Uno is possibly one of the best-known card games out there. Fun, quick, and full of shenanigans it's been capturing the hearts of people all over the world now for decades. Well now you can give it a shot in a digital format, because it's here on Xbox One.
Take a seat at the table
The graphics for Uno are fairly simple, and that's because this game is about as simple as it gets. When you jump into a game, you'll see the cards in your hand, along with what has been played, and an avatar for each player. Ubisoft didn't need to deliver top-of-the-line graphics — this is a classic card game, not a photo-realistic sci-fi combat co-op.
It works out really well too. Instead of having to pay attention to graphics, they kept it simple which ads to the air of nostalgia that may have you inclined to check it out. There really aren't any bells or whistles here, and for once, that's a really good thing. It lets you just sit down and play out as many hands as you want, either by yourself or competing with friends.
Tweak your gameplay
While the game in and of itself is as simple as ever, you can tweak things a fair bit. This shows up in the various options you have for how you want to play Uno, because not everybody plays the same way. You can also choose between two different decks of cards for your games, and even get your friends in on the action.
To begin with, you have the choice between playing by yourself against 3 AI players, or getting a friend to enjoy it with you by adding a second controller. If you're unfamiliar with Uno, or you just need a refresher course, you also have the option to play out a tutorial hand. From there, your next option is the deck you want to use.
You'll be able to choose between the classic Uno deck, or the Rabbids Uno deck which adds even more chaos to your gameplay. This chaos shows up in the form of 4 specific cards added to the deck which all add specific penalties, or defenses to the players in the game. These end up being things like guarding against a draw 4, or making everyone play their turn within 3 seconds or be forced to draw a card and skip their turn.
After that, you'll get to setup your match. There are 7 options for tweaking your gameplay and each can add, or subtract from how the game is played. This means that you can enable stacking of draw cards to make it a bigger penalty for the next player, or set a score limit that must be reached to truly win the game.
Take joy in the simple things
From there, it's time to enjoy yourself and play some Uno! The game is fun and quick paced, which makes it enjoyable for anyone who remembers the game from rainy days as a kid. At first it can be a bit slow while you remember how to play, and what special cards actually do, but once you remember it's as quick paced as ever.
Playing with AI means that you'll never have to sit and wait while somebody decides which card they actually want to play. Instead you'll get a fast-paced and enjoyable game of Uno. One of the few downsides is that after a few hands the game can start to get repetitive, like any card game is wont to.
Additionally, it can get frustrating when the AI seems to be throwing out a draw four every few cards, and you're stuck with nothing but straight up number cards. It's worth remembering that this happens plenty in the physical game as well though. For the most part this is a game based off of nostalgia.
Conclusion
Uno is a fun walk down memory lane, that soon becomes repetitive.
Pros:
- Simple graphics
- Easy to jump into
- Fun in it's simplicity
Cons:
- Gameplay becomes repetitive
- Game lacks any DLC
- Only being able to play with one friend takes away from the experience
Uno brings an old favorite to a new generation by releasing digitally. It's still as much fun as it ever was, but as you might guess it can easily become boring after a few hands. Even so this is a fun play, for a great price, since it's available now for just $9.99 on the Microsoft store. For those reasons we've given it a solid three stars.
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This review was conducted on Xbox One using a copy provided by the publisher.
