miku’s wardrobe is the prize. Who knew saving pixel-art idols could feel so…efficient?
