Do you think you can decode the clue given by your spymasters? CodeNames Pictures game is an interesting brain twisting family game. It is suitable for aged 10 and above and for 2 to 8 players. It is available to buy from Esdevium store finder RRP £16.99 and Amazon.
Inside this game, it comes with 140 double sided picture cards, 14 agent cards, 1 double agent card, 4 innocent bystander cards, 1 assassin card, 60 key cards, 1 card stand and instructions.
The aim of the game is to be the first to contact all their agents without get caught by the assassin. If you have played the original CodeNames before, then this will be the same concept except it uses picture cards and not word cards. The rules of the game are the same as the original CodeNames: two rival spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple pictures on the table. Their teammates try to guess pictures of their colour while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team.
To play this game, it is best to read the ‘Valid Clues’ on the instructions to get a better pictures of what is allowed and what is not. To set up the game, you need to randomly choose 20 pictures and place them on the table in a 5 x 4 grid. These represent locations where the field operatives can meet agents. The upper left corner of each card is marked to show you its intended orientation. The lights on the sides of the key card indicate which team starts. The starting team has 8 pictures to guess. The other team has 7.
The game is very easy to follow and very challenging to play. The spymasters must be able to group their agent cards as quick as possible to be the first to contact their agents. Using one word and one number is not easy but what a great way to decode the message. We played this game with our friends and we were immediately hook, especially the children. They love being the spymasters and getting us adults to guess. It is interesting to learn how they group the cards together.
We all had fun playing this. I would definitely recommend this family game and it is compact enough to use as a travel game.
Do check out my video where I show you the details of this game and how we played it: https://youtu.be/daQ3cdu1rc4
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review however all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.