Clues in Twos Board Game Review

Written by Charlie Pettit

How to Play Clues in Twos

To play, everyone draws a card and picks which of the two options they want to guess from it. They write it down, and pass the card and their written sheet on to a different player. The timer is set for 90 seconds, the card is flipped, and everyone has to frantically scribble down two-word clues for the ten answers on the reverse side. When the timer is up, everyone runs through their answers, and points are awarded to the guesser and clue giver for each correct answer. You play three rounds to find the victor. Simple.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with it, and a lot of opportunities to question your friends on the decisions they’ve made. The 90 seconds you have to write the clues is really restrictive – you only have about enough time to read the answers and create clues for ones you know immediately. I’d say it allows time for roughly eight clues to be written down, with some easier than others, but if you’ve got a slow player, they may only get four down. Of course, that is what it is in terms of scoring, and racing with bad clues may be the better tactic than slowly filling in fewer great clues, but it depends on your group. And, frankly, their handwriting. Ever wondered what your writing would look like if you were a doctor? Here’s where you find out.

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Clues in Twos Review

The variation of topics were fantastic. Even where someone wasn’t familiar with both topics, they were familiar enough to give it a good shout. When the clue giver didn’t know the topic at all, it’s even more fun, because the clues are more obscure. What would be your guess for a song by Taylor Swift with the clue “Empty Parking”? It was argument-inducing, I can tell you that! Topics include Classic Arcade Games, Wild Animals in Africa, Space Movies, Things People are Scared of, 2000’s Pop Punk Bands, Weather, Ice Cream Toppings… and that’s just a tiny glimpse. There’s 110 cards, so 220 topics, on really pleasingly coloured cards. It’s a really great choice of game for when you have non gamers, and I wish I’d got it to the table before Christmas so that it could have been used with the family (the more reluctant gamers). 

It’s not perfect though. I think £15 for a game like this feels a touch too much – it’s one where I imagine it’ll go on sale at some point between £8-10 and be worth it. It feels very much like it’s been created to sit on a shelf in a big department store, which it does very well, but I can’t help but wonder if that’s why it has the price tag it does. 

I mentioned the time limit, and I think clue giving needs slightly longer, and clue guessing should have a limit. There’s always someone determined to guess all of them, and it can slow it down. Lastly, it says it’s suitable for two players, but it’s not really – it’s fun just in trying to guess, but it’s just “score what you can, then try to beat it”. When you get in the swing of things, your points end up pretty consistent, so there’s not much to be had there. 

Should you play Clues in Twos?

Yes.  Originally I deemed this a Maybe (which for more experienced gamers, I think it is), but I played it a few more times with non-gamers where it was an absolute success. 

You should try this if you liked the Exploding Kittens game Poetry for Neanderthals.  It's more thinking cleverly about what you need to say, where the high stakes don’t come from time, but from a blow-up club you might get bopped with.

Buy Clues in Twos from Amazon

About Clues in Twos

Designer: Hazel Reynolds

Publisher: Gamely Games

Time: 15m

Players: 2+

Ages: 12+

Price: £15

What’s in the box?

• 110 Cards
• 8 Pencils
• Answer Pad

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