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«UNO All Wild» is the worst card game in the world

14/3/2022

Every now and then, a bad game falls into my lap. But «UNO All Wild» trumps anything I’ve ever got my hands on. It’s quite simply unplayable.

A week ago, a friend of mine had his 30th birthday. Looking for a suitable present, I headed to a toy shop. The shelves were lined with board games and card games, and some of them seemed possible gifts. But there was something in particular that stood out – glittering packaging that really caught my attention, and that was «UNO All Wild». It’s a new type of UNO that only contains special cards. I thought it sounded fun so I picked it up and went off to the till. What I didn’t know was that I’d just bought the worst card game of all time.

The first and last game

Once the present had been handed over and unwrapped, we immediately sat down to play a round of Uno. The limit on players in this game is ten, and there were eight of us there at the time. Questions had already started before we’d finished dealing out the cards: «Have you actually shuffled them?» «Yes.» «But I’ve got nothing but the same cards.» «Me too.» «Can I put several cards down at the same time?» «No, the rules say you can’t.» «Do I have to pick a colour when I play the joker even though there aren’t any colours in the game any more?» «You can, but it won’t change anything.»

Before anyone could even play a card, the mood was already unsettled. Given that all the players only have special cards, you can practically always go and rarely find you can’t put a card down. Only the turn change, miss-a-go card or the «2+»- and «4+» cards mix the game up a bit. After a while, the atmosphere had completely evaporated. There was no competitive spirit and no rivalry. It’s not like you even have to think because you can play any card at any time. Standard UNO isn’t the most exciting of card games, but this version takes any kind of fun out of the game.

Even before the game was technically over, we had to call an end to it. No one felt like carrying on playing. This was the first and definitely the last time I play «UNO All Wild». Not only is this card game a waste of money, it’s also an insult to UNO fans around the world.

You can’t even use it for standard UNO

Although the game is absolutely unplayable, I consoled myself with the fact I could at least use the special cards elsewhere to spice up normal UNO. Or so I thought. But then I spotted the back of the cards.

On the back it says «ALL WILD» in capital letters. In effect, the special cards are useless. I can't shuffle them into a normal UNO pack, as the other players would immediately recognise the special cards. This is obviously something that never crossed the minds of the designers at the manufacturing company Mattel.

Verdict: no answer from Mattel

«UNO All Wild» scores 0 out of 10 for fun and is in my opinion the worst card game in the world. I wanted to get answers from Mattel to find out if the people responsible for the game actually tested this UNO version out internally before it was launched. Unfortunately, I still haven’t had an answer from Mattel’s press department. It’s understandable in some ways, as any answer would likely make them look bad. If they had tested the game, it should never have made it to market. And if they never tested it, they’d have to admit they’re only interested in profit.

From now on, I’ll try not to be blindsided by glossy packaging and marketing. But if I am, I’ll make sure to vent my frustrations for you here.

Mattel Games All Wild (German, French, Italian, English)

Card games

Quantity discount

EUR10,70 per piece for 4 units

Mattel Games All Wild

German, French, Italian, English

90 people like this article

Ramon Schneider

Editor

Ramon.Schneider@digitecgalaxus.ch

I get paid to play with toys all day.

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