Games that blend genres are often the easiest to recommend. A good mix is full of little compromises, where each aspect is adapted and simplified to suit the needs of the others. In doing so, the game becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and is usually more accessible to the average player. One example would be Crypt of the Necrodancer, a roguelike where everything you do needs to be in time with the music. If the rhythm requirement was stripped away, the roguelike elements would seem incredibly shallow, and on the other hand, maintaining a beat wouldn’t suffice even as a tutorial in most rhythm games. However, having to juggle both responsibilities can be incredibly demanding even at a low level, so the mutual simplicity affords players the clarity they need to learn the mechanics. On the other hand, Pixel Puzzle Makeout League doesn’t have such an interaction between its halves, much to its detriment. As the name implies, it’s a visual novel mixed with pixel puzzling most would recognize from Picross. On paper, it has everything it needs to be great. There's a huge variety in puzzles, a smooth difficulty curve, and a robust options menu for players who want an extra challenge, a helping hand, or just a little convenience. The writing is funny and heartfelt at times, and the routes for all the romanceable characters are equally polished. What causes the problem is that by not affording compromises between each side of the game, it actually becomes less than the sum of its parts. If you just want to complete all the game’s puzzles, you’ll have to wade through loads of talking and the occasional minigame in routes which all have the same difficulty curve. If you go through one route and just want to see how the story ends, you can't until you complete the other three routes and their ~fifty puzzles each. If I knew someone who just loved Picross, I couldn’t recommend this game over one that just gave a dry listing of puzzles, and if I knew someone who loved visual novels, there are better ones out there that don’t require completion of over two hundred pixel puzzles. If the elements were blended more seamlessly, this game could have appealed to both camps, but the lack of compromise means it will only work for the small (but I assume very passionate) group of puzzle-loving hopeless romantics.