Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is coming to Switch this December

By Emily Morrow September 2, 2021

Nintendo announced via a tweet this morning that the next title in the Big Brain Academy series, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, will be coming to Nintendo Switch on December 3. While it can be played solo, like previous Big Brain Academy titles, Brain vs. Brain is designed to be played with other people. Players will be able to face off against friends in couch co-op mode and against players from around the world in puzzle- and number-themed minigames.

#BigBrainAcademy: Brain vs. Brain is coming to #NintendoSwitch on 12/03! Flex your brainpower or engage in a battle of brains with your family and friends! 🧠 pic.twitter.com/lVavwzxbzd

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 2, 2021

The trailer shows off several of the game’s IQ-themed minigames. Players can complete tasks that are designed to “train your brain,” like solving number puzzles, matching a block puzzle to a given image, or figuring out what the subject of a photo is as it slowly pieces itself together. There are several different difficulty levels, and each player can set their own level during couch co-op. Like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, those who have a Nintendo Online subscription can play against players anywhere in the world and upload their own puzzle-solving ghost data, enabling others to play against it. The game appears to allow for players to have different profiles (and presumably records) within its save data.

This is the first entry in the Big Brain Academy series since Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree for the Wii in 2007, making it well over a decade since the series has seen a title. The original Big Brain Academy for Nintendo DS was part of Nintendo’s Touch Generations line of games, which were aimed at consumers who don’t normally play video games. That mindset can be seen in the trailer, where the kids get the whole family involved in the title’s minigames.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

Gaming

All cross-platform games (PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

Cross-platform support is becoming more important in the world of video games. Multiplayer hits like Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Fortnite have pushed crossplay into the limelight, and now most AAA multiplayer games release with at least partial cross-platform support. Finding every cross-platform game is no easy feat, though, so we did the hard work to bring you a comprehensive list of games that support crossplay.

Unfortunately, there aren't any rules when it comes to crossplay, so each game handles the feature a little differently. To make matters more confusing, certain backward-compatible games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X still support crossplay on the most recent hardware, even if there isn't an official release for that hardware.

Gaming

The Nintendo Switch just got 2 surprise games — and they’re both worth grabbing

A teddy beat sits on an embroidery hoop in Stitch.

If you were unable to catch this week's Nintendo IndieWorld showcase, then you missed a surprisingly loaded show. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes got a May release date, WayForward showed off its Yars' Revenge revival, and Steamworld Heist 2 got an exciting reveal. In the midst of all those headlines, two smaller games were surprise released on the platform: Stitch and Sticky Business. Don't sleep on either of them, as they're both worth a purchase.

Both games are ports of previously released games, but both went a bit under the radar upon their original launch. Sticky Business modestly launched last summer on PC, whereas Stitch has actually been around since 2022 as an Apple Arcade exclusive. The latter even has an Apple Vision Pro version now that can be played in mixed reality. I can't blame anyone for missing either, but their Switch releases offer a good opportunity to catch up with some quiet hidden gems.

Gaming

Every rumored video game console: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 Pro and more

A PS5 sits on a table.

History would tell you that 2024 isn't a year where you should expect a lot of new game consoles. We're smack dab in the middle of a console generation and we've already seen the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S get upgrades during it. A wave of brand new consoles is likely four years away if the precedent set by previous generations holds up.

And yet, we're swimming in hardware rumors these days. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have rumored systems in the works. On top of that, we're on the verge of an early second generation for portable PCs like the Steam Deck. Companies like Lenovo and Asus are also plotting follow-ups to their own devices. It's a lot to keep track of, with scattered reports sharing rumors about the status of each. To help you stay on top of the news, we've rounded up every major gaming device that's currently in the works. You can expect to see some -- if not all -- of these in the next year.
Nintendo Switch 2