Mini Review: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (PS5) - An Outdated Family Trivia Game

Based on the long-running game show, HandyGames' adaptation of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? will have you or your friends wondering if you should have paid more attention in elementary school.

Offering two modes — Exam mode and Study mode — the game is definitely more suited to local multiplayer. You can easily finish a single player session in around 30 minutes and while the game offers replayability through unlockables such as new classmates, costumes, and questions, it all feels like a bit of a slog. There is a skip button to speed up some of the sluggish animations, but even with that function in mind, there are certain “suspenseful” sections that slow the pace to a crawl.

But, with a plethora of questions in different subjects such as maths and even animal sciences, the game does a decent job of shining when played with friends and family. With an array of trivia, both young and older audiences will be able to challenge themselves. It's also nice how the developer has adapted key gameplay elements of the show, such as integrating Lifelines which come in handy when you get stuck.

Unfortunately, even the multiplayer gets bogged down. While the local play is sturdy, online would have been an appreciated addition in this day and age. Worse, many of the best question sets are locked behind the single player grind, which as we've already alluded to isn't the ideal way to play.

There's fun to be had here in multiplayer, but it does wear thin. The lack of online and the emphasis on unlockables through the sub-standard single player drags the overall package down.