Coup Review

Developer: Banana & Co.
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.1.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

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Overall Rating:

Games about bluffing are sometimes hard to pull-off, particularly when players aren't in the same room. When there's no way to read facial expressions or other tells, it's hard setup feigned reactions to situations or otherwise subvert others' expectations. With that being said, Coupis 100% about deception and it works remarkably well.

In every game of Coup, players are dealt two cards that the others cannot see. These can be any one of five characters, all of whom have their own set of abilities geared toward forcing players to flip their cards over, and the whole thing plays a little bit like a more complicated version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The goal of every game is for players to be the last one left. What makes it feel less about luck and more about skill is that players can lie about anything, and it's up to others to call them out.

At any given moment players can choose any characters' ability to use, even if they don't have that specific character. It's up to them to decide if anyone's lying about what they can. If a player suspects another is lying they can issue a challenge, and if they were lying, the liar has to reveal one of their cards. However, if no challenge is issued there are no consequence. As games progress the stakes inevitably rise, and the lying component ensures that every player - regardless of their hand - has a shot at winning.

Coup is a wonderfully presented game. It has a fun and cartoony art style, smooth animations, and it smartly integrates systems that make it easy to see and analyze who has attempted what actions and how many times they've done them. It also has an in-game chat system that's limited to select phrases, which allows player to attempt mind games.

There's little to complain about, though there are a couple things that could be potential dealbreakers. First, it feels like an asynchronous affair but it really isn't. Players can leave the app or switch between other rounds, but turns are limited to just a couple of minutes - after which they're booted from the match. Second,one of the free-to-play structures gives paying players a distinct advantage over free players. Though most purchases are cosmetic, the Spies Expansion ($4.99) allows players to view the move histories and tendencies of opponents. It's somewhat limited in its usage, but it gives one player more information in a game where sussing out information is a very important aspect.

Despite those issues, Coup is remarkably fun and well-made. The lack of asynchronous play is a very minor problem, and I never truly felt like I lost a match because someone has the Spies Expansion. Coup's strengths are able to far outshine its weaknesses, making it a really solid title that's worth picking up.