Review: Brain Challenge
Author: Zain Shauk | Posted under: Games, ReviewsTags: Games, health, native apps
Brain Challenge v1.3.1 | Published by Gameloft | Via App Store | $9.99 | Released: 7-24-08
Overview
Brain Challenge packs a punch with its exciting combination of mini-games, including logic, math, visual, focus and memory types. With its quality and depth, Brain Challenge is by far the best and most comprehensive mental challenger app that we’ve played, making it worth every penny.
Gameplay
Rapidly solving logic games and responding to memory questions about missing items are great experiences in Brain Challenge.
After gauging your level with a “Daily Test,” the game provides a challenging set of “Brain Training” exercises (they sound much more fun when we call them mini-games) that press you to quickly select answers by touching the screen.
The mini-games look great and push users with time limits and point rewards for quicker answers. As you improve, new games and modes are unlocked, including a “Stress Exercise” mode.
There have been complaints about the touch reaction of the app and I did experience a couple of frustrating point losses because I thought I had tapped something and moved on, only to find out that I was tapping out of order and incorrectly.
The graphics are excellent and the game even includes a pair of three-dimensional virtual scientists/coaches to keep you inspired. Or to ask you if you want to eat Chinese food… (these apparently random comments seem to be related to the time of day that you open the app).
Brain Challenge also tracks your progress with graphs and statistics, so you can impress your friends by telling them you use 9 percent of your brain (kind of sad).
Review
This app is incredible and, quite frankly, blows everything else in its field out of the water.
It’s fun, it’s educational, it looks great, it’s easy to play and it doesn’t get old or boring as it progresses in difficulty and depth.
There have been criticisms about the game’s unnecessary intro video (which can be easily skipped by touching the screen), its continuous sound when the iPhone is in silent mode (which is solvable through the game’s settings page or by using the volume buttons to manually lower it), and its loading times (which aren’t really that extensive and are normal for games with similar graphical content).
There are legitimate concerns about phone call interruptions (which force you to completely relaunch the game) and the inability to create multiple user profiles (in case you want to compare brain power statistics with your wife), but these issues are not major enough to diminish Brain Challenge’s overall value.
It may seem expensive for a game of its kind, but it offers a lot more than other apps of the same price and is far more impressive.
Update: Thanks to a reader comment, we’ve discovered that multiple user profiles are possible through the “info” page. When multiple profiles are engaged, users will be asked which of five available profile slots they’d like to use for their current session. Switching between profiles is also easy and can be done through the “info” page. This means that yes, you can indeed compare brain power statistics with your wife.
Summary
This is a very complete and engaging product. There is room for improvement, but as is, Brain Challenge is valuable and sure to keep you entertained and thinking.
Usability: 3 / 5 (for problems with tap reaction, phone call interruptions and user profiles)
Value: 5 / 5
Entertainment: 5 / 5
Aesthetics: 5 / 5
Where were you told that it was impossible to have mutiple profiles ?
The game is handling up to 4 different profiles, available while taping on the (i) “info” button. It lets you create and edit the different profiles. You’ll be able to compare yourself with your wife
Jay on August 13th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Is the “Choose the reflected shape” above a trick question? Neither of the two alternatives is correct.
E1M7 on August 13th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Of course they are. The one on the right is the correct one! You have to think as the drawn vertical line in the middle as a mirror.
Yves on August 14th, 2008 at 9:56 am
No Yves, look again at the order of the colored blocks. It is blue-orange in the original image, and blue-orange in the alternative you say is correct. If it was the mirror image they would be in the reverse order (orange-blue).
(Another way to see the problem is to look at the color of the block under the green triangle shape. It’s orange in the original. Regardless of how you mirror or flip it, you can’t suddenly have a blue block under the triangle.)
E1M7 on August 15th, 2008 at 12:18 am
[...] challenging game for sharpening your arithmetic skills. It’s pretty one-dimensional and it’s no Brain Challenge, but it’s free and it works as [...]
Review: Brain Tuner on August 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 am
[...] challenging game for sharpening your arithmetic skills. It’s pretty one-dimensional and it’s no Brain Challenge, but it’s free and it works as [...]
Review: Brain Tuner — Best Mobile Phone Deal on August 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 am
interesting…..must be a mistake in the picture. Have never noticed it in the game!!
bathat on September 10th, 2008 at 2:00 am