Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Joshua Goldie 10.12.2021

Review for Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain on Nintendo Switch

In 2005 Nintendo released Big Brain Academy on the Nintendo DS, an education-puzzle game that gave the player several logic tests that could be played to get a high score. It was part of Nintendo's appeal to a more casual audience, released under the companies Touch Generations brand. It would later receive a follow-up on the Nintendo Wii two years later and then nothing; it seemed like the Academy had closed for good. That was until Nintendo rather suddenly opened its doors again this year with a surprise Switch sequel. Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is the third entry in the franchise and the first in fourteen years, putting a bigger emphasis on the multiplayer aspect that was always present in the series.

Much like its predecessors, the game is split into single player and multiplayer mode. The latter appears to be a big focus of the game with it even being referenced in the subtitle, yet in the actual game the options are basic. There are two modes with up to four players each, one has the players taking turns picking a mini-game to compete in and the other has a wheel to spin and the mini-game is randomly chosen. Regardless of which mode is played, they are all still the same mini-games.

Difficulty options are available for each game, however picking a higher difficulty does not allow that player to get more points, it is more of a handicap to keep the greater skilled player from wiping the floor with their opponents. It makes sense to have this because games can be over in a flash if one player is highly skilled as it only takes five wins to reach one hundred points and win the game. These options are not bad at all, but given the focus on multiplayer one would expect more options and ways to play to keep it different.

Screenshot for Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain on Nintendo Switch

Players can also compete against other players' Ghost Data in the game's online mode. This is similar to the time trials found in the Mario Kart series where the game records how quickly the player beats a puzzle and uploads it online for others to race against. Players can play against friends and family or strangers online and advance up the leader board, increasing the worldwide ranking for the month which unlocks items and taunts for the player's avatar to equip.

Online is easily the best part of the game as it can be fun to compete against other users scores and show-off to friends that your 'brain is brawnier' than theirs, however it is single player only. There is no online PVP option and so friends cannot be competed against directly, which is a shame. Other single player options are simply the practice mode where runs of each mini-game can be recorded with gold medals and coins as the prizes, which can then be used to unlock further cosmetics for the avatar. There is also the test mode where players can take on one challenge from each of the five categories to test their brains, a mode fairly standard for this type of game. Both modes are as fun as the mini-games contained within them, all of which were enjoyable with varying levels of difficulty.

Screenshot for Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

7/10

Very Good - Bronze Award

Ultimately Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a fun game and does everything it says on the package. Unfortunately there is always a limit to games of this type, which explains its budget price tag for a physical release. While the multiplayer is fun to pick up and play with friends and family, it does not last very long with fifteen games in total. It is a game that need to be repeatedly played to try and beat the high score which can be fun for short bursts, but not something that will stay in the brain for a long time.