Honestly, what a hidden gem! Best quiz game I've played so far. Good humor, jokes and gamemodes. Keep it up!

Brain Show, the new Trivia Quiz game that we all have been waiting for if you loved Buzz Game Quiz on the PSP and PlayStation. You start off by selecting one of eight pre-formed player avatars for whom you then choose one from a set variety of names which open up after clicking on your choice of starting letter. You can play this game with up to 7 friends (enemies). The game mechanics are very similar to that of Buzz, although the graphics are more cartoon-like. One person every round gets to pick a category for that round; and with over 5000 questions divided into 41 categories, there should be plenty of different questions available to see most players through to the natural end of their interest in playing the game.

Once the game gets underway, we meet our enthusiastic host who talks us through the remainder of the contest. He is an accurate representation of a typical TV game show host, complete with snarky comments about poor player performances. I found that playing as an additional player using Remote Play resulted in his speech occasionally stuttering or clipping, which I guess is fairly typical for online multiplayer games like this – even with a fast machine and good internet speeds – but overall, it held up pretty well.


- Character animations and reactions are pretty good, and the host behaves exactly like a TV host would.

- The jaunty audio accompaniment totally fits that of a broadcast game show.

- Variation between rounds keeps it fresh.

- Questions are not region-specific, so if you live in Australia, for example, you are not going to be handicapped by finding the questions are based around European or American culture and history.

- There is excellent variety of topics to choose, ranging from history and literature to fashion and fairy tales.

- Only the host needs to own the game, all additional players get a free connection.

- There is the option to use a controller or a keyboard.


- Starting up through Remote Play is a bit of a nightmare. The game doesn't seem to like it if nobody has a controller, and playing as an added player provides you with a stark lack of clarity and instruction as to when it is your turn to set up. I sat looking at this screen for far too long, not sure how or when to do what was needed to join the game and get my player and keys assigned.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2987841466

- Although there are several different rounds to play (6 per game – 5 different and then the finale which is always the same), the game cycles them in the same sequence from the beginning each time you load up anew. Randomizing would have been better.

- The “Dynamite” round is unfair – the bomb is on a timer, so if the person before you uses most of the time getting questions wrong and then answers one correctly just before the time runs out, the next person in line suffers whether they actually receive their question or not.

- The host refers to contestants by name (obviously this is why you have to choose from a preset name list at the start); but appears oblivious to gender, as he always refers to the
contestants as “he” (which as a female player, I found irksome)

- There are only eight avatars in total – four of each sex – so if you have a group containing more than 4 of the same sex, then someone is going to have to play being misrepresented.

- Avatars could also use a little more variation in skin tone. It does feel somewhat white-exclusive.

- If using a keyboard, the game assumes that you are sharing it with someone else. Surely they can tell when people are playing from different computers, or at least from different locations?

- Key choices are also preset. I wasn't happy at being given the arrow keys, as they are very small on my keyboard and not positioned in a fast-response-friendly manner.

- I spotted a couple of spelling errors, “Volounteer” being the obvious one as it is also the name assigned to one of the rounds. Overall though, the text quality is very accurate.

As a multiplayer party game, Brain Show does what it says on the store page, and overall it does it quite well, too. Individual enjoyment is going to come down to a couple of factors, and that doesn't include how strong your general knowledge is as you can usually feel quite confident that your friends are just guessing, too.
I suspect the biggest influence on your experience of this game will be the nature of the people you play against (and, moreso, your own). In a game of 8 players, 7 of them are going to lose. Make sure you can handle this without getting upset about it!
Several of the rounds are fastest-finger-first. If you play against someone with lightning reactions, you're probably not going to get much enjoyment out of this.

Overall, despite the confusion experienced in setting up to start a playing session, I found the game to be quite enjoyable and to succeed in offering what it attempts to. For those diehards who have a group of friends who would like to do battle regularly, it would be a good move on the devs part to create additional question packs in order to prolong the life of the game.
For my overall verdict, let's hand over to our host for today's quiz!
”Despite its imperfections, Brain Show offers a fun time for all, and that's what a game should be all about, right? Make your selection now!" 🎮

△ It Is!
O True!
X Indeed!
◻ That's right!

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As a fan of Buzz I have been eagerly waiting for a successor or a spiritual successor to the franchise.

Having seen BrainShow I could see the game being what I have waited for, so I decided to give it a shot.

However, after a short while I have decided to refund the game as for the price given, it is simply not good enough.

Positives:

• Up to date information - finally you get to answer questions that are more up to date!
  
• Some innovative game modes - I like some innovation that was given to some of the game modes. They are not direct copy to Buzz and actually try to be different, which is nice.
  
• Able to play on smartphones/keyboard/controllers - it is simply a very convenient option. Enjoyed that one!
  
• Polish translation - given that I bought the game to play with some family members, whom I played Buzz with years ago, I was very happy to see the game being developed by the local Polish studio and to include the language in the game natively.

Negatives:

• Graphics. I am not a graphics person, but the art-style and graphics of the game simply disappoint on so many levels. I understand the studio is small and possibly the budget not that big, but given that PS3 Buzz looks better more than decade later is just unacceptable. By no means there is an expectation that it will have AAA graphics, but at least make it look on par or better when compared to PS3 games.
  
• Lack of options to customise games. Where are the options to customise the rounds? You cannot add/remove what rounds you would like nor the duration of them. More customisation would be a significant improvement
  
• Rounds being too short. Playing with 2 people I have noticed that the rounds are extremely fast and often way too quick for my liking. All things considered, that should be allowed to be modified or at least, extended.
  
