Brain Voyage

Having been asked to go around the world with "supposedly" famous puzzle inventer Dr. Reiner Knizia in order to take on the puzzles that are spread out around the world sounds like a premise I can get onboard with. After all, who wouldn't want to go out adventuring with the famous Dr. Reiner? Who? Exactly, the famous Dr. isn't really all that famous, unless you run in very small, specific circles. It seems the good Dr. is famous though, famous for making board games that chances are you actually played at some point in your life. But now he wants you, to join him as you globe trot. Sound like fun? Then lets go.

In reality, the Dr. is somewhat of a missed opportunity man. Since the game involves globe trotting, then shouldn't there be some puzzles involving geography? Some seriously missed opportunities exist here, including an puzzle involving reassembling the United States with puzzle pieces in the form of  the states. Too bad that never occurs, instead, you are kind of duped into playing games that have a geographical twist to them. Playing Simon can be fun, but now that it has an Australiian setting it is supposed to be an addictive puzzle game? I don't think so. In fact, most of the puzzles and games you play are simply tweaked versions of a game you have played on another video game or on a board game. Again, the geographical flavor comes in and things are supposed to be new again.

The game has a sort of passe' look to it. Reiner (or so he likes to be called) has a head that is a tad too big for his body and since I have never seen the man in real life, I have to assume it is fully accurate. After all, it would take a big-brained (and therefore big headed) individual to think up such wonderful games. He is predominantly featured at the top of the game (upper screen) and I often wonder what his function is in all of this globe trotting. He sits there and does a whole lot of nothing most of the time unless it is to mock me for having a normal-sized head. The puzzles seem to look fine, there is nothing graphically demanding in this title to really make things really hum. Locations, globetrotting, a weird form of Yahtzee, it seems to get the job done, just like every other puzzle style game. One of these days a developer is going to make a puzzle game with such hot graphics it's gonna burn my stylus; this is not that game.

As you move from location to location, you are subject... err challenged with completing a series of puzzles that really just aren't puzzling, they are games pure and simple. You play them, you beat them, you move on, eventually taking everything the location has to offer and then moving to the next area of the world. It isn't as challenging as I had hoped and the fact that there is a thinly disguised problem that must be overcome is as embarrassing as it sounds. "Quick, somone play through this mini-game maze or Europe is going to explode!" Ok, maybe it isn't quite as dramatic as that, but at least they could have come up with a better premise other than the hokey stuff they pass off as plot devices.

The game has a different style of music for each area of the world you explore, each one as difficult to listen to as the last. Ok, not that bad, but there is some serious inquiries as to who picked this soundtrack. I understand that the cultural flavor for the area makes sense, but the developers could have picked some music that was a bit more restrained rather than the obnoxious tunes (you hear me people) that plague the game. Some are decent enough but will begin grating on your nerves after a while.

As you complete puzzles, you are given coins which are used to access other puzzles or to unlock higher difficulty levels of existing puzzles. It's a familiar idea in a genre that is quickly getting stale. Puzzle games are starting to become a dime a dozen and unfortunately Brain Voyage doesn't bring anything new to the DS that you haven't played before. What's worse, chances are you played it in some other form that was better. And lastly, the saddest part is that the game has a good idea going for it on paper - globe hopping, puzzle solving whiz kids who are trying to help people out. Unfortunately, it never makes it and we are left holding a game that should have been better, if only...

Gameplay: 6.0
It is a simple game with simple controls; nothing revolutionary or even unique.

Graphics: 5.2
Brain games just don't have eye candy; most of the time it's Ok because the nature of the game doesn't require it to be too pretty. This one fits that well-used mold.

Sound: 5.6
Ummmmm, uh, well, I, uh, yeah.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 6.2
The idea is actually a solid one, globe hopping puzzle solvers almost makes you feel a little like Indiana Jones; then you play the game.

Overall: 5.4
It is one of the more disappointing brain games I have engaged in; nothing too difficult here and unless you absolutely must play every puzzler out there, I would take a pass.