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The popular Japanese brain-teasing game is coming out in America, and, well, it is odd.

During my brief time with Brain Flex I was strongly reminded of my math-rearing Sticky Bear Math days. Like the classic Apple //c edutainment software, Brain Flex is bright, colorful, and designed to get more difficult as one plays. One of the first "games" I encountered involved counting X figures on the top screen, and selecting the two (of three) on the bottom whose sum is X. Nintendo also demonstrated a math quizzing game where the game spells out the problem ("Five times seven is") and the answer is typed on a number pad—tricky!

Whereas Sticky Bear Math stuck to counting and simple math, Brain Flex tests other logical and special abilities through its mini-games. During the game's initial evaluation of my brain's weight I played mini-games highly reminiscent of those in Mario 64 DS and Kirby Canvas Curse. Each game is timed—the goal is to answer as many problems correctly before time runs out. For example, in one game I had to draw one line between three interconnected columns to make the top character travel to the bottom character. In another the top screen showed a completed connect-the-dot picture with one or more red lines, and I had to draw only those red lines in a partially-completed version (and optionally rotated version) of the picture. Another specially-oriented game had me predicting the final position of a dog based on a sequence of 1-step instructions (left, right, up or down) for the dog and differently-colored blocks, where blocks push the dog and prevent its movement.

I found the preliminary translation on display to be vague, and I often misunderstood the instructions. However, the translation is early and the problems are hardly unfixable. On my second attempt at a preliminary assessment (when I understood how to play) I was told I had an average score among those who did not flex their brain regularly, and that my mind most closely matched that of a "calculator." The game compares the player's strengths and weaknesses against professionals', so this was probably a clumsy translation of accountant or mathematician. Not too far off from my Computer Science major.

Brain Flex starts off easy but quickly becomes challenging once it determines the player's skill level. However, while adults probably would find challenge in the game, sugary music and bright animal graphics immediately label the game as for kids in western markets. Overall I'd say Brain Flex isn't all-new, but its more complex and varied puzzles go well beyond traditional edutainment titles.