Challenge Me: Math Workout by Oxygen
Interactive is a workout aimed at keeping your mathematical and computational
skills sharp and toned. The brain-workout genre, christened by the DS, is an
interesting one, but always a challenge; developers must figure out how to make
problem solving and learning fun and interesting. There have obviously been
successful games in the genre in the past, but is Oxygen’s Challenge Me: Math
Workout able to pull it off?
Math Workout really consists of two
main game types, titled Hidden Logic and Formulate. Within each of these two
game types, there are a few different modes, which let you decide upon things
like number of opponents, and variants of the game type. But for all intents and
purposes, there are two game types. We’ll start with the more successful of the
two, Hidden Logic.
Hidden Logic is a based around a
deck of numbered cards. Each card is either black or white, and there is one of
each number/color combination in the deck. So on the Easy setting, for example,
the deck consists of 12 cards, 1-6 in white, and 1-6 in black. Each player is
dealt a starting hand of cards, face down, and based on what cards are in your
hand, you must take an educated guess at what cards the other player or players
are holding. The key here is that the cards are laid on the table in numerical
order, which is your first clue as to which card is which. And at the start of
the game, it is really more of a guess than an educated guess. If you are wrong,
one of your cards becomes exposed to the opponents, giving them some more clues
with which to use for their next guess. If your guess is right, the opponent’s
card is exposed to you and all other opponents. As the game progresses, each
clue allows you to make increasingly more educated guesses. And depending on how
educated those guesses really are, you just might find yourself coming out on
top.
In the easiest difficulty setting,
the game is really not that difficult. But once you begin to face multiple
opponents, it becomes increasingly more difficult. A three player round was at
least twice as difficult as a one-on-one match, due to the fact that there are
more cards in play that are hidden from you at the start of the game. This is
because in a one-on-one game, you already know half of the cards, but in a three
player game, you start off knowing only one-third of the cards in play. In
addition to that, there are TWO separate ordered queues of cards – one for each
opponent. So the ordering clues that you may get from one queue don’t always
help you figure out the other opponents queue. It can certainly be tricky.
Formulate is a much less complex
game, but also much less engrossing. The idea here is that you are given four
random cards, numbered one through nine, and containing either a multiplication,
division, subtraction, or addition sign. Your task is then to order the cards in
a way such that the equation makes sense. The problem I found was that more than
half the time, the four cards could simply not be arranged in any order that
would equate. So there are plenty of rounds where you just have to discard a
card and hope for the best next time around. Of course, if there was always a
solution, the game probably wouldn’t be very difficult. Part of the challenge
lies in knowing that there may very well not be a solution, but you have to
figure out if there is one hidden in there. But in the end, the solutions are
too few and far between to keep the game interesting. On top of that, arranging
simple math equations just isn’t really that much fun.
A highlight of Math Workout is that
the game allows you to play both of the main game types in wireless mode with
one game card. This is great since you should be able to enjoy the game with a
friend without having to worry about him/her having a copy of the game. I only
wish this was more prevalent amongst DS games. Hidden Logic is actually quite a
bit more fun against an actual human opponent too, because sometimes the
computer players seem to know things they shouldn’t … or maybe they are just a
bit better at logical thinking than us primitive humans.
There’s not really a whole lot to
Challenge Me: Math Workout. I was expecting a collection of small
mathematics-oriented games rather than just two different game types. That said,
the two game types are pretty substantial, especially Hidden Logic. But beyond
these two types described above, there isn’t much else. The graphics and sound
are absolutely no reason to buy this title, so if the description of the games
above didn’t peak your interest, there’s probably no reason to look any further.
But, if Hidden Logic and Formulate sounded intriguing, and you’d like to test
your wits against some friends in wireless mode, give this title a shot.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.0
The gameplay is really simple; it just consists of selecting cards and
shifting the order of cards using the stylus. The game is more about logical and
mathematical thinking than true gameplay.
Graphics: 4.5
It doesn’t seem like very much effort was put into the graphics for Math
Workout. The highlight would have to be the selectable characters, as they are
somewhat humorous. But overall, the style is very, very simple.
Sound: 6.2
The music is satisfactory, but certainly nothing memorable. The sound
effects are plain, and don’t get in the way of the game. I’m glad the sound is
not noticeably bad, but it would be nice if it was noticeably good.
Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty level quickly rises as you move on from beginner to
intermediate. The game allows for full control over what difficulty level you
want to play on, so the wide range is a positive.
Concept: 7.3
I like the idea of a game to keep your mathematics and logic skills sharp.
Unfortunately a lack of variety (only two game types) leads to a stale
experience. A few more game types or perhaps a little more depth in the two
included types would be a welcome addition.
Multiplayer: 7.5
The game allows for DS download play using just one game card. So you can
challenge a friend even if he/she doesn’t have their own copy of the game. And
playing against a buddy is way more fun than playing against an omniscient
computer player.
Overall: 6.1
I liked the Hidden Logic half of the game at first. It almost reminded me of
the kind of logic needed to be successful at Sudoku. After several plays,
however, I found it was not deep enough or enjoyable enough to hold my interest.
And when the computer player seems to guess right too often, it can be
frustrating. The Formulate side of the game was much less enjoyable, even though
I think it has potential. A few more game types, some refined gameplay, and a
deeper experience would certainly benefit Challenge Me: Math Workout if a sequel
happens to come around. As it stands, Math Workout is really only for those who
enjoy math and logic puzzles and games.
