Say the Same Thing: OK GO’s smartphone game is more than OK

SayTheSameThingBanner — Image used with permission by copyright holder

You probably remember the band OK Go from that one video with the treadmills or that other music video with the Rube Goldberg machine. Oh, or maybe you saw them in concert. They do make music. You might know the band from that, too. OK Go seems like they aren’t content with just being a fairly popular band. They’ve got a plan to leave their legacy wherever they possibly can. Their latest venture? The world of mobile games. Say the Same Thing has nothing to do with OK Go and far simpler than any of their music video choreography but it’s still darn addictive, which mirrors the band’s music pretty accurately.

Say the Same Thing doesn’t exactly bury the lead with it’s title. The game is literally about trying to say the same thing as your partner. You each start out by saying a random word, then work to try to find the common bonds until you eventually both say the same word on the same turn. Words are submitted individually and revealed when both players lock in their guesses. It’s essentially an asynchronous word association game that relies on both you and your partner hitting a similar brainwave to come to the same connective word.

Because the game relies just as heavily upon your partner as it does on you, getting a good match can be the difference between getting a match on turn three or turn thirty-three. For example, one of my games got to a point where my partner and I were on similar footing and just needed to exhaust the list of words we knew relating to a topic before we got a match. This can be as frustrating as it is exhilarating, knowing that you and your teammate are on the same page but just a little off.

On the other hand, there is the occasional player who will frustrate you with their total lack of understanding of what you’re trying to work toward. I had one such encounter where my partner started with the word “ninja” and just delved deeper into the topic with total disgard for the words I was providing. I had to search for definitions to try to make any clue of what the person was going for (my knowledge of ancient fighting techniques and samurai weaponry is lacking, apparently). If something like this does happen, you have the option of chatting with your partner to express your complete loss or place a sticker on the board that can indicate your feelings to the other player. Worst case is you quit the game and start up another. It’s not exactly a time consuming process.

The only real indication that OK Go is involved in this project at all is the ability to play a member of the band. Choosing to do so will simply place you on a wait list to have your shot with a group member, and you’ll receive a notification when it’s your turn to try make a match with Damien, Andy, Tim, or Dan. Otherwise the game shows little indication of being a promotional tool at all. It has a jungle theme and has no mention of OK Go aside from the ability to play a match with the band.

It’s easy to dismiss new games that come available on mobile as flashes in the pan, especially when a “big name” or any sort decides to throw their weight behind it. But Say the Same Thing is a genuinely fun experience, essentially free of any of the branding and promotional pitfalls that similar projects have fallen victim to. The game is a solid mix of low time investment and high entertainment. Barely missing a match will make you want to make sure you nail the next one and challenges you to not over think things and instead rely on your word association skills. It’s challenging enough to keep you guessing and has a high feeling of success when you finally get a match. It’s everything you’d want in a mobile game, plus OK Go.

Say the Same Thing is available for free download on Android and iOS.

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