Codenames Duet - Review

Codenames Duet follows the spy themed prevalent in the other two versions of codenames, but this time with a twist – players are working together! Players take the role of two covert operatives, who are communicating in code, as they attempt to sneak past enemy assassins! Players take it in turns to give a one-word clue followed by a number, indicating how many of the different words on a grid their clue is linked to. Whilst Codenames Duet can be played with more than two players, I’d recommend playing the original version of Codenames instead. If you like cooperative word games, or like playing the two-player variant of Codenames, you’ll probably like this game.

If cooperative games aren’t your thing, then check out my review of Codenames and Codenames Pictures.

In Codenames Duet, players work together to find all the words needed.

Set up: 9/10

Much like the base game, set up is incredibly easy. Players sit opposite each other, and take a key card, making sure to not look at the other side. Players then deal out the codename cards in a 5-by-5 grid; there are 200 double-sided codename cards, so the most consuming part of the set-up is shuffling the cards – the more regularly you play, the better these need to be shuffled. The players then put the agent cards, assassin card, and timer tokens to the side of the playing board, within reach of both players. The components are all clear, simple, and well designed. Players then choose who to go first.

Mechanics: 8/10

The mechanics of the game are easy to learn, mastering the game, however, is much, much harder. The players take it take it in turns to think of a one-word clue that relates to some of the words they want their teammate to guess, followed by a number, which is how many codenames they see that are related to that word. Their teammates then begin guessing codenames, one at a time, that they believe to be related to the clue. If they get it right, they keep going, and can continue to do so until they choose to stop, which case they take a timer token from the bank, or until they guess wrong. If players guess an innocent bystander, they place a timer token on the word, pointing at the guesser. If players guess an assassin, both players instantly lose and the game ends. When a player has finished their turn, the other player takes their turn. The game ends when all the timer tokens have been taken from the bank, or all the agent cards have been played.

This sounds a little complicated, but once you’ve played your first game, it makes a lot more sense. The hardest part is usually for the spymaster, trying to choose related words that don’t link to the three assassins, and keeping a straight face when the other player is guessing what codenames they wish to pick.

There are a list of rules for choosing your word, but generally it must be a word that isn’t visible as one of the codenames, or part of that word. For example, you can’t use the words break, broken, breakage or breakdown if the word break is visible as codename, nor would you be able to use break or downhill if the word breakdown was visible. If you’re unsure on if a word is a valid clue, consult the rulebook or try a different word – just remember, the aim of the game is fun.

Finding the assassin brings the game to an early finish.

Scoring: 10/10

Like the original game Codenames Duet is a game where you win or lose, although you can choose to score points should you choose to. If you contact an assassin, you lose instantly, otherwise you have a time limit based on the number of tokens left. People with similar backgrounds and interests tend to do better as team, or people with similar ways of thinking also do well.

Replayability: 5/10

This is a great cooperative game for two players, but I’ve just played it far less than any other two player game. For me, Codenames is most fun as a team game, bouncing ideas off each other and having a laugh with other people. However, Codenames Duet does have a variety of different rules for changing the difficulty of the game, so if you find the game too easy in its basic mode, you can really challenge yourself with the mission map. You can also mix the cards with those from Codenames, or use the picture cards from Codenames Pictures to play this game.

Speed: 8/10

Codenames Duet is relatively fast, taking around 15-20 minutes to play. With a turn limit, the game is limited by how long each turn takes and how long players take to give clues. If words link well, turns become faster, but if there are lots of connections to the assassins, turns become much more difficult. Players will also have to pick one of their own assassins, as it will be green on the other player’s side of the key card, and this can slow games down, as players become more hesitant. The more you play, the more confident you’ll be, and the quicker you’ll be to give and pick clues.

Codenames Duet is a great way to play Codenames with two players.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoy Codenames Duet, and I think it’s a great game for two people. If you play a lot of Codenames, the extra words will give you a lot more options to play with, even if you don’t play using the cooperative rules. However, if I want to play a two-player game, Codenames Duet doesn’t come up very often; if I’m looking for a cooperative game, I’d rather play Pandemic or Forbidden Island, or play a game like Dominion or Disney Villainous if I’m looking for something competitive.