Brain Age: Concentration Training

Brain Age: Concentration Training is a sequel to the popular series of mental exercises built on a collaboration with Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima, this time adapted for the 3DS. The game again offers a collection of short daily minigames focused on memory, mental arithmetic, quick recognition, and concentration, with a new emphasis specifically on concentration - the ability to maintain focus even amid distracting stimuli, a topic previous entries hadn't addressed as much, reflecting the era's discussion about the effect of smart devices on the ability to concentrate. The results of individual exercises are converted by the game into the familiar "brain age" indicator, which is meant to decrease with regular training.

Controls use the touchscreen as well as the microphone for voice recognition in some tasks, similar to the original DS game, and the title is designed to be played in short, several-minute sessions every day rather than in longer play sessions. The presentation remains restrained and functional, with a minimum of graphical embellishment - the emphasis is placed solely on the exercises themselves and on clear statistics, supplemented by graphs tracking the player's long-term progress.

While the original Brain Age on the DS was a phenomenon that helped expand game-playing to a non-traditional audience, the 3DS version didn't have as strong an impact, and critics rated it as a solid but less groundbreaking sequel to an established concept, supplementing the existing lineup rather than bringing a major innovation. Still, it found its audience among players looking for an easy daily mental routine, and today it still works as a pleasant, undemanding way to stretch your mind for a few minutes a day, ideally right after waking up or before going to sleep, when the player is most in the mood to watch their own progress in clear graphs. As a complement to other, more demanding titles on the 3DS, it still works pleasantly and unobtrusively today.