Cryptid Reviews

4.6 Rating 10 Reviews

Cryptid is a competitive puzzle from Osprey Games for 2-4 players. Each player is a Cryptozoologist, attempting to track down a mythical beast. The players all have a tiny bit of information about the habitat the Cryptid lives in. On their own, these clues are useless, for example “Within one space of water”. Combine the clues and they reveal only one possible space on the board.

The player that wins is the first to identify the sole space where the Cryptid could live. During play each player is carefully trying to gather as much information about their opponents clues and give away as little about theirs as possible.

Players cannot afford to look away from the board, as any information that’s revealed is crucial for everyone. You may also be questioned by any player on their turn, so it’s a game that keeps everyone engaged until the Cryptid is found.

On a player's turn they will question one other player. The question is always ‘Could the Cryptid live in this space?”. Cubes and discs are placed on the board to show that it either could or couldn’t live there. If a player answers no to your question by placing a cube then you also must place a cube, giving away valuable information about what you know.

You win the game by searching, which involves asking all players about one space. In turn, they will place either a cube or a disc. If every player places a disc you have found the Cryptid and are the winner. If anyone places a cube, the search stops and you must now place a cube elsewhere. So, search with care.

As the cubes and discs in various colours start to cover the board tension rises. It’s a race to be the first to solve the puzzle but by jumping the gun you might end up giving too much away and handing victory to someone else!

The game is supported well by a website from Osprey Games. You may even find it easier to use the website to set-up games and give out clues instead of the resources in the box. The website also allows for an interesting two-player mode, where each player has two clues and has a more control over revealing information.

A tricky puzzle to solve that is only made more exciting by the race against your opponents to the solution.

Player Count: 3-5
Time: 30-50 Minutes
Age: 10+

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“Great family game for the strategists in your life.”

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Posted 11 months ago

“A brilliant game - fast moving and every game is different due to board set-up. I thoroughly recommend it.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Simple to learn but complex, went down very well at my table!”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Cryptid is a deduction game for 3-5 players. First of all, you choose a card which shows how to place the 6 tiles to form the map and where to place tokens representing landmarks. There are 2 levels of cards. the first has clues for where the creature is and the second set gives clues to where the creature is and where it isn't. The map contains 5 different types of terrain (swamps, deserts, mountains, forests and lakes) spread around the map and some will include bear or cougar territories. Once this is set up turn over the card and take the booklets indicated for the number of players and read your secret clue. The clues combined lead to a single tile on the map where the creature is. On the reverse of each booklet is a player aid of what the clues could be for reference during the game. The turns start with the first player placing a cube on the map where the cryptid isn't according to their clue. This continues around the table until everyone has placed 2 cubes (according to their clues). Then the guessing starts. On each turn You have a choice of 2 actions, ask an individual player if this could be the spot or state to the whole table that you think this is the spot. Usually, at first, players will place the player token on the map and ask a single player if the creature could be there. If the answer is yes the player that was asked places a disc of their colour on the map in the space queried. If the answer is no they place a cube of their colour and the player who asked has to place a cube elsewhere according to their clue. If a player thinks they know where the cryptid is, on their turn, they place a disc on the map (if it already has a disc of their colour they must place a disc elsewhere according to their clue) and state they think the creature is there. Now in turn clockwise the other players place a disc or cube. As soon as a player places a cube nobody else places anything and the player who guessed places a cube according to their clue. If everyone places a disc then well done you've found the creature! Also fun is trying to work out what each other's clues were. I played this for the first time with a player count of 3. All were new to the game and it took a couple of plays to settle in but we were hooked from the start and played about 6 games one after the other with a discussion after each about our clues. Next time we play there should be 5 playing and I can wait.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Love this game! I bought it for my friend’s birthday and am excited to show it to him”

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Posted 2 years ago

“A thoroughly enjoyable little game. It has a huge amount of replayability because of all the map variations you can make. We enjoyed trying to figure out one another's clues while not giving away what we knew. My only critique would be that all the meaning of the different coloured shapes got a bit confusing on the board, but we got the hang of it after a game. Thanks to Zatu games for delivering this little house party mainstay so promptly and in such good condition!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Cryptid is like a cross between Cluedo and Minesweeper - it really tests your logic. The theme is pretty irrelevant, but the game mechanic is really interesting and unlike any other board games we have.”