Brain Test 4: Tricky Friends

Brain Test 4: Tricky Friends is the latest flagship title in Unico Studio’s puzzle empire, marketed as a "back-to-basics" refresh of the original Tricky Puzzles formula. It introduces the "Tricky Club," a new cast of animated characters including Tricky Lily and Astrodog, who serve as the player's guides through a series of absurd, logic-defying riddles. The application emphasizes "lateral thinking," where the solutions frequently "break common sense" and require users to manipulate their device or think outside the standard puzzle parameters.

Technically, Brain Test 4 introduces significant meta-progression features, such as "Character and Environment Customization," allowing players to spend in-game currency to modify the look of their Tricky Club members. The game maintains the franchise’s commitment to accessibility, featuring one-handed play, a robust hint system, and full offline functionality. It is designed to be "addictive and funny," using humorous dialogues and animated storylines to provide context for its diverse range of puzzles, mind games, and IQ tests.

However, the application has been the target of heavy criticism regarding its "overwhelming" advertisement load. Users have reported ads appearing after every single level—sometimes as frequently as every 10 seconds—and some of these ads automatically open the Google Play Store, disrupting the flow of gameplay. There have also been reports of quality assurance issues; for example, Level 6 reportedly misidentifies a shape, which is particularly egregious for an "IQ boost" game. Additionally, players have noted that they cannot earn "points" while playing offline (in flight mode) to avoid ads, creating a progress bottleneck.