BUZZERS AT THE READY… IT’S TIME TO COMPETE

By Tanya Howard | Founder, The Live Review London · @glamglitzlondon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

There’s something about a TV game show that instantly makes you think you’d absolutely smash it… or is that just me?! Sat at home on the sofa, the answers seem obvious, my reactions are lightning fast, and I’m convinced I’d walk away with the trophy. BuzzAttack gave me the chance to put that confidence to the test, throwing me straight into my very own game show complete with buzzers, podiums, quiz rounds and plenty of friendly competition.

The experience begins before you’ve even stepped into the studio. The reception area has been designed to resemble the backstage of a TV set, complete with director-style chairs and live video feeds showing what’s happening inside each of the studios. I imagine it’s great entertainment for the staff watching everyone’s competitive side come out. One thing I’d love to see added though is a highlights reel afterwards. You never actually get to see your own team in action, and I know I’d have happily stayed behind to watch us all descending into quiz-induced chaos.

YOUR SPECIALIST SUBJECT… PLEASE

Before heading into the studio, each team registers and picks their specialist quiz categories. We went with Disney, Harry Potter, Friends and 00s Music, while other teams chose everything from Studio Ghibli to Japanese Knowledge and 2020s Internet Culture. It’s a really nice touch because your chosen subjects keep popping up throughout the game. The downside? If someone else’s specialist category appears and you’ve never even heard of it… well… good luck. Studio Ghibli questions had us staring blankly at the screen and accepting defeat almost immediately.

Once everyone’s categories are locked in, you’re taken into your studio ready for the game to begin. There is a pre-recorded introduction to get everyone hyped but it felt a little longer than it needed to be. And then it disappears never to be seen again, instead replaced by an AI voice. We also noticed we could hear the introduction from the room next door halfway through our game, which slightly broke the illusion.

FROM EASY WINS TO COMPLETE GUESSWORK

Rather than just throwing endless quiz questions at you, BuzzAttack mixes things up brilliantly with lots of different challenge formats. Quiz Time, Old Bean is your classic general knowledge round, while Top Card had everyone frantically slamming buttons to identify the highest-value card before anyone else. Then there’s Pick & Mix Quiz, where teams choose both the topic and difficulty of the next question. More difficult questions mean more points, but you’ve also got more chance of making a complete fool of yourself.

Not every round is about what you know either. Simon Says tested memory with colour sequences, while Bash the Alien basically turned into a giant game of Whack-a-Mole as we desperately tried to hit aliens without accidentally smacking the innocent people instead. Safe to say any accuracy quickly goes out the window once the panic kicks in.

One of my favourite rounds was Noughts and Crosses, which adds strategy into the mix rather than simply rewarding the fastest team. We also did surprisingly well at Read the Room, where you have to forget what you think is right and instead guess what everyone else will answer. Looking back, we realised we’d massively overcomplicated it. If all teams had committed to the same answer, we would have all got top scores. Rookie error.

ONE SPIN CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR SCORE

As for our specialist categories? Let’s just say there was a very noticeable difference between Disney questions and Japanese Knowledge. The second Disney appeared we suddenly looked like absolute quiz masterminds. Anything else? Struggle Nation, population: me and Talisha. There were also multiple moments where I’d panic and hit the buzzer because speed equals points… only for Talisha to calmly say the correct answer half a second later. She was right. I was just impatient. Classic.

Throughout the game, teams also get opportunities to spin a giant wheel sitting in the middle of the studio. This is where luck starts causing absolute carnage. You could gain bonus points, lose half your score, go bankrupt or even tax every other team. It constantly shakes up the leaderboard and means nobody’s position ever really feels safe.

The evening finishes by handing out awards like Epic Fail, Lightning Bolt and Comeback Kid. Now… explain to me HOW Team TT (Tanya and Talisha) started near the bottom, fought our way back to second place and somehow didn’t win Comeback Kid? In fact, we didn’t win a single award. Frankly, I think we were robbed. Justice for Team TT.

GOOD FUN… BUT THERE’S ROOM TO LEVEL UP

I genuinely had a really fun evening at BuzzAttack, but I do think it’s got the potential to be even better. For me, the biggest thing missing is a live host. The TV game show concept is brilliant, but because everything is driven by voiceovers, it can feel a little static at times. Someone bouncing around the room reacting to what’s happening, winding teams up and building the atmosphere would take it to another level.

I also think this is one of those experiences that gets better the bigger your group is. If you’ve got loads of loud, competitive people all bouncing off each other, I can imagine the atmosphere being brilliant. If you happen to get quieter teams, it’s naturally a little harder to create that game show energy, which is where a live host would really help.

Overall though, BuzzAttack is a really enjoyable twist on the traditional quiz night. The different game formats stop it ever becoming repetitive, the specialist categories mean everyone gets their moment to shine, and the mix of knowledge, speed, memory and luck keeps things interesting right until the end.

Would I recommend BuzzAttack? Absolutely. Especially if you’re competitive, love a quiz or just fancy something a little different with friends. Just don’t expect the awards ceremony to make any sense… because I’m still not over Team TT being completely snubbed.

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Photo Credit: Fever