Codenames Visual - Cute Critters Expansion Pack
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
The spymaster says "Family, two." Everyone stares at the frog in a hat. Someone points at the bee at the table. Someone else swears it's the mouse on the bicycle. Nobody remembers who was supposed to win anymore.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Forty adorable animals that complicate everything
Cute Critters is an expansion for Codenames: Pictures, the deduction party game by Vlaada Chvátil. The illustrations are by Dávid Jablonovský, Jana Kilianová, Martin Krejčí, and Tomáš Kučerovský: each one is a small snapshot of animal life, full of absurd details and unintentional tenderness. Frogs posing for a family album, tardigrades tap-dancing, bees sitting down for dinner.
At the table, it works as always: you give clues for a word, and your teammates have to find the right images among twenty cards. But now the cards are these: funny, improbable, sweet scenes. You can mix them with the base game cards, or play an entire game just with the Cute Critters. The result is the same: someone immediately understands, someone else points to the wrong card, and in the end everyone laughs.
What they say abroad
Cute Critters adds a layer of adorable chaos. Each card is a visual trap.
— FroGames
Forty new opportunities to say 'How could you not see that?' and burst out laughing.
— FroGames
Codenames: Pictures – Cute Critters Expansion Pack
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and game sessionsWhat you'll find inside
Forty impossible little scenes
Family album (frogs)
A frog poses for a souvenir photo. Behind it, other frogs make funny faces. Someone will say "Green" and you'll have to figure out if they mean this one or the iguana on the bicycle.
Dancing tardigrade
A tardigrade in a top hat tap-dancing. It's adorable, it's absurd, and it's exactly the kind of card that makes two teams argue for five minutes.
Family dinner (bees)
Three bees sitting at a table, plaid tablecloth, cutlery in hand. When someone says "Party," this card will be in the bunch of possibilities. Obvious, right?
Hidden details everywhere
Each illustration is full of particulars: objects, expressions, funny situations. These details make every clue a gamble and every game different.
Recommended sleeves 40 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 67 × 67 mm | 40 |
| Total cards | 40 |
In an hour you'll have discovered that "Water" can mean twelve different things. And that your best friend understands nothing about metaphors.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The grid takes shape
Twenty cards laid out on the table. Frogs, bees, moles, cats. Everyone is already laughing looking at them. The spymaster immediately understands that this game will be a disaster: too many similar cards. But confidently says "Animal, four".
The first mistake
Someone points to the wrong card. The opposing team erupts in a shout of joy. The spymaster covers their face with their hands. The rest of the team discusses: "But I thought they meant the one with the hat." The perfect clue doesn't exist.
The impossible comeback
Now it's the other team's turn. Their spymaster says "Family, two." Everyone stares at the cards. There's the frog album, there's the bees' dinner, there's even the birds' nest. Someone ventures, someone holds their breath. They guess both. Stunned silence.
The legendary moment
One card left to win. The spymaster says "Stupid." Everyone bursts out laughing, but then stares at the grid. The dancing tardigrade? The cat with glasses? The frog with the hat? Someone points. Correct card. Shouts, hugs, photos of the scoreboard.
Game over
One team has won, the other demands an immediate rematch. Someone wants to change roles, someone else wants to remain spymaster. The cards are reshuffled. Someone says: "This time we're playing for real." No one believes it.
How to play
The flow of each turn
One word, one number, and the chaos that ensues.
One word that connects two or more cards of their team. One number that indicates how many cards to touch. Example: "Dance, one." Then silence.
Everyone looks at the cards. Someone sees connections, someone else doubts. You can talk, reason, argue. But in the end, you have to point to a card.
If it's your team's color, you continue. If it's neutral, the turn ends. If it's an opponent's, you've just given them a point. If it's the assassin, you've lost.
The first to find all their cards wins. Or whoever doesn't pick the assassin. Or whoever stops arguing long enough to finish the game.
Why it's different from the others
What makes Cute Critters special
Narrative illustrations
They're not just animal drawings. Each card tells a small scene: frogs posing, bees at dinner, mice on bikes. Every detail can become a clue, every corner hides a meaning. This is what makes it impossible to give obvious clues.
Consistent and recognizable style
All cards maintain the same visual tone: pastel colors, anthropomorphic animals, absurd situations. When you mix them with the base game, you immediately recognize the Cute Critters. But this doesn't help you guess.
Modular or standalone
You can use the 40 cards alone for a complete game (20 are enough for a grid). Or you can mix them with the 140 cards from the base game and have enormous variety. Two expansions in one box.
Increased perceptive difficulty
With the standard Codenames Pictures images, after a few games, you get to know the cards. With Cute Critters, even after ten games, someone will say "House" and you'll have to decide between the nest, the den, and the bees' kitchen. Always.
Family-friendly tone
No abstract or surreal images that confuse children. Here are animals doing funny things. An 8-year-old can play without problems. But an adult will have the same fun, because the difficulty lies in the clues, not in reading the images.
Zero additional setup
No new rules, extra tokens, or variants to explain needed. Open the box, shuffle the cards, play. The simplest expansion possible: just pure content.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Two ways to win, one way to lose instantly.
Victory
- You find all your team's cards before your opponents
- Your opponents pick the assassin card
- Your opponents make enough mistakes to hand you the game
Defeat
- You pick the assassin card (immediate defeat)
- The other team finds all their cards before you
- Your spymaster gives clues that no one understands and the (social) time runs out
Cute Critters is the perfect excuse to reopen Codenames Pictures after it's been sitting on the shelf for months. Forty new cards, zero complications, infinite games yet to be played.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Codenames: Pictures – Cute Critters Expansion Pack
Is the base game required to play?
Technically no: with 40 cards, you can make two grids of 20 and play. But the base game gives you the key cards (red/blue/neutral/assassin) and the board. Cute Critters is designed as an expansion, not as a complete standalone.
Can I mix Cute Critters with other Pictures expansions?
Yes, no problem. All Codenames Pictures expansions have the same card format (67x67mm) and are designed to be mixed together. The more expansions you have, the more variety increases.
Is it easier or harder than the base game?
It depends on the group. The illustrations are less abstract, so some find it easier to give clues. But precisely because of this, the similarities between cards are more subtle: saying "Flight" can refer to three different cards, all plausible. The difficulty remains high.
How many games does it take before the cards become repetitive?
With 40 new cards mixed with the 140 from the base, you have practically infinite combinations. Even if you only use Cute Critters, the random arrangement and variable roles (spymaster/player) guarantee dozens of different games. It's not a problem.
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
Yes. The cards are illustrations without text, so they are language-independent. The included rulebook is in Italian. Compatible with any edition of Codenames Pictures.
Codenames: Pictures – Cute Critters Expansion Pack is a 40-card illustrated expansion for Vlaada Chvátil's deduction party game, published by Cranio Creations. For 4-8 players, ages 10+, games lasting 15-30 minutes. Mechanics: single-word clues, visual deduction, team play. The new cards feature scenes of adorable animals (frogs, bees, tardigrades, cats) in funny and detailed situations. They can be mixed with the base game or used alone for complete games. Illustrations by Dávid Jablonovský, Jana Kilianová, Martin Krejčí, and Tomáš Kučerovský. Ideal expansion for those who want to revitalize Codenames Pictures without adding complexity. Available on FroGames.it.
Codenames Visual - Cute Critters Expansion Pack
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