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UNO Dare! Card Game Review

UNO Dare! Card Game Review

Regular readers of Geeky Hobbies will probably already know that we have reviewed quite a few different UNO games. In fact we even have a post about all of the various UNO games that have been released over the years. While UNO is not a perfect game, I have always had a soft spot for it. It may mostly rely on luck, but a game that you don’t have to put too much thought into can be refreshing at times. Originally released back in 2014, UNO Dare! is not something that would naturally appeal to me. My normal gaming group is not a big fan of the “truth or dare” mechanic. Therefore UNO Dare! wasn’t at the top of my list of UNO games to check out. Despite this I was kind of intrigued to see how the game would implement the premise. UNO Dare! wasn’t really the game for me, but it may be the perfect game for those looking for a silly take on UNO.

Not surprisingly UNO Dare! is very similar to your typical UNO gameplay. Like all other UNO games, the general idea