Trivia aficionados and folks just looking for a fun party
game are in for a treat with It’s Quiz Time from the makers of the Buzz series.
This trivia game show uses a fantastic smartphone app as the answer input
method, so anyone, gamers and non-gamers alike, can play it and have a great
time. It also has full streaming support and the viewing audience can actually
participate. For the $20 asking price, It’s Quiz Time is the best trivia game
show since 1 vs. 100 Live (RIP). See our full review of the PS4 version (it’s
on Xbox One too!) for all of the details.
Game Details
- Publisher: Vision Games
- Developer: Snap Finger Click
- ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: Trivia Game Show
- Pros: Great party game; lots of round types; the app is great
- Cons: The host
- MSRP: $20
It’s Quiz Time is a trivia party game meant for groups of
people, though you can play a solo mode where you just answer 30 questions in a
row and try to get a high score. The solo mode is also the only mode that
allows the use of a standard controller – everything else has to be played
using an app downloaded your smart device (iOS or Android). The app itself is
incredibly well put together and works great even on older hardware (yeah, I’m
still rocking a Galaxy Tab 3 from 4 years ago).
The app is very intuitive to use and very straightforward so
even non-gamers will be able to join in and have fun. Everything you need to
know is explained on the TV or on your mobile screen – you do have to look at
both – and it works well. There are several different round types where you
answer the questions in different ways – standard multiple choice, everyone
takes turn choosing answers from a bunch of choices, dragging answer options
into proper order, “buzz in”-type questions where everyone races to tap the
correct answer first, and many more – and they’re all smart and intuitive and
well done. The amount of round variety is awesome and keeps the game from
feeling too repetitive or boring. You can also set up playlists with preferred
round types and all sorts of stuff. There are also filters that will ask
age-appropriate questions if you’re playing with kids, which is great.
In addition to the obvious application of It’s Quiz Time as
a local party game, you can also stream the game on Twitch or YouTube and your
viewers can participate – all they have to do is download the app and type in
your room code. This is awesome and works well. The game smartly has a pretty
tight time limit on how long you have to answer, too, which should keep most people
from simply cheating and Googling the answers to stuff.
There are a couple of negatives to the game, however. The
first being the A.I. host character, Salli. She’s a weird holographic woman who
only exists from the shoulders up (and weird detached Rayman arms) who asks
questions and does banter with players in a stiff and robotic and, honestly,
off-putting manner. I could do without her snarky disconnected word salad
making fun of folks, frankly. It is cool that she can actually say your name
out loud as you play, however, and you can even tune how she says it so she
pronounces everything correctly.
My other slight complaint is that some of the answers are a
little outdated and some things, like American sports questions, can be
awkwardly worded and seem a bit off. I blame that on the developer being from
the UK, though, so it isn’t a huge deal. For the most part, though, the trivia
is very solid.
Presentation-wise, It’s Quiz Time has a great TV game show
feel throughout. It has a sci-fi / futuristic setting that works well and the
interface is clean and clear and easy to understand both on the TV and on the
app. We don’t love the host, but everything else is great. Music and sound is
solid, too.
All in all, It’s Quiz Time is a great trivia game that’s
a ton of fun for two players on up. You can play it solo, but the solo mode is
pretty bland so I can’t really recommend the game if you plan on only playing
by yourself. As a party game, or if you’re a streamer, however, It’s Quiz Time
is absolutely fantastic. For the $20 asking price you’re getting thousands upon
thousands of topics and questions, too, which is more than worth it. It’s Quiz
Time is great. Buy it.
Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.
