REVIEW

Codename: Pictures Review

by Luke Walsh, December 29th, 2016

Codename from first glances can look like a muddled board of confusing random images but the more you delve into the game, it becomes a game of master spies and code deciphering. Codename: Pictures is a follow up title to the previous game Codename by Vlaada Chvátil. The biggest difference between the two games is the original is played with words but the latest title is played via pictures.

The aim of the game is pretty simple, lead your teammates as the “spymaster” to the correct titles which correspond to your team colour. You must do this without accidentally making them land on your opponent’s colour or worse, the assassin card which ends in instant failure.

To further breakdown the gameplay, two teams play on a grid of 5 by 4 which totals 20 different cards. One team is the Red team while the other plays as Blue. Each team then has a Spymaster who is able to see which pictures belong to his team and his opponents with the “key” card. The team which goes first is the one whose colour is on the outside of the key card.

The spymaster on their teams turn needs to offer a word word clue and a number which represents the amount of cards that apply to that clue. So it would be one word, followed by one number an example would be House 3 that would suggest three cards which have a house related picture. The “field operatives” then need to decide which picture they will choose, if correct, the spymaster will cover up that picture and they can continue guessing. If it is the other teams card, the card is covered in that teams colour and the turn ends. Again, if the card is the assassins card, then the game is over and that team loses.

Codename: Pictures is a game which is unsuspectingly addictive and fun to play in groups of 4-6 players. The pictures are cleverly designed so that they contain more than one image, this makes giving accurate clues to your team. You could say “House” and mean the lighthouse on the board but your teammates might think you mean the burger under the cabin.

You can learn the game quickly, play quickly as games can last 5 – 20 minutes and be ready and waiting for another round to start up. Playing as the Spymaster requires you to think outside the box in your one word clue but also make sure your teammates can nail down the cards you want them to touch. One wrong move, they could end up meeting the assassin. Unlike the first game which was with words, I think Codename: Pictures is a much better following game and should be easier to pick up for younger players.

Adding the assassin into the game really changes up the way it plays. Spymasters need to make sure they can guess what part of the images their team will focus on, while Field Operatives get really tense hoping they have deciphered their clue correctly. Games can sometimes end as quickly as they begin due to hitting the black card but the tension makes it so much more fun to play.

For a game under £20 there is a lot of value to be had and the game has a lot of replayability. Sadly you do need at least 4 players at a minimum but I would recommend 6. Once you get into the swing of things, you can be playing this game for a couple of hours without realising as its easy to play but hard to master but fun in a group. If you are in need of a new game to play and don’t want to break the bank for a new group game, make sure to check out Codename: Pictures.