Codenames

App Store Editors’ Notes

Genius, superbly satisfying app

Folks, CGE knows how to do mobile gaming. I’d say they’re kind of the masters of it now, given their outstanding previous releases. It’s not just about the highly polished and intuitive interface and functionality of the app, which is impressive in it’s own right. The most noteworthy aspect of the Codenames app is how they’ve ingeniously expanded the appeal and variety of the game. They didn’t just take the Codenames game and put it online. Instead, they looked at how they could actually evolve the game through the opportunities an online platform offers. The result is a highly satisfying and enjoyable experience that doesn’t get old thanks to its variety. And variety doesn’t just mean the many unlockables and achievements that it also sports - variety means the 10+ different twists on the core game. In short, it’s a steal at $5 and one of the best mobile games I’ve played, and I highly recommend it to everyone I know. But be warned - dangerously addictive!

Outstanding app with one stupid design choice

This app is a wonderful digital adaptation of an excellent game. The many little variants they came up with add some fun variety and new interesting decision-making. You should absolutely buy it and play it! So why 2 stars? Because after months of playing on this app and loving it, I suddenly unlocked a feature that I can't turn off and is wrecking my experience; I basically need to stop playing until they hopefully remove this (and then I will happily replace this with a 5-star review; 6+ if I could!). Specifically: you 'collect words' from different categories, and when you collect enough you get a figurine from that category and games related to that category start showing up in your selection of game variants. Since these new variants displace some old options and the app developers recognize that not everyone likes them as much, they sensibly let you 'disable' figurines that you don't want active. I disable them all, so far so good. But then once you unlock your 9th, with no warning suddenly you can't disable them all anymore! So I can no longer reliably play the games I loved anymore :( Note that as a new player you can avoid this problem by just not earning more than 8 figurines, so you should still buy and play this game; just don't make the mistake I did unless you like the collectors missions and want them appearing in your queue forever.

The ultimate Codenames experience

I’ve been a fan of Codenames for years. First the board game, and then the online web page version. But this is the ultimate version. The developers really put all the love and thought into this game. First, there’s basically infinite gameplay here. You can start any number of games as spymaster or operative, so you can always have a game running. And you can collect new words, and earn upgrades to access special new variations of the Codenames format. And the daily challenges are an innovative way to help keep your brain sharp on giving and receiving clues. I also really appreciate the jury system. If a word isn’t in the dictionary you can have a jury vote to accept it. Once you’re high enough level you can help vote on the jury too. This way, the game’s lexicon can grow and evolve as real language grows and evolves. Brilliant. I can’t imaging a more perfect game.

Fun Game, potentially, but TWO Problems...

Second Update after several more weeks of play: -Based on years of experience playing iOS games, I can confidently report that this one has the greatest amount of Server Downtime that I've encountered. IMO, the Developers need to prioritize fixing this game play disruption. PLEASE FIX THIS *********** First Update after two weeks of playing this game: -The developers need to fix the regular server connectivity problems I have noticed. Ideally, solo game play would work better if offline play capability were available because the server down time is too frequent (this is the only app during the period that has inflicted this issue on me. ************* ORIGINAL Review: I'd rate this port of Codenames with 5 stars instead of 3 if only the Developer would update the game to allow endless solo game sessions WITHOUT requiring players to wait for the next solo game playing time window to open. BASICALLY, I want to be able to play solo games whenever and for however long I want to play and without having to wait...‼️

Finally!!

Codenames is probably my favorite game of all time. The app has small issues, mostly not found on the iPad version. We have had connection issues now and then on the iPad version but that’s it. On the iPhone version I had to delete and reinstall to avoid the language issue someone else mentioned. I have also had an issue with chatting on the iPhone version. Overall though I’m really excited to see where this goes! There are already a lot of word cards to unlock, avatars to unlock, different game types, achievements, etc. I would love to see Codenames Pictures implemented sometime. Also Duet game modes would be fun but I’m only just starting and the game modes they have created for the app are really creative and interesting. Can’t wait to see where this goes, keep it up!!

Outstanding

I own a lot of board games apps and this is among the top 3 in quality. The app is incredibly well-designed, has a lot of fun and thoughtful details, and includes many interesting variants. The designers have taken a game that's only of average appeal to me in real life and created something that makes me keep coming back for more games. You can add friends on there and play with them, and so far, the random people I've played with have done pretty well. Also there's a private rating system in place so you can try to match more with people who understand your clues and vice versa. They've added in a large number of words you can unlock and optionally use to spice up your games. You'll more than get your money's worth with this app. Thank you, designers!

Worth the $5!

It’s a very well made app and completely worth the $5. No micro-transactions is such a breath of fresh air, so thank you for that. The app is packed with different things to do. ——————— Couple of comments for the developers: I’m not sure if I completely missed the message, but it would be really nice to know that it takes a few games to start getting actual humans in the online multiplayer. After playing a couple multiplayer games, it was obvious I was playing against bots, and I almost deleted the app entirely just because of that. I was bummed I didn’t get to play actual people. Fortunately I stuck with the game and eventually started getting actual humans. (Again, maybe I missed the memo about this) There needs to be a “speed mode” where games are played quickly (such as giving each player 10 minutes per turn). Obviously having 24 hour turns is nice b/c people can walk away from the game, but a lot of us want to play an entire game in one sitting :) so maybe offer two different speed modes? Lastly, it would be awesome to get codenames duet (even if that means it’s a paid DLC or an entirely different app). Maybe that’s just wishful thinking… ;)

Great game but…

I’d love to give this game app 5 stars, but I cannot overlook the fact that it frequently crashes. It is something the development team does seem to be working on addressing. The other issue is that it’s rare to have real time play. I wish there were an option to start a game with a time limit of 30 minutes. Instead, games sometimes take days to complete because none of the players are online at the same time (plus the crashing problem). As a result I tend to have 20 + games open at a time, so I can actually play for a while. There are also daily challenges which you play individually, but they don’t interest me as much. Despite these weaknesses, it’s a brilliant game, and I am addicted to it. I’m grateful to the developers and hope the kinks can get worked out.