Once upon a Tuesday afternoon, I found myself being outwitted by a device that fits in the palm of my hand. Enter: the Giiker Super Decoder, a cute little console inspired by Mastermind, the logic game of yore. Apparently, what my life was missing was being humiliated by a game designed for ages eight and up.
Giiker (yes, “Geeker,” because it wouldn’t be a modern brand if the name didn’t sound like someone’s gamer tag) has a knack for blending old-school brain busters with new-school tech. It’s like if your childhood toys discovered Bluetooth and a superiority complex. The Super Decoder is their latest addition to the “I dare you to feel smart” genre—a pocket-sized, beep-happy little box that gives you 600 levels to solve a secret color code in seven moves or less. You know, just in case you were looking for a fresh way to feel inadequate.
On paper, the gameplay is simple: deduce the secret 4-color code. In practice, it’s Sherlock Holmes meets Tetris anxiety. You get feedback in the form of dots—one tells you you’ve got the right color in the right place, another tells you you’ve got the right color but, sorry, wrong spot. So it’s like getting half a compliment and a passive-aggressive shrug.
There are two modes: Solo, where you try to outwit the puzzle itself, and Duo, where you pit yourself against another human who, in my case, was my smug 10-year-old niece. She beat me in five rounds and then walked off like she had just defended her dissertation at MIT.
The “detective” theme is strong here. The sound effects mimic Morse code, which gives off a very serious “spy mission in a Cold War basement” vibe—especially if you play in dim lighting with a furrowed brow. I, of course, took it one step too far and tried playing it on a flight. You should know: nothing confuses TSA like a grown adult furiously decoding colored dots on what looks like a plastic walkie-talkie from 1989.
I’ll give credit where it’s due: the Super Decoder is wildly portable, makes no sense to anyone over 40 without the instructions, and delivers exactly what it promises—a compulsively replayable mental workout. It’s also kind of addictive. You’ll tell yourself, “just one more level,” and suddenly you’re 87 games deep, wondering why green was even an option if it was never part of the code.
My daughter? Obsessed. She hasn’t looked at a tablet in days, and I caught her trying to “set codes” for our dog to solve, which says a lot about the game’s impact and my parenting. Meanwhile, I’m in the corner trying to crack level 28 like it holds the secrets to the universe.
If you’re ready to develop your logic skills while questioning your basic cognitive function, the Giiker Super Decoder might be your next favorite frenemy.