{"id":5423,"date":"2017-11-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/uno"},"modified":"2017-11-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T00:00:00","slug":"review-uno-switch-eshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2017\/11\/17\/review-uno-switch-eshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: UNO (Switch eShop)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\">\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 1 of 5\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85831\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85831\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"UNO Classic 2 Screen PR 071117 6 PM 1510068453\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Digital card games have had a significant rise in popularity in recent years. These modern variations commonly feature online play, micro-transactions, thousands of unique collectible cards and often require hundreds of hours to properly understand the intricacies. Given the hype surrounding this specific type of card game, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking classic variants of the genre had gone the way of the dinosaurs. Fortunately, this is not the case.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/uno\"><strong>UNO<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 developed and published by Ubisoft \u2013 acts as a reminder that classic card games are still fun to play. The biggest barrier to overcome with a game like UNO is its requirement of two or more people in order to be enjoyed. The beauty of the digital version is you no longer need family or friends to participate in the action. With the Switch port you can play UNO on the go or within the comfort of your own home on the big screen any time you like.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2 of 5\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85828\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85828\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"UNO Winter 2 Screen PR 071117 6 PM 1510068461\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>For those who haven\u2019t ever played the American card game, originally developed in 1971 and acquired by the Mattel toy manufacturing company in 1992, UNO is a real gem. Like all timeless games, it\u2019s easy to learn and hard to master. It\u2019s also very addictive once you get the hang of it. The object is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards in each round and score points for the cards your opponents are left holding. Points in rounds accumulate and the first player to reach the set amount of points wins. In the digital version there\u2019s a single round option as well. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To play UNO, each player receives seven cards at the start of the game and the remainder are placed facedown to form the draw pile. One card at the start of the game forms the discard pile. From here, the player left of the dealer starts play. The aim is to match a card from your hand to the card on the top of the discard pile either by the number, colour or symbol (with symbols representative of the action cards). If you are unable to match a card from your hand with the one on top of the discard pile, you must take a card from the draw pile in the hope you&#8217;ll then have a matching card. As a player discards their second last card, they must yell \u201cUNO\u201d signifying they have only one card remaining. If they fail to do this and another player catches them out before their next turn, they must draw two cards for their mistake. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 3 of 5\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85827\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85827\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"UNO Classic 1 Screen PR 071117 6 PM 1510068451\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>In its simplest form, this is how UNO works. Each of these explained steps in the digital version of the game happen very fast. You\u2019ll need to adapt quickly and pay attention to keep up with what exactly is happening on-screen at all times. What\u2019s convenient about UNO as a digital title is how it makes players more aware about what exactly they have to do. Not only does the game prompt the player when it\u2019s their turn, but it will also fade out your cards if you are unable to make a move, or a card is played where you or the opposition must draw more cards, miss a turn or the colour has been changed with a wild card. There\u2019s no longer any human error during these types of phases. Arrows surrounding the discard pile also make it easier for players to keep track of whose turn it is next when a series of reverse cards are played.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What you will need to keep a close eye on is what button to press when an opponent has made an error during their turn and you wish to challenge them. You\u2019ll also need to remember to tap a button in order to call \u201cUNO\u201d \u2013 the requirement to press buttons for these types of calls keeps the important human element of the game intact.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The extra layer of depth in UNO is tied to knowing when to play certain cards. Better players are able to have a subtle influence on the outcome of turns and can often manipulate the game to their liking. Mastering each of the action cards can be the key to success. In many cases, a high percentage of luck will also provide you with a greater advantage. This luck and understanding of the game can be combined together to at least somewhat increase your chances of winning rounds on a regular basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 4 of 5\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85829\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85829\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"UNO Just Dance 1 Screen PR 071117 6 PM 1510068454\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>To add to the excitement, Ubisoft has also placed themed decks in the game based on its own IP. These include <strong>Rabbids<\/strong>, <strong>Rayman<\/strong> and <strong>Just Dance<\/strong>. Within these decks are unique active cards that change the predictability of the game. Before playing a game, there is also an extensive list of house and classic rules you can enable or disable \u2013 these include stacking, 7-0, jump-in, force play, no bluffing and draw-to-match. The activation of these more advanced rules will depend on how serious you want your UNO sessions to be.<\/p>\n<p>The social element of UNO is obviously what makes the experience so enjoyable. In the Switch iteration there are a number of ways to play the game. Locally you can take on the A.I. \u2013 that seem to have good and bad days \u2013 or you can team up with a friend or family member on the same system to take on the the computer. Unfortunately, if you want to play against another person locally you\u2019ll need to have access to more than one Switch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The online mode where you take on up to three players isn\u2019t the smoothest experience, but is likely where you\u2019ll spend most of your time. Occasionally you will suffer from the odd disconnect or even the rare crash which returns you back to the Switch HOME Menu. Load times in-between turns aren\u2019t always the best, either. Apart from these minor issues, this mode does an admirable job being as thrilling as the actual card game. Probably the biggest concern about the online is linked to the sustainability of the game&#8217;s community. Provided you\u2019re patient you should be able to find a game or host one that brings in at least two to four players. Vacant spots are automatically filled with A.I. As host of an online game you can also enable and disable the rules which can have an impact on the length and level of challenge provided. To round this off, there\u2019s leaderboards, an emote system and medals to unlock which you can display during matches.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 5 of 5\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85832\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/85832\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"UNO Rayman 2 Screen PR 071117 6 PM 1510068459\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>As Ubisoft has the rights to the UNO licence, the presentation of this digital incarnation generally aligns with the theme of the classic game. The colourful and animated themed decks created by Ubisoft are a nice inclusion, too. The only criticism linked to this area of the game are the framerate issues. It\u2019s nowhere near as smooth as a basic card game like this should be. Compared to existing releases on the likes of the PC, the Switch version suffers from the occasional drop in frames \u2013 which is particularly noticeable on boot-up. At times there\u2019s the odd pause loading the game\u2019s menus, too. Once you\u2019re into a game though, the framerate is not really as concerning because it is a card game, after all. The title also seems to perform better in handheld mode; a patch could easily iron out these problems in the future. On a more positive note the classy music, sound of the cards being shuffled and in-game noises are very fitting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Even if you don\u2019t have fond memories of UNO \u2013 or any memories of it at all \u2013 as a digital adaptation on the Switch it\u2019s quite satisfying to play. Although there\u2019s no workaround to take on another player on the same system and the online experience can be a bumpy ride \u2013 along with slight technical performance issues \u2013 UNO on the Switch still manages to emulate what makes the original card game so addictive. This version allows you to play the game on the go or have fun in front of your television with another person for hours on end. When no one you know is available for co-op, you can always attempt to find a match online or hone your skill against the A.I.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re seeking a digital card game based on a classic that is pick-up and play, and stays true to the source material despite the technical shortcomings, UNO is the one for you. Just be careful as you may lose track of time with this particular card game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Digital card games have had a significant rise in popularity in recent years. These modern variations commonly feature online play, micro-transactions, thousands of unique collectible cards and often require hundreds of hours to properly understand the intricacies. Given the hype surrounding this specific type of card game, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking classic variants of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5423\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}