- Codenames the board game is now on mobile
- Collect a bunch of upgrades and trophies
- Play as the Games Master or as the guesser
There have been a large number of tabletop games that have come to mobile, allowing you to play them with people all over the world instead of your family and friends who physically need to come to your home. Codenames was originally a board game, of the same name, that works pretty similarly to the digital version you can now download on your phone.
In Codenames, the concept is simple. There is a grid of cards on your playing field. Some of these cards you need to find while others your opponent needs to find. There are a few other cards; some bystanders that aren’t worth anything and an assassin, that if either person flips over, the entire game is over and that person has lost. Your goal is to find the targets you need based on their code names. These words are on the side of the cards you see and the Games Master will give you a hint as to what words to select, along with the number of cards this clue is meant for.
You can then tap the cards you think are correct, double-tapping to select, and then they get flipped over so you can see if you are right. This might sound overly complex, but it’s really just a “guess the word that’s similar to the word that’s given”. Once your turn is over, you can then exit that game and go into another one or play some of their daily cases.
In Codenames, you can have a bunch of different games going at once, but this can also be dangerous as you might not remember what previous clues you’ve been given, which can help you when you’ve got only a few left. After you get through a few levels, you can even play rounds as the Games Master, however, you do not get to pick what role you’re going to have when starting a new round.
Each day (or every few hours) you are also given a few case files that you can solve. These are sort of one-shot levels where you have a clue at the bottom of the screen, and several cards you need to select, and then you just go through it as a normal level.
Codenames is pretty simple to get stuck into, taking on turn after turn in any number of games. As you finish levels or daily quests, you can earn points that level you up. This sort of takes it beyond the board game; you’ll find yourself finding items and then needing to gather keys to unlock them or gathering fragments of paper that create VIP passes, allowing you to go into a special round of the game where you then can gain more points and more premium rewards. There are also trophies you can earn and display. Sometimes, when you level up, you will have a choice to make via two cards, after watching a little cut-scene. These can give you more XP going forward or otherwise help you play.
This feels like a really engaging adaptation of the board game. I especially enjoy that you can tap on words you do not know so that they can be looked up on the internet so that you know exactly what the word means, instead of having to admit that in front of my family. Also, if you take too long to take your turn, you’ll be removed from that round – so there is no way someone can just stop playing against you!