• Host/camera angles for the host being awkward. Some of the moves presented by the host and the camera when the new game mode starts briefly showing the presenter, it looks very poor. It does not look good nor natural by any means. Host itself does not have that much charisma like its predecessors in other games.
  
• General polish. Once or twice I had a moment where after a game, when I clicked restart the game simply crashed/refused to load further until the restart. Very annoying.
  
• Lack of workshop support. The game to support longevity should support custom question packs, similarly to what Buzz did previously. Using Steam's workshop there is a big amount of improvement that could be done in comparison to that.
  
• Price/quality ratio. Given the drawbacks and the upsides, in my view, the game is simply not worth it at this point of time. On a 50% discount, I would probably get it, as I simply feel it would be more worth it at the current state of the game.

Overall, whilst the game is not great, it is also not that bad. I could see myself playing it once in a while, especially after some improvements would have been made.

I hope the game is a stepping stone for a sequel or for future series. I will rebuy the game once some discount appears on it.

Quite good game I really felt the Buzz vibes and the minigames/quizes are really fun and interesting BUT, you should only buy the game if you have friends to play with since the game doesn't include singleplayer modes to justify the purchase. I would like to give the devs a list of ideas to make the game worth it under any circumstances:

-Add the option of playing against AI
-Add a small campaign mode with a few simple objectives (somthing funny of around 1h/1:30h)
-Adding more questions as time goes on to make the pool bigger so there's replay value.
-If you manage to hit a bigger audience make DLCs for 1/2 € adding extra characters and thematic question sets (halloween, e-sports) and make them toggeable before a game starts. This combine with a price drop to 10€ could really awesome ^^

Here you have some footage of the game: https://youtu.be/YAV3Tp0MKMQ

At this price point, without any AI or online matchmaking youd have to wonder how well the game will do at $15. But that said, it IS good at what it sets out to do: provide a good couch multiplayer trivia game

Love the game show concept and the questions in this game was interesting and kind of fair!

Lot's of potential but super bare bones. Would benefit a lot from online multiplayer.

The game's a lot of fun with different mechanics each round. Can't wait for the online multiplayer to be available. For sure worth playing with your friends.

"Brain Show: Party Quiz" is an exceptional game that takes the quiz experience to a whole new level. The game offers exciting intellectual challenges that will make your brain work at full throttle.

One of the most captivating aspects of this game is its interactivity. With the ability to play in real-time with other players, "Brain Show" becomes not only a test of your knowledge but also of your quick thinking and reactions. The opportunity to compete with friends or random opponents makes each showdown a unique challenge.

The diversity of questions is also noteworthy. The game covers a wide range of topics, ensuring that every player will find something of interest. From science and history to pop culture and entertainment, "Brain Show" can deliver questions that will surprise even the most savvy players.

An additional asset is the game's interface, which is both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Colorful graphics and dynamic animation not only stimulate the mind but also encourage further gameplay.

The only potential downside to "Brain Show" is that some questions may be too difficult for certain players, leading to frustration. Nevertheless, the overall difficulty balance is very well maintained, making the game satisfying for players of varying skill levels.

In summary, "Brain Show: Party Quiz" is a great game for anyone who loves intellectual challenges and enjoys competing with others. Diverse questions, interactivity, and a friendly interface make this game worthy of the attention of every quiz enthusiast.

Brain Show is a straightforward trivia game with some added charm from its cute art and animations. I especially liked the water guns, nervous fidgeting and victory dances!

It's local multiplayer only. There aren't any extra features beyond the core gameplay, which is a bit of a pity - even something very minor (such as unlockable alternative colour schemes for avatar outfits) could have added a little sense of progression and reward. However, this is a very trivial bit of feedback.

At time of review, I was able to complete a playthrough in about 20 minutes, using the minimum of two players. This seems about right for a casual multiplayer game. It was generally well-paced, with the one exception of slightly long animations between rounds - but this is a pretty minor issue.

The use of a shared keyboard for controls is a nice feature for situations where there aren't a lot of controller options, e.g. among younger players sharing a computer. I could imagine it getting a bit trickier if you had a larger number of players scrambling to use the same keyboard, but for two it worked nicely.

The voice-acting for the presenter is a nice touch, but it would be better for accessibility if there were also subtitles when he's speaking. Hopefully the devs will add this feature before release!

It would also be nice if there were a mode with assistive voicing for the questions and multiple-choice answers, with timers only beginning after these had been read out - that could make it possible for visually impaired players to take part. However, I'm not an expert on these kinds of accessibility features - a visually impaired person would be able to provide more well-informed feedback.

The avatar options have nicely varied body shapes, with some appearing older than others, and a couple of (fairly light-skinned) people of colour available. I hope the devs will consider broadening the range of POC options.

The avatars are not gender-locked, but the game still asks players to select whether they are 'male' or 'female'. I suspect this may be an attempt to assign he or she pronouns, but it didn't really come up during my playthrough after I made the initial selection. It would be nice to see a 'non-binary' and/or 'they/them' option added.

The asking price feels quite high to me - I would have imagined it fitting more comfortably in the £12-£8 price range. However, I only intended to play through it for the purposes of reviewing since I'm not the target audience, while the replay value of multiple types of rounds and lots of questions probably contributed to the pricing.

Overall, while this isn't the kind of game I'd usually play (aside from the odd round of Jackbox at parties), I had a good time with it and I think it does what it sets out to do. It's probably designed for younger players and their loved ones to play together, which makes the simplicity a sensible choice. A few tweaks for extra accessibility and inclusion would potentially see me bump this score up to a 7/10, but for the moment, I'd rate it 6/10 - enjoyable.

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