How old are 5th graders? 10? 11? Something like that, right? Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Dig down a bit and you’ll see why.
In case it wasn’t obvious, are you smarter than 5th graders? is a quiz game for Nintendo Switch based on the American quiz show of the same name. After doing some research on the TV show Are You Smarter Than Her 5th Grade Video Game follows the exact format as it shows it shares its name.
The main difference between video games and TV shows is that you can choose to play the quiz show solo or in couch co-op with up to 7 other friends and family. Oh, and hosts are different. There is a very awkward rotation of her two hosts, Teddy and Claudia. Thankfully, most of the time they’re fed up, there’s a skip option.
Across the two modes, there are over 6800 questions and a variety of topics based on school subjects, from measurements and math to life sciences and vocabulary. Getting a question wrong on an exam in solo mode ends the run and emphasizes that you’re no smarter than a 5th grader. However, in co-op mode, you can do all the problems instead. Not only will you know if you’re smarter than your 5th graders, but you’ll also be smarter than your friends and family. If you are in trouble, you can always cheat. In the cheat option you have 3 choices. They are “ask the class”, asking a group of students for their thoughts on what they believe the answer to be, “copy” is where in exam mode to copy the current student’s answer, or This is where you copy one of your opponents in co-op mode. The final option is to select a new question. In exam mode, you have completely new questions, and in co-op mode, only you receive new questions.
Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Receive points based on correct questions. These points are used to unlock new things to make your time in the game more interesting and varied. These unlockables range from new students that help you in the main game, to special outfits for each student based on their specialization. I can do it. And most importantly, a new subject to test you. These are a nice touch and add the desire to dive in again, especially when you receive new themes you want to try.
Customizing your own desk is also very cool. You can edit desk borders, bobbleheads, desk materials, and create titles. These titles consist of his two pre-written word lists. Combinations such as “Sports Goth”, “Botanical Mother”, and “Free-Range Egg” are possible! Additionally, you’ll hear both Teddy and Claudia say this aloud while playing the game, regardless of the word combination you choose. In fact, all dialogue is audio and every student has their own unique voice and quirks. We have subtitles, but for some subjects, such as spelling, we don’t want subtitles to give us the answers, so we need this audio!
Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Voice acting and lots of chatter between questions. If you want the full game show experience, put down your controller and enjoy the show. If you’re here just for the trivia, you can skip almost all areas of the dialogue. This is very useful. Without this, each playthrough would have been excruciatingly long. There are also scenes where the background changes depending on the subject.
Slow pace aside, are you smarter than a 5th grader? The single-player mode was a little boring, and I kept hitting the skip button every time. But it’s the best time when playing with friends and family. Being able to outsmart your fiancĆ©e and discovering that the number of weeks in a year isn’t 100% hers is pretty hilarious.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is entirely based on the American TV show, with subjects and questions that every American 5th grader should know. I found myself a bit stuck when the social science topic came up. As an Englishman, I didn’t know Supreme Court justices were appointed for life. But I do now.
Unfortunately, am I smarter than a 5th grader? It wasn’t as smooth as I thought. Yes, I’ve proven time and time again that I’m actually smarter than a 5th grader. However, several attempts were interrupted by the software crashing and force-closing the game on the Nintendo Switch. This happened at least once during a video game session. As of this writing, I am still experiencing this and have contacted THQ Nordic via multiple platforms and have yet to receive a response. So hopefully a patch will come soon after release.
