Czech Games 00031CGE Codenames Reviews Summary

Gameplay Experience

Pros:

• "It's really easy to teach and plays differently every time."
• "You can play with small groups, large groups, you can play it as a party game or just on your couch for a lazy sunday."
• "A fantastic party game; you can easily handle 10 people playing at once."
• "There's plenty of opportunity to challenge yourself intellectually and feel clever for coming up with strong clues."
• "This game is great because you determine how easy or hard it is to play."
• "Every time we play, we can guarantee a fun time with involvement with all party guests."
• "Literally almost impossible to play the same game twice; almost endless possibilities due to multiple combination conditions."

Cons:

• "We didn't like much when you play with only 2 people."
• "Unfortunately, we found it less than enjoyable."
• "Though it's an okay game, for a party game this was more intense and serious."
• "All in all, it’s a very fun game but loses it’s quality over time."
• "Warning though, the instructions make me feel overwhelmed."
• "It really feels like you need at least 6 people to make it feel fun."
• "It's just slow and everyone gets bored fast."

Game Components & Quality

Pros:

• "The quality of the game is very nice. the color card has a stand that comes with this game."
• "The agent cards, key-cards, timer etc are all great in build."
• "Cards are of good quality and survive multiple games."
• "Box came with all necessary cards and components."
• "The compact design makes it portable for gaming on the go, and the high-quality components ensure durability."
• "Game pieces are nice, good quality print and sturdy."
• "The product is great quality."

Cons:

• "The box is 90% air with no organizer to keep the couple game components that are in the game in place."
• "Our copy arrived with the sand timer popped open and half the sand spilled throughout the box."
• "After opening the box I was surprised to see that both caps for the timer had popped off and the sand had covered everything."
• "Also a bunch of empty bags were in the box - not sure what is missing yet."
• "The box doesn't have an insert to hold the components once you open it."
• "The biggest issue, and the reason for a not perfect review, comes in the form of the cards not having directional markers."
• "Also the box for the game arrived looking like it was stepped on."

Replayability & Learning Curve

Pros:

• "With 200 double-sided word cards means that there is a lot of variety."
• "Definitely replayable."
• "The replayability of this game is extremely high."
• "This game is incredibly easy to learn and has virtually an unlimited number of replays."
• "There are almost endless combinations too so you'll never play the same game twice."
• "No two games will ever be the same."
• "What is great is you will never play the same board twice."

Cons:

• "It's slow, the field agents get bored waiting for the SpyMasters to think up clues and the game just dragged."
• "However after playing for several years now, we have seen a lot of the cards many times and we would love a several hundred card expansion for this game."
• "Once you've played 10-15 rounds, you end up getting repeats."
• "We get a little tired of playing with what seems to be the same words over and over again."
• "I feel like you can't play it an infinite amount of times."
• "Some games can be slow/unsatisfying, with repeated 1 word rounds due to randomised 'targets' causing (subjectively) unmatchable words."
• "One side almost always has a serious advantage due to the random words they get that can be easily tied together."

Social & Family Fun

Pros:

• "Great for friends with inside jokes and shared stories, but also a great way to get to know people better."
• "We've spent many hours playing this game and just laughing."
• "Super fun Family game. We have played with groups of 6 and 8."
• "This is a great social game that can be played as relaxed or as serious as you want."
• "It's a blast. It’ll become a GoTo on game night!"
• "This game is so much fun and quick to learn."
• "It’s a great way to bring any group of people together."

Cons:

• "The trouble with the game is that each team gets a different set of words for the same round."
• "For larger group I thought the game was more serious than fun."
• "The game is not for audience less than 4."
• "Any more it gets a bit hectic and any less it’s just not as fantastic."
• "Sorry it just wasn't for us."
• "FIRST TIME WE PLAYED WITH ARE KIDS IT WAS FUN BUT WE PLAYED IT WITH ANOTHER COUPLE WAS JUST SO SO SO IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOUR PLAYING WITH I GUESS BUT ITS AN OK GAME."
• "Basic word guessing game. The 'spy code' aspect seems unnecessary and a failed attempt to make the boring game play more intriguing."

Accessibility & Ease of Play

Pros:

• "It's easy to learn and the combinations change every time you play."
• "The rules are simple enough to explain, and the actual gameplay is highly enjoyable."
• "This is a very straightforward and easy-to-learn game."
• "It is very easy to explain to people and to jump right in and play."
• "This game is very easy to setup and learn."
• "Easy to learn, quick to play."
• "Codenames is awesome! Super easy to learn and teach to others."

Cons:

• "Wasn’t the easiest to figure out at the beginning, especially if you were the code master."
• "A bit hard to explain (but then again I'm just bad at explaining games) but EASY to understand and play once everyone got the general grasp of the game."
• "However, when playing with international students, sometimes certain words not commonly used were difficult for them to understand."
• "3out of the 4 times we have played, one of the clue givers gave clues for the wrong card because it is easy to get mixed up."
• "The only downside is you need at least four people to play, so it's great for groups but not for two people."
• "The only reason why I'm giving this 3 stars is that it doesn't have much replay value after a couple of turns."
• "If you’ve never heard of this game before, before buying I would not play with less than 4 people."