Japanese dev created a PvP Battle Calculator for Nintendo Switch

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-08-05 21:24 (JST)
Translated by. Jacob Ritter

On August 5, Japanese developer Blacksmith DoubleCircle released a competitive multiplayer scientific calculator game called Battle Calculator for the Nintendo Switch. This is probably the first calculator in the world to also function as a competitive game.

Battle Calculator is a scientific calculator software that allows up to four players to battle against one another. The action takes place on a shared screen, with each player controlling a color-coded cursor. On the top of the screen, the objective will be displayed as a numerical value between two and nine digits. To win, players must be the first to reproduce this objective value using numbers 0 through 9, decimal values 0.1 through 0.9, with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and the calculator’s scientific functions.

You can also set each match to have between one and ten rounds. Aside from the gameplay elements, you can use this as a normal scientific calculator as well and customize the color of the buttons. It supports cursor movement via a controller and touch-screen controls.

Actually, Battle Calculator already has a predecessor on the Nintendo Switch. On May 12, Sabec LTD released a calculator software appropriately named Calculator (Related Article). While you can’t use it to battle against your friends, Calculator covers all the basics you’d expect from a scientific calculator. When Calculator was announced, part of the online community went wild over the software’s unexpected appearance on the Nintendo eShop. On Reddit, some users even flung jokes around asking “Does it have multiplayer?”

And with Battle Calculator, the answer to that question is yes. It is unclear if developer Blacksmith DoubleCircle was inspired by Sabec LTD’s Caclulator. However, there are currently only two calculators available on the Nintendo eShop–Calculator and Battle Calculator–creating what can only called quite “divisive” competition. While they both appear to offer similar functions in terms of being a calculator, on the Nintendo eShop Calculator is priced at $9.99 USD and Battle Calculator is priced at $14.99 USD. The latter is likely slightly more expensive due to its multiplayer game function.

The concept of a competitive calculator game is somewhat unusual. While other educational games on the Nintendo Switch might have some gameplay elements rooted in “math,” Battle Calculator is unique in actually using a calculator for gameplay. On the game’s eShop page, it specifically lists “Parents with children who have learned multiplication table, or the children themselves,” and “Those who want to have fun exercising their minds with their children or grandchildren,” as the target audience. It also seems aimed at students who are familiar with scientific calculators.

It’s unclear how thrilled children will be to play with a calculator, but there are likely people who see the value in a calculator game with a competitive multiplayer function.

Battle Calculator is currently available on the Nintendo Switch for $14.99 USD. Unfortunately, there is no mention of online support, so it seems the competitive mode is limited to local multiplayer.