Don’t Get Got is a secret mission party game released by publisher Big Potato Games – known for games such as The Chameleon and Obama Llama. Designed by Zoe Lee and James Vaughan, the game sees 2 – 8 players attempt to playfully trick their friends and family to complete tasks. Players will be guessing, try to manipulate conversions to force others to say specific words and even have arguments about which way is north. However, is Don’t Get Got arguably fun to play? Let’s find out!
At the offset of the game each player is handed 6 secret missions. One is black in colour, with each player getting this identical mission. This challenge is to say to a player “Guess what” and them to respond with “What”. An easy sounding challenge that sets the family friendly, and not overly serious, tone of the game. Players also receive 5 white missions which are drawn from a deck of around 180 cards. These missions range from hiding the card in a book or magazine and making someone find it through to getting someone to repeat something three times in a row.
While not officially in the rules it is best give everyone time to check that each task is possible. Tasks are never completely impossible but if a card is about mis-buttoning a shirt and you don’t have access to one it is effectively impossible. If people agree then simply replace the card before the game starts. Don’t let this be a time for people to discard plausible tasks that they just don’t like and the experience will be safeguarded.
Don’t Get Got comes with bright yellow wallets for players to hold their 6 mission cards. Folding the missions cards in half, they slide into the wallet showing the mission. These are small enough to fit into a pocket, and can also be folded over. This allows players to leave their secret missions to one side without the risk others will be able to read them at a glance.
Once everyone is ready the game starts, with players trying to complete their missions. This is a background style activity, so everyone can carry on gaming or chilling. Whenever a player completes a challenge, aside from the fun of shouting Don’t Get Got at the victim, they flip the card in their wallet to Nailed It. While the “Guess What” mission isn’t failable the others are. If someone works out you’re doing something for a mission they can call it and you’ll fail the task – flipping the card the other way to the Failed It section of the card.
Don’t Get Got isn’t a party game to play for 30 minutes. The game continues all day if you want it to. You can start the ball rolling at the offset and catch people out throughout the day. The winner is the first player to successfully complete three of their tasks. If this doesn’t happen, the player with the most succeeded when time runs out or all players tasks are finished is the winner. It is rare that players haven’t completed at least one of their challenges at this point, so everyone will have some sense of achievement – with the winner able to gloat that bit extra.
Don’t Get Got is technically for 2 – 8 players, however it could go higher. There are only enough black “guess what” missions for 8 players and there are also only 8 wallets included. There isn’t anything stopping a few extra players getting involved, they could hold onto 6 white missions instead. The game starts to shine for the mid-range of the player count upwards. With a lower players count things seem that bit more obvious and the range of missions people are attempting just isn’t there.
Regardless of how they are housed, it is impossible to be subtle when looking at your objectives. Players will see you looking at them. This, in turn, snaps people out of ignorant bliss. It is in the bliss stage that other players are easiest to trick. Some have got around this by reading one at a time and working down the list. Others, with slightly better memory, can go for all at once. None of the objectives are overly difficult, so it is possible to remember all. Nevertheless, you’ll still want to check occasionally. It’s not overly a problem though, with players just having to pick their moments to check.
As with many party games Don’t Get Got can fall flat if players don’t go all in. There can be a bit of awkwardness to break through, but if you teach the game with the right tone it’ll soften even though normally not up for a game. The more players put into the experience the more entertainment comes out the other side. Some challenges can be deemed easier or safer. Going for the more outlandish missions can make everyone’s evening have a truly memorable moment, even if the trick doesn’t pay off. This is one thing that the game can create, those golden moments that players remember. Just remember to strike the perfect balance between being obvious and vague and your opponents will be putty in your hands.
The one component that lets the game down is actually the box. For what is included, the box could be a mere fraction of the size. Gaining the attention of shoppers looking at shelves is clearly an important factor here. Nevertheless, Don’t Get Got is an ideal party game to take to a friends house or a gathering and the box size doesn’t aid this. It is still a small box you could throw in a bag to take, but it takes up far more room than it should.
Don’t Get Got isn’t the most inventive, original game to be released, with other games available where your aim is tricking others into doing something or saying something. Putting this to one side, others will then question how much of a game Don’t Get Got is. A bad start but as an activity to play throughout a day some hilarious moments can occur. This isn’t going to be someone remembering that time you won by 1 point in a euro style slog. Some of the silliest objectives have already caused in jokes and there are still plenty of objectives still to play with. For those golden moments Don’t Get Got will continue to get played whenever a gathering takes place.
(Editor’s Note: Don’t Get Got was provided to us by Big Potato Games for the review. Check out the official webpage for the game here.)