[Review] Pictonico! (A WarioWare Successor in the Making)

Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.

In this explanatory review, we’re covering Pictonico! by joint developers, Nintendo EPD and INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS:

Pictonico! (Android & iOS)

Co-developed by INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS — the team behind the WarioWare series — and Nintendo EPD, Pictonico! is a casual minigame compilation title published by Nintendo. It released on Android and iOS devices on May 28, 2026.

Being the free-to-start minigame collection that it is, Pictonico! shares a lot in common with games from the WarioWare series. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given they share the same developer. Where the two titles differ, however, is in what makes Pictonico! truly unique.

Instead of relying on an ensemble cast of colourful characters, Pictonico! focuses on something far more personal — us. By using photos from your phone, the game turns them into the kind of quirky, chaotic minigames INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS has delighted us with for years. And for anyone who doesn’t want to use pre-existing images, players are free to take new pictures with their camera to be turned into minigames instead.

Now, while we’ll touch more on the gameplay in a moment, it’s worth pointing out that Pictonico! doesn’t need to download every photo on your device for you to begin playing. A handful is enough to get started. However, should you feel some photos are too private and you don’t want any surprises, the game allows you to choose which albums on your phone you wish to share. You’re also given the option to create new albums specifically for the game.

This is handled through Pictonico!’s Photo Library feature. As an extra fun touch, after a play session, players can check which photos were used for each minigame and even save the adapted versions to their phone if they choose. In the Settings menu, you can also enable video storage to automatically save gameplay clips, and adjust your Play History and Photo Fortune storage limits. Setting both to the maximum option allows you to keep more photos and videos before older ones are automatically deleted and replaced.

Of course, we should also note that Nintendo has made multiple assurances regarding privacy: your images are only used locally for the purpose of the game and are not sent to Nintendo’s servers.

As for the gameplay itself, the entire premise of Pictonico! is that it takes your photos and transforms them into short, touch-screen-controlled minigames. Each one lasts just a few seconds. Depending on the minigame, you might be rolling out a red carpet, unwrapping a mummy, guiding a baby to the finish line, or — in true WarioWare fashion — yanking out some nose hairs.

Completing a minigame results in a win, while failing costs you one of your three lives. Lose all three and it’s game over. The only time gameplay differs is depending on which mode you play. In Stages mode, players must clear groups of 10 minigames to progress. This is the mode you’ll likely spend the most time with, as reaching certain stages unlocks other modes such as Score Attack, Random 10, and Games Selection. There’s also a Snap & Play mode, where you can take new photos and immediately turn them into minigames.

As for the coins you earn by playing, they can be spent on Photo Fortunes at 300 coins each. These create special fortune cards based on your photos. While they burn through your coins quickly, playing through Stages can be quite profitable — especially if you manage to clear all ten minigames in a stage without losing a single life.

However, the downside to the various modes is that Pictonico! feels quite limited when you first start. That’s because around 80 minigames are locked behind a paywall in the form of two Volumes. The opening demo is only a brief introduction to what the full game offers.

By all means, try the free version first, but after about thirty minutes, you’ll have seen most of what’s available without purchasing anything. So unless you pick up Volume 1 ($5.99) or Volume 2 ($7.99), your time with Pictonico! can end sooner than expected.

For those wondering what each Volume contains, here’s the full minigame list:

Volume 1: Minigames ($5.99)

Latte Art

Matching

Constellations

Face Guesser

Red Carpet

Disguise

Chomp

Lollipop

Magic Lamp

Quick Change

Human Pyramid

Shush

Straws

Photo Gallery

Full Moon

Meeting Up

Gardening

Pinball

Magic Trick

Sleeping Bag

Tile Flip

Zooming In

Birthday Cake

Flower Fortune

Sandpit

Gift Box

Crab Claws

Doodle

Harvestime

Skydiving

Statue

Visitor

Concentrate

Nodding Off

Jigsaw Puzzle

Photo Op

Eraser

Sort It Out

Nose Hair

Copier

Safecracker

Peeler

Shampoo

Bug Spray

Curator

In the Dark

Crawl Along

Zombies

Ghost Hunting

Beach Day

Volume 2: Minigames ($7.99)

Roller Coaster

Magnifying Glass

Shaver

Stocking

Checkout

Slingshot

Find It

Laundry Day

Robot Factory

Odd One Out

Facial Mask

Slip ‘n Skate

Delivery

Rare Card

Flip-Book

Spin Quiz

Mummy

Rainy Face

Neon Lights

Laser Beams

Poser

Matryoshka

Family Photo

Archaeology

Wizard Fight

Round & Round

Sprinters

Paper Folding

Quick Bites

Curtains

Interestingly, one benefit of Pictonico! is that — aside from the first launch where you select your preferred language — the game does not require a constant active internet connection. Moreover, it not only plays like a WarioWare title, it also sounds and looks like one, thanks to the audio, sound effects, and design choices.

Thus, were it not for Wario’s absence, Pictonico! could easily have been the WarioWare-style mobile game we’ve been craving since Miitomo. However, if you’re not willing to invest in at least one Volume, the game doesn’t have much else to offer. Sure, it’s a quirky WarioWare successor, but without the paid content, replay value drops off sharply. Given how Miitomo and Dr. Mario World both met early ends, it will be interesting to see just how long Pictonico! sticks around.

Game Specifications:

Developers: Nintendo EPD, INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Android, iOS
Genre: Casual
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: May 28, 2026
Price: Free to Download
File Size: 589 MB
Google Play Store Listing