Brain Food for Gamers?
Whenever I am out in a pub or possibly on a ferry, if I so much as glance over and see an electronic quiz machine, that’s the evening over for me. I will immediately try to persuade however many people I am with to come over and answer a barrage of questions, from laughably easy to mind-bendingly hard, all for the slim chance of winning the cash prize. I’ve probably won about £5 over the last thirty years, but that still doesn’t dampen my spirits for trying.
There is something so fundamentally fun about a general knowledge quiz. It’s a great leveller, a place where it doesn’t matter if you’ve done a PhD in astrophysics; you still might not be able to answer, “What was All Saints’ first single?”
Trivia: Knowledge Trainer – the Quiz Game is exactly this experience, but on the Xbox, and you can play with up to four people. What’s not to like?
High-End Minimalism
There have been quite a few quiz games on the Xbox over the years, if you look hard enough. Lately, the Trivial Pursuit games have been a solid entry for local party play and we never tire of It’s Quiz Time. But for me, nothing could beat those heady days of the Xbox 360 and the chaotic experience that was 1 vs. 100; a game we still miss.
Trivia: Knowledge Trainer – the Quiz Game is one of those titles that, when you first load it up, you might think to yourself… “Is that it?” Where are the flashy graphics and the intricately made-up but well-designed mock TV studios? When is the opportunity for you to create a funny cartoon avatar and make them do silly dances when you win a round? Where is all the wackiness I have come to expect from a family-friendly quiz game?
This game has none of that. If those other, flashier types of games are the McDonald’s of the quiz world – bright, loud, and designed for mass appeal – then Trivia: Knowledge Trainer is a sort of high-end, minimalist, vegan burger bar. It’s the kind of place that only has two tables, serves its food on a slate, and is run by a rude waiter. It’s not interested in the colourful packaging; it’s focused entirely on the quality of its ingredients.
Learning to Win
The premise of the game is not only to get questions right but also to gain knowledge. This is its key unique selling point. So, for example, a question might ask you, “What is the oldest recorded town in the UK?” Now, you might get this wrong, or you might get this right. The answer, as everyone knows (I used to live there), is Colchester.
But the game doesn’t end there with a simple “Correct.” This is where the “knowledge” element comes in. The game will then provide you with extra information, something like: “It was made the capital of Britain by the Roman Empire around 49AD and has a castle.” This element is what makes the game truly stand out from the normal crowd. It’s something I genuinely enjoyed, as it turns the experience into a learning tool, even when you get things wrong.
Gameplay and Strategic Categories
There are over 5,000 questions included, each with its own related knowledge bits, in Trivia: Knowledge Trainer. How it works is that you can choose up to four local players or just play on your own if you like. You get a round of ten questions which cover ten different categories; familiar topics like Music, History, Film, Misc, Geography, and others.
One of the best features is that there is no time limit on thinking of the answers to these questions, removing the panic-button element of other quiz games and allowing you to actually think. However, you do get something called “knowledge points” that accumulate, rewarding you for getting more questions right and for answering them in a quicker fashion.
Competitive Intelligence
At the end of the ten questions, you get a simple mark out of ten on how many you got right, and then you go again. As you get more questions right in a specific category, you will see a difficulty level for that category increase. So, you might start to get questions that are labelled ‘Music – Level 4”. Honestly, the Level 1 questions can really catch you out sometimes, so as soon as it goes beyond that, you could find yourself in real trouble. It’s worth noting as well that all the questions come with multiple choice answers, so you could just get lucky with a guess, which I certainly did a few times.
Playing with friends increases the enjoyment. The difference from the solo mode is not substantial, except that you get told who is leading the round at the end of the ten questions. There is also one interesting strategic option: the person who got the previous question right gets to choose who goes first when the next category comes up. This could be a very useful tactic if you know your opponent absolutely hates sports questions, for instance.
Trivia: Knowledge Trainer – the Quiz Game is a fine-looking game, as its simple, minimalist design is done well, however there isn’t much to look at apart from a clean, coloured screen and the questions appearing on it. The text is large and easy to read, which is a blessing.
A Great Learning Tool with Low Long-Term Appeal
There’s no doubt that Trivia: Knowledge Trainer – the Quiz Game is good for a bit of fun for an hour or so, and the knowledge-building part of the game is genuinely great. But the extremely basic layout and its complete lack of thrills do lose it points in terms of long-term appeal or longevity.
That said, you’ll definitely learn some new things from it, and we can’t always say that about many of the games we play.
Important Links
Sharpen Your Mind with 5000+ Questions in Trivia: Knowledge Trainer – the Quiz Game – https://www.thexboxhub.com/sharpen-your-mind-with-5000-questions-in-trivia-knowledge-trainer-the-quiz-game/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/trivia-knowledge-trainer-the-quiz-game/9PN2922RQ5VR/0010
