Pictonico Is Nintendo’s New Mobile Game That Turns Your Photos Into Silly Minigames

Nintendo has revealed Pictonico, a new mobile game launching next week. The party game takes existing photos from your phone or tablet and turns them into WarioWare-esque minigames. 

The reveal trailer shows examples such as turning a portrait into a corn-eating minigame where you move the subject’s mouth to chomp on food, or pulling down crabs pinching someone’s face. “Rediscover old photos of loved ones and see them in a whole new light as they navigate everything from zombie attacks, quirky costume changes, carnival challenges and more,” reads Nintendo’s press release. Pictonico also offers a Score Attack mode, a board-game-style stage-clearing challenge, and even a fortune-telling feature. 

The game features 80 minigames and is “free-to-start”, Nintendo’s terminology for free-to-play. This means you can download and play Pictonico for free, but a disclaimer notes that “Purchase of a game volume is required for gameplay, but you can play a demo of some minigames for free.” According to the game’s FAQ,  the “free” version is actually a demo with access to only three games. Players must purchase “game volumes”, basically packs that include an unknown number of minigames, to gain full access to content. Nintendo has yet to confirm how much a game volume will cost or how many will be for sale. 

Pictonico launches on May 28 for iOS and Android, and players can pre-register starting today.