It’s time for… Family Feud!
Game shows bring groups together. The competition of who knows what faster than the other team, the prizes, the excitement– it’s a great time. Now you can play along with one of the most classic game shows out there, Family Feud, with your Facebook friends! At least, that’s what the game advertises, right? Well, sorta.
Family Feud and Friends is an app available on Facebook, Android, and iOS devices. Upon installing, you can either connect with your Facebook account, or play as a guest.
A brief synopsis of how Family Feud works: they give you board with six hidden answers and ask you a question. You are trying to answer the question with the answers on the board. They survey 100 people, and the top answers are the ones they are looking for. Three strikes, and you’re out. If you’ve won after three rounds, you play a Fast Money round, where you’re given 1 minute to answer five questions in a row. These points are added up, and if you break 200, you get a bonus.
Now, you would think connecting with your Facebook account would let you play against your own friends, right? Wrong. After an hour of playing Family Feud and Friends, I noticed that my opponents were people I had never heard of. I understand this– I’m sure a lot of my Facebook friends don’t play Family Feud and Friends, so they have to match me against someone. I get that. But this leads me to my biggest problem.
You don’t actually play against anyone. While answering the questions, once you have either answered all the questions or struck out, your points are added up. The points left over (from the answers you didn’t get) are given to your opponent. The only part in the whole game where you actually have interaction with another person is if you don’t make the 200 points in the Fast Money round.
Again, like I said, I understand the practicality of it. If you were going to play against your friends, that could take forever. (Think of an absent partner in Draw Something– you could be waiting days!) And besides this issue I had, it’s still a fun game. Family Feud with Friends does manage to capture the pressure and interest of Family Feud, which helps it to redeem itself. Also, it’s not too hard to level up, which gives that instant gratification that is so enjoyable in games.
Overall, the false advertising of the game was a disappointment. But, it is what it is, and if you’re looking for a mobile version of Family Feud to play while waiting in line, this will definitely do the trick, Just don’t expect to actually play against your friends!