Brain Age: Concentration Training

There are 3 types of training modes: Devilish Training, Supplemental Training, and Brain Training. Unlike past installments, the 3DS is held in its standard position, rather than sideways (except for Relaxation Mode). The player utilizes the handheld's touchscreen and microphone to perform training and minigames. The game also added Relaxation Mode which allows the player's brain to take a break after training. They include 3 games: Blob Blast and Germ Buster (inspired by ''Wario's Woods and Dr. Mario respectively), and Music Appreciation'', which lets players listen to relaxing music and the rest of the game's soundtrack. ==Development==

The game was planned to be released in Europe on March 8, 2013, and after to April 12, 2013; however, despite releasing fully localized information on the title, Nintendo of Europe had since announced the game's release being postponed on April 9, 2013. On April 12, 2017, during a Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the release date for Europe. The game was released on July 28, 2017, exactly five years after the original Japanese release. Nintendo Australia later also confirmed a local release in Australia. ==Reception==

Some gaming journalists were initially antagonistic and skeptical towards Brain Age: Concentration Training. A Destructoid writer rebuked its price in the same paragraph he dismissed the entire series as a craze that has died. Destructoid did, however, comment on the game's willingness to improve any player's memory by an enormous amount. GameRadar+ AU dismissed the game in a way that contradicted Destructoid, quipping that "if you've read [this paragraph] description up until this point, you're likely ahead of the game," implying anyone literate is too intelligent to get much out of the experience. IGN's Mr. Thomas insisted the premise of a "devil doctor" would make the game less appreciated by who he considers to be the target audience of "older, non-gamer adults." Brain Age: Concentration Training received average critical reviews, gaining aggregate scores of about 70/100 on GameRankings and Metacritic. Both IGN's Thomas as well as Knezevic, an author for GameRadar+, were delighted by the full upgrade in presentation. They felt it was a testament to the difference in the production budget that Dr. Kawashima was fully voiced throughout the experience. They praised the way it made for a "more personal experience." Morgan Sleeper of Nintendo Life called the dynamic difficulty a "fantastic addition," that "really does help with concentration." She went on to praise almost every single element of the game in detail. Thomas remarked that the game succeeded at hooking him (getting him "invested" in improving his working memory across multiple play-sessions). Game Informer's Ryckert noted the variety of content there, regardless of whether the player is thrilled with the main mode. Ryckert was otherwise unamused and critical of the game. Knezevic and others felt that the letter recognition was "wonky," which was "annoying", however, there is disagreement on whether it impedes gameplay significantly. Some took issue with the reuse of content from previous entries whereas some welcomed the relatively large amount of content within the game. Sleeper panned the secondary modes as "a great deal more mundane," though was warm on the relaxation games. Thomas, in his review, pondered if the flaws and quirks would add up to prevent players from playing the game long enough to make any actual progress on their concentration. ==Notes==