After purchasing a Nintendo DS console a few years ago, I wanted a game that would really make use of the touch screen. I became interested in the new wave of Brain Training games that were released, so Big Brain Academy caught my eye. It is just like brain training, but is aimed at a younger audience as it makes use of more colourful graphics and animated characters as well as chirpy music. This game doesn't take itself too seriously, yet you can feel yourself thinking as you play it and you know you are giving your brain a workout.
There are two sections to the game. One is a Test, where you are graded at the end of a series of random exercises taken from each category. Categories include things like Memory, Compute and Analyse. The other is Practice where you can go over the exercises again, get good at them, beat your own score and win bronze, gold and platinum medals.
The score system is based on Brain Weight. The higher the score, the more you brain weighs. Anything round about 250g usually gives you a gold medal.
Example of exercises: Most of the exercises involve using the touch screen to either draw lines or select pictures which are the answer to questions. There is a maths exercise where sums are written in numbers eg. TWO MINUS ONE and you have to use the touch screen to select the correct answer on a calculator below. This gets harder as you go along because the fact the numbers are written as words confuses you, and you have to do it quickly to beat your own score. There is an exercise where you have shapes made of lots of little cubes and you have to count the amount of cubes there is, quickly before choosing the answer. There is one that involves looking at a row of pictures, and as the shadows of the pictures float along the screen, choosing which ones they are. Also included are exercises involving working out which way a dog will go following a series of arrows, a one where you have to work out where to draw a line to get an animal to the bottom of a grid, a one where a series of funny sounds are played and you have to remember what characters were making them, a one where you have to work out which pile of money has the highest value and many more like pair matching and choosing the heaviest item on a set of scales.
As you can see there is definitely variety, although I prefer the exercises where you have to draw things on the touch screen as you can do them faster and therefore score higher! I have the highest scores on the money exercises as you can get more answers in a shorter space of time.
Once you decide to go on to the Test section after practising individual exercises, you will be graded from A to C and a little analyses of the areas where you performed best will be said on screen by the Brain Dr. These says things like 'you have the brain of a Museum Curator', I think the fun in the game is beating your own score, knowing that not only have you progressed in the game but also you are using your brain!
This game has variety and a certain quirkiness to it that appeals to a less serious audience than its Brain Training competitor. You can still feel that you are giving your brain a work out despite its fun graphics and sounds, and it makes good use of the touch screen, although its life span is limited once you have got a good score on the Test section. If prefer a more light hearted brain training game, this is a recommended purchase.
More details
Originality
Not bad - some good ideas
Sound
Good - relevant music & effects
Longevity/Expected Longevity
few months
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
you can think; test your ability for logical thought; and turn that dull daily train journey into an intellectual keep-fit session. With Big Brain Academy, you ca...
very helpful
very helpful
helpful
helpful
