Move38
I recently went on a trip and took six games in a package that was smaller than my fist. I tried Blinks, a clever tabletop game that consists of six small interactive, hexagonal pucks. Not only were they great for spending time alone, but everyone who saw them wanted to join in. At the moment you can use the Blinks Core Set or the Blinks Expansion Set Save 20% on every Blinks purchase when you apply the promo code CNET20 at checkout.
You will automatically receive the discount via this link. If not, you will need to apply the coupon code.
There's a lot to unzip here, so where do I start? Well, each package contains six small hexagonal pucks called blinks. With each blink, all six sides are magnetic, so they snap together in any configuration you want. The entire top of each blink is a big button, and the blinks communicate with you by lighting up multi-colored LEDs too.
Every Blink knows how to play a game - the name of the game is on the Blink itself - so you can browse the Blinks and decide which game to play. Then just join all the Blinks into a group and hit the lucky one who teaches all the other Blinks the rules of your chosen game. If you want to change games, you can select a new blink and repeat the process.
The Core Set includes a fun selection of games like Mortals, a two player game where each blink starts the round with 30 seconds of life and you move them around to try to live the longest. Your blink steals time from all the other blinks it touches - the life level is indicated by the color of the blink - which makes for a quick strategy.
There is also a game called Bomb Brigade in which up to 10 players take turns trying to trigger a blink, which acts like a spinning "bomb" - a variation on Russian roulette. Any surrounding blinks act as a shield, but if the shields are completely depleted or the bomb goes off where there is no shield, that player is outside.
There are four other games in the core set. Here you will find extras such as a dynamic, self-generating puzzle, a hit-by-hit game and much more. And you can add more blinks. There is an expansion set with a further six blinks, each of which has its own game. If you own two sets, not only do you get 12 different games, but many games are improved by having more than six blinks in total. Speed Racer, a game that requires you to continuously move Blinks from the back of a line forward to give a fast moving car a road to drive, plays better with a dozen Blinks than just six. That's not the end of the road either; Developer Move38 plans to release more games on a regular basis. Two more expansion sets for six games will be released this fall.
And when you leave the house (please wear a mask), as I recently did, each set of Blinks is rolled into a convenient sushi roll tote bag.
Some of the games have rules that are a bit confusing. However, if you're having trouble understanding the one-sided explanation of the rules for each game, go online for a helpful video.
I'm pretty excited about Blinks that are suitable for anyone ages 14 and up. If you want to give them a chance, this is where you can start Blinks Core Set for $ 79 or save 20% on everything on the site, including the Blinks Extension Kit or the Blinks Combination Kit which includes both. Just make sure you use coupon code CNET20 at checkout.
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