Brain Age, also called Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training in PAL regions, is a set of video games made and released by Nintendo. These games are inspired by the research of Ryuta Kawashima.
Games
The Brain Age games, called Brain Training in Japan and Europe, are a collection of small games designed to help improve mental skills. These activities were created with the help of Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese scientist, and are meant to help different parts of the brain work better to improve thinking skills and reduce the effects of normal aging. Most activities use two or more types of mental challenges and require players to answer quickly and correctly. For example, one activity is Calculations, where players solve simple math problems by writing answers on a touchscreen. Another is the Stroop Test, based on the Stroop effect, where players see a color name written in a different color and must say the color of the text, not the word itself. The games include two modes: Training mode, which lets players practice how to play, and Brain Age Check, where players complete activities without practice, and the game estimates their "brain age" based on speed and accuracy. The game keeps track of a player's progress over time to show how regular use affects their skills.
This is the first game in the series. It includes Quick Play mode, Daily Training mode, and Sudoku mode. It can also be played with up to 16 people in Download Play mode.
This game is similar to the first one but includes new puzzles. It also has the same game modes as the first game.
Brain Age Express is a series of three downloadable games for the Nintendo DSi. These games include Math, Arts & Letters, and Sudoku. However, after the Nintendo 3DS store closed, these games are no longer available through legal methods.
Concentration Training is a game for the Nintendo 3DS. It focuses on improving concentration rather than overall brain skills. The game includes a new Devilish Training mode, where players complete tasks to improve focus. It also has Supplemental Training mode, which includes mini-games from earlier games to help improve working memory speed, and Brain Training mode, which is similar to previous games but includes new mini-games.
A new Brain Age game for the Nintendo Switch, titled Nō o Kitaeru Otona no Nintendo Switch Training (lit. Nintendo Switch Brain Training for Adults), and called Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch in Europe and Australia, was released in Japan on December 27, 2019, and in Europe and Australia on January 3, 2020. The game uses new features of the Switch, such as the gyroscope and infrared camera in the Joy-Con controllers, for some activities. A stylus compatible with the Switch was also released in Japan on the same day to support these activities.
Common elements
The first two Brain Age games in North America, Europe, and Korea included a Sudoku mode. Players could choose between two play styles: one with alerts and one without. In the version with alerts, players are allowed to make only five mistakes before the puzzle ends automatically. Each mistake adds a 20-minute time penalty to the player's total time. If the best time for a puzzle was achieved using the alert mode, the game will show this next to the best time.
Most of the puzzle is played on the touch screen, which shows the full Sudoku grid. To begin, the player taps a square they want to fill. The touch screen then displays a close-up view of that square, while the other screen shows a wider view of the puzzle. When zoomed in, players can use arrows to move to an adjacent square. To fill a square, the player writes the number with a stylus. Once the number is written and the player moves to another square, the number appears in a clearer form.
Brain Age uses a strategy similar to pen-and-paper Sudoku, where players note possible numbers in squares by writing small numbers. Players have four options: Undo, Erase, Zoom Out, and Save & Quit. Undo reverts the most recent change. Erase clears all content in a square (or just one number if the player circles it). Zoom Out returns to a wider view of the puzzle. Save & Quit lets the player save progress and exit the puzzle, but the saved data is deleted when the player returns.
A DSiWare version of the game, called Brain Age Express: Sudoku, was released in PAL regions on July 24, 2009, and in North America on August 17, 2009. It was later removed from the DSi Shop on June 19, 2015.
Other media
A book based on Kawashima's work was released, titled Train Your Brain: 60 Days to a Better Brain, along with a sequel called Train Your Brain More: 60 Days to an Even Better Brain.
Body and Brain Connection, also known as Dr. Kawashima's Body and Brain Exercises in PAL regions, is a puzzle video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360's Kinect platform. It was released in 2010. The player is guided through the brain age tests by Ryuta Kawashima.