Move38
Recently, I went on a trip and took six games with me in a package that rolled up smaller than my fist. I was trying out Blinks, a clever tabletop game that is built around a set of six small interactive, hexagonal pucks. Not only were they great for passing time alone, but everyone who saw them wanted to join in. Since I was introduced to Blinks, Move38 has rolled out a slew of new choices including a nine-game bundle. Right now you can get the nine-game Blinks Game System for $119 when you use promo code CNET20 at checkout. In fact, you can use the code on any of the Blinks sets and save 20%.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so where to start? Well, each package comes with six or more little hexagonal pucks, called Blinks. The nine-game Blinks Game System has nine Blinks, while the 15-game Epic Bundle has 15 Blinks. Each Blink is programmed with its own unique game, and it “teaches” that game to all the other Blinks when you choose to play it.
All six sides of each Blink are magnetic, so they snap together in any configuration you like. The entire top of each Blink is a big button, and the Blinks communicate with you by lighting up with multicolor LEDs.
As I said, each Blink knows how to play one game — the name of the game is written on the Blink itself — so you can browse the Blinks and decide which game you want to play. Then just connect all the Blinks into a group and press the lucky one, which teaches all the other Blinks the rules of your selected game. If you want to change games, you can pick a new Blink and repeat the process.
Every set has its own collection of games, so you can expand your game collection by buying more sets. As a general rule, the more Blinks you have, the more engaging the game can be, so it pays to expand your collection so you can play games with 12 or more Blinks at once.
To give you some sense of what the games are like, my original set included a title called Mortals, a two-player game in which each Blink starts the round with 30 seconds of life, and you move them around to try to live the longest. Your Blink steals time from whatever other Blinks it’s touching — the life level is indicated by the color of the Blink — which adds up to some fast-paced strategizing. The new nine-game Blinks Game System includes games like Astro (you need to fill your spaceship’s cargo hold with space ore before your opponent) and Paintbrush, a strategic painting game in which you need to transform the Blinks on the table to your selected color by “painting” them with your Blink, which serves as a paintbrush.
Admittedly, some games have rules that are a little confusing, but if you have any trouble making sense of the written rules, every game has a helpful video tutorial online.
There’s no question that I’m a fan of these games. All the kits can be combined for more complex, richer games, and each bundle gives you a slew of new games to play. And the Blinks roll up into a “sushi roll” magnetic carrying case, so they’re travel-friendly. The games are rated for everyone age 14 and up. If you want to give them a shot, the Game System is a great place to start, or you can save 20% on anything at the site, including the mammoth 15-game Epic Bundle. Just be sure to apply promo code CNET20 at checkout.
First published last year. Updated with a new deal.
CNET’s deal team scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.