Review: Brain Challenge

Another game by Game loft, Is this just a spin-off from the JAVA version? Or is a real improvement? Read on to find out.

Game loft make some good games, there pool game and Asphalt series prove that, but first impressions with this game? It’s a rip off, of the very popular series “Brain Age” For the Nintendo DS. Since the beginning of Brain age we have had a wave of “Brain” games which try to imitate Brain age, but fail every time – Is Brain Challenge any different? No.

So it’s a bad start, it may be able to turn itself around. When I first booted up the game, the pixel art menus and style was very pretty and vivid on my N95 screen, I was very impressed with the style of it and didn’t have any cheapness about it, original and nice. The Menu’s are simple enough, you will never get lost – If you do, Brain challenge isn’t going to help you.

Like Brain Age for the DS there’s two main modes “Daily Brain Test” and “Training Room” – Both do the same thing, train your brain with array of mini games and activities which are surprisingly nice to play on a mobile phone.

The other options that are included are the Brain chart to check your progress, your personal high scores and N-Gage Arena.

There is an appeal factor to this game, but it isn’t hardcore brain action like Brain Age, this game to me is just for fun – and not for everyday use, more when you want too or can be bothered use – so its not for the hardcore users, more general users who play a few games on the move.

The challenges are rather fun, but doesn’t have a lasting appeal to it – after a while you will get bored, but you will keep going back to it every so often.

The controls are simple enough, select and click using the D-Pad and nothing else – but that also shows how basic this game can also be, it shouldn’t be a complicated game with loads of buttons but to stick to D-Pad shows it can be a little cheap.

Like I said before the graphical aspect is basic, simple yet I loved it, using pixel art as the main idea, is nice. It looks pretty and very vivid and isn’t ugly or using shoddy effects. Its just nice, defiantly something people will love.

The Sounds were the worst part of the game, to put it simple and bluntly – Terrible. Reminds you so much of a JAVA game, using cheap Midi type effects as the music – I have to play the game with sounds off, it really is disgusting for a Next Gen Platform game.

For the multiplayer, well It’s just rankings on the N-Gage Arena – Nothing special, but It’s a nice addition seeing as you cant really have a decent multiplayer experience on a brain game to start with, though saying that Real time quiz’s would have been a nice extra with your mates locally or across the world using the N-Gage arena, its still a brain challenge ;).

Overall it could be improved; nice pretty graphics don’t make up for the sounds and effects used. If Game loft decide to bring a sequel out for this game on the N-Gage I really hope they improve upon the factors I have mentioned to make it a complete experience.

For a mobile game, its good and it does get you thinking but like I said it’s just a mobile game and very close to the JAVA counterpart which is very disappointing. My advice? Go get another game like System Rush or even Asphalt, but if you want a fun game that can be addicting at times – Get the JAVA version because the N-Gage version being at £6 is a bit pricey for a JAVA Quality Game.