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Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw

NES

NES

The excitement of one of the America's most popular party games comes to the NES with Pictionary. Not only are the elements of the board game there, but so are several picture-based mini-games. Additionally, this version can be played solo, whereas the board game requires at least three people. ...

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Developer
Software Creations

Released on
1990

Size
1–8 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Puzzle

Publisher
LJN

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw 1

Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw 2

Description

The excitement of one of the America’s most popular party games comes to the NES with Pictionary. Not only are the elements of the board game there, but so are several picture-based mini-games. Additionally, this version can be played solo, whereas the board game requires at least three people.

The basic objective of Pictionary is for a person on a team to try and illustrate a word he or she has been given using only drawings. The team must guess what is being illustrated within a certain amount of time. As a reward for guessing the puzzle correctly, the team gets to advance on a board. The team that makes it to the end of the board first wins.

In addition to the classic drawing aspect to the game, there are also four mini-games to be played in order for a team to win. These include “Attack of the Paint Zombies” (similar to Space Invaders), “The Warehouse Shuffle” (moving crates from one side of a warehouse to another as gremlins try to steal them), “Four Alarm Rescue” (catching people as they jump out of windows), and “Leapin’ Energy Casules!” (capturing energy balls to fuel your spaceship).

There are also other game modes that enable you to use cards you may have for an actual Pictionary board game or a practice mode enabling you to simply draw.

Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw

Overview & History

Released in North America by LJN and developed by Software Toolworks in the winter of 1990, Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw adapted the beloved Mattel board game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Eschewing a traditional narrative or storyline, the game captures the frenetic energy of sketching against the clock in a digital format. Players navigate a virtual game board via a colorful world map before diving into the core drawing challenges, competing against AI opponents or friends in an attempt to guess pixilated sketches before the timer runs out.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard NES platformers, Pictionary blends board game strategy with real-time cursor manipulation. Players choose their avatars and roll virtual dice to advance across a sprawling map containing squares categorized by difficulty and category (such as Difficult, Action, or Person, Place, or Animal). Once a square is landed on, the screen transitions to a drawing canvas. Using a pixelated pencil or brush tool, the player must render a recognizable object based on a secret prompt. The game relies on strict shape recognition, meaning curved lines and precise pixel placement are vital to prevent the computer or your teammate from shouting incorrect guesses. Bonus mini-games break up the sketching phases, injecting arcade-style pacing into the otherwise contemplative puzzle-solving framework. Accuracy and speed dictate success, pushing players to master the rigid grid-based drawing mechanics.