The Nintendo DS’ unique features have always attracted plenty of attention. In Unou no Tatsujin Soukai! Machigai Museum the concept remains rather mundane, the simple concept is to look at two pictures and then circle what is different. This has always been an age-old game that dates back to even prehistory. Cavemen would look at the brush and mentally circle which bush have a saber tooth tiger’s tail sticking out, which ends up signaling danger. Although the concept in this game has been diluted a bit for a more family-friendly approach, though there also no life-risking actions involved.

These recent niche games have really hit it hard on the Nintendo DS; the best example is the hugely popular brain training series. But still this game isn’t quite like brain training; it is more along the lines of eye training. These types of games have really changed my stature on the whole subject; I used to believe that anything educational would be terrible for gaming. But who knew that these concepts would lead to a very dynamic and fun gameplay experience. I mean how simple can a game concept get, it’s like going back to the beginnings of ancient entertainment and bringing it back to the future. I knew this game had potential, but a quick skim through the Internet gave mixed reactions towards the idea looking at two images and pointing out what is different. I believe these are the same people that came to the same results when first discovering Wario Ware. I’ll tell you this, Unou no Tatsujin Soukai! Machigai Museum is a very intense game and any sissy should avoid the game, as you are not ready for such expenditure, maybe 4-5 more years you can handle it.

The game starts you off rather simple, what is your name and what is your birthday. After inputting my name and picking a dog to represent my persona, I was ready to spot the difference. The main portion of the game is split into levels, as you venture through the game more levels will be unlocked. There are also the inclusion of special levels that really redefine the spot the difference theme. I opted to start off the game with the first level, mainly because nothing else has been unlocked. The first levels start off rather simple, you have to complete a certain amount of pictures within a given time frame. This is rather laxed in the beginning of a set of levels but gets rather insane in the coming levels. Some of the differences are downright obvious, but the game really knows how to mess with the human brain. They blend the differences so well that you would have to inspect the images closely, even though the object is bluntly there. I felt like gouging my eyes out several times just because I felt my eyes weren’t worthy. But let’s put my inferior eyes aside. I’ve already mentioned how well the game meshes the differences into the images, but the game also randomizes the difficult images in with the easy ones. So you can be blazing through a nice set of images, then a hard one will come out and stump you. This only really occurs in the initial playing of the game, but as soon as you get comfortable with the images you will start recognizing them and will remember what the images looks like. That ultimately leads to a stronger memory, which then means you can spot the random differences easier. There are also the difficult ones that require concentrated scanning, the differences are very subtle but will make you feel stupid as soon as you find it. Also don’t expect the game to help you in any of the situations, especially because the game is so simple. But believe me, I am not actually the hero that I’m making myself sound to be. I have the most trouble identifying if a person is wearing different clothes, however I do quite well seeing subtle changes like a person’s hand is up or not.

I probably over exaggerated how difficult the game really is. The game does a great job of introducing new concepts to the player, and nobody should have any learning curve time with the game. There’s really not too much to learn about the game and that is what makes it so simple to play for anyone. With these types of games they can really only be enjoyed in short bursts. But there is just something about Unou no Tatsujin Soukai! Machigai Museum that I like so much. The gameplay is very dynamic and a lot of new mechanics are added to the gameplay every 10 levels. It keeps the experience very fresh. I mean I was working my way through a set of levels and finally met the 10th level. The level started off like all the other levels then BAM! a warning sign comes up and your ears perk up. The game explains a new concept then tosses you straight into it. The first new concept that the game tosses into your face is where you have to scratch off the picture before you can see it. It’s like those little lottery tickets. Pretty soon you’re running through the game with a fine mix of all these concepts, and believe me things start getting a little crazy in the 4th set of levels. I found myself scratching the screen, blowing into the mic and playing with jigsaw puzzles.