Say the Same Thing (STSG) is a new game, available as a free iOS and Android download [No Longer Available], which comes to us courtesy of the band OK Go. Letterpress made a splash when it launched last year, Pictionary-like Draw Something was a huge hit, and there's lots of popular iOS word games like 7 Little Words that will keep you busy for hours. Say the Same Thing Game is a new word association game that brings a bit of vocabulary fun into your day.

The basic premise of the game is to say a random word at the same time as your partner. You then have to try to come up with a word that is somehow connected to both random words, and hope that your partner says the same thing, so you can both win the round.

STSG Explained

To get started with STSG, you can log in either with your Game Center credentials, or if you'd rather play with family and friends, you can log in with Facebook. Either way you choose to get up and running, you can opt to play a random partner, or you can see who of your Facebook friends are already playing the game. If they're not, you can invite them to download it directly from within the app.

When you first log in, you're given 50 bananas. Bananas are STSG currency and you need bananas in order to take a turn. Each turn you take will cost you one banana. So what are you using the bananas to do? Once you've found a friend or random partner to play with, the first thing you're going to do is say a word. If you can't think of a word yourself, you can have the app select a random word for you. A word of warning here - you don't have the choice to reject or accept that word - what you randomly select is what you get stuck with.

Once each of your words has been revealed, the second turn begins. This is where the word association gets going. You have to come up with a word that is associated with both your and your friend's word. So for example, if you enter 'Monkey' and your friend enters 'Risky' - a possible combination of the two words is 'Business.' The trick is to try to figure out what word your friend might associate with both words - because if you both get the same word - you win the round.

say the same thing game

The round will keep going until you 'say the same thing', or alternatively, if you're playing with a stranger and they're taking too long to respond, you can just hit the 'End Game' button. (Or send a nudge, which will appear as a notification on their phone to remind them they still have to take their turn.)

While playing the game you can also chat with your friends and partners from within the app, and send them cute little stamps to respond to their word choices, but using a stamp will cost you one banana.

say the same thing game

There are drawbacks to playing with strangers. You don't have the added luxury of trying to guess what they might associate with any given word. It does make it more challenging, but it's still possible to stumble upon the same word, eventually. The game is certainly better suited to playing with people that you know.

While the app is free, if you want an ad-free version, it'll cost you $2.99. Other in-app purchases include buying more bananas so you can keep playing the game. Once you're out of bananas, you can't take a turn. You can either buy bananas (100 will cost you $2.99), or you can watch videos to earn one free banana at a time. The videos are only 15 seconds, so in the grand scheme of things, it's not such a big deal if you'd rather not pay to keep playing the game.

Our Verdict

So why do we think Say the Same Thing Game is the next big word game to hit the mobile scene? It doesn't hurt to have a famous band like OK Go behind the game, but beyond that, it's a fun, simple game that can be enjoyed by anyone, young and old alike. It can get frustrating when playing with a stranger who simply doesn't think the same way you do, but the sense of satisfaction when you connect - whether with a friend or a stranger - will have you coming back for more.

It's a great game for parents and their children to play together, as it has some pretty good educational qualities, is a good way to practice your vocabulary skills, and also isn't a hyper-competitive game since you both win the round when saying the same word. More than that, Say the Same Thing Game is just plain, good ol' fun, wrapped up in a cute looking app that's easy to use. Being available as a cross-platform game as well doesn't hurt.

To find out more about how to play the game, check out Ok Go's brilliant video explaining the rules:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sP1DqyagXE