While growing up, did you and your family squabble over the rules of the deceptively simple card game Uno? Did you hold that perfect Reverse card, just waiting to deploy it at the exact right time? Do you find that you want to relive some of that nostalgia? Then, Ubisoft has the title for you. This week, I’m looking at Uno Ultimate Edition for the Switch.
Plot Ahoy!
Have you ever played Uno? If so, you’re already ahead of the game. Ubisoft’s Uno Ultimate Edition is pretty faithful to the card game. You draw your hand and play your cards according to the situation and the cards you have. You have the option of playing against an AI, locally, or online, depending on what you have available to you. You begin with seven cards, and in order to play a card, you have to match the card you’re playing either by color, symbol, or number. If a player makes an error, the other players can challenge the player who made the error, and if that challenge is successful, the player draws two cards for his or her error or perfidy, depending on who’s playing.
The original Uno was developed in the United States and released just over fifty years ago. That’s relevant given that Ultimate Uno Edition isn’t a new title so much as a base game packaged with various DLCs. Depending on how invested you are in the Uno property, you may find that the Ultimate Edition isn’t the smartest investment, especially given that a lot of the DLC content seems to be gimmicky. At least three of the available DLCs are inspired by other titles, ranging from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla to Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Review Notes
While these instalments are interesting from a novelty perspective, the game mode I found most interesting is Flip, as it represents an interesting take on Uno that radically changes the strategy of it. While I’m sure there has been a physical copy made of Flip, I have to admit the last time I played Uno, that Flip wasn’t even a concept in a developer’s brain. Flip introduces the concept of double-sided cards, meaning that you may have a great hand on one side of your cards, but should an opponent play Flip, you flip the cards you have in your hand to reveal what was on the other side. Therefore, to play Flip effectively, you need to have at least two strategies running—one for each side of the cards in your hand. This really changes up how you approach gameplay, so it makes for a really interesting take on the game.
The other DLCs provide different new action cards, with the Party Mania DLC providing some of the most interesting new cards, which are Wild Drawn Together, Point Taken, and Wild Pile Up cards, which do largely what you think they’d do. Party Mania would make for a decent party game, especially if you put the Switch on the TV in a room full of folks clamoring to play.
TLDR
Visually, Ultimate Uno Edition is pretty, with the cards being very well realized. The game effects aren’t too jarring, which is a welcome change, and the music is nice and peppy. The AI can be a bit touchy, but really, who of us can’t? The title is as enjoyable as an actual card game of Uno would be and also gives you the option to play on your own, which is nice.
There are three versions of Uno currently available on the Nintendo Store: the Uno base game for $9.99, the Uno Legacy Edition for $19.99, and Uno Ultimate Edition for $29.99, which honestly feels a bit steep. Still, it is fun, and if you’ve got family, it’ll make for a good afternoon on the big screen.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
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- I don’t have much in the way of trivia here, but I do have one question for the folks who used to hold that Reverse card for just the exact right time. How’s your Blue Magic the Gathering deck treating you as we move into Duskmourn? Because we all know that card was the gateway that leads you to Counterspell.
Developers: Ubisoft
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X