Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain is the most recent, multiplayer edition from the cult classic puzzle game developed and authored by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Compete solo, online against ghosts, or against other players in your proximity in 20 different brain-twisting mini-games to prove whose brain has more brawn.
The first new entry within the series in nearly 15 years, Brain vs Brain doesn’t skip a beat. It returns the classic tap-to-play style of challenges of the DS and Wii with total mastery. It’s so simple but so easy to get sucked into because it’s also exceedingly challenging. And the game is ever better designed than ever before to help you get trying to reach that higher score over and over.
Foremost, the sport couldn’t become successful without good minigames. With five types of 60-second brain teasers and four games within each, there’s lots of variety, whether you’re playing in practice mode and selecting your challenges, playing in test mode where you randomly receive one from each category or playing online in Ghost Clash mode. You’re neither constantly playing exactly the same games again and again nor are you receiving the same questions again and again with each new try. They’re all fun and creative and absolutely test different aspects of the brain you didn’t even know you'd.
But what keeps you engaged for hours on end is three things: a rating system that pushes you constantly to attain higher and get better metals, lots of fun costumes to unlock for the avatar, a regular feeling of being smart. The rating system has been a highlight of the series right from the start, pushing you to definitely achieve higher and better scores while feeling smarter and smarter the more you practice. The costumes unlock every ten coins you get, which are accumulated by simply playing or achieving higher scores. And Dr. Lobe, the series' mascot, keeps you always encouraged while you play and increase your brain.
Brain vs Brain has a powerful multiplayer mode too. You can play from the ghosts of friends and strangers, to begin with, providing you with an asynchronous chance to compete. There's also a local multiplayer where you can play in a versus match on the same console face-to-face with touch controls or together with your to four players using controllers. It isn't what I'd call a fantastic party game if you're just simply better at these kinds of games than your pals. My own mail to feel dumb compared to friends simply because the recording game calls their brain less brawny. But when you think you're brave enough to check you brain game prowess against friends, it's certainly a fun mode where you compete to reach 100 points fastest by completing levels faster.
The proven fact that Brain vs Brain so heavily emphasizes touch controls is actually appreciated. The controls don't move as quickly with joysticks and buttons so having the ability to tap on the Switch's underutilized touch screen is extremely welcome. You can play with a controller, certainly, but admittedly some games just don't work as smoothly when you can't quickly tap on things.
Brain vs Brain is a very welcome return to a long-forgotten series. Although it doesn't offer anything quite so new besides new mini-games and a strong multiplayer mode, it's absolutely difficult to pay and filled with challenging fun.
Brain vs Brain is available now on Nintendo Switch.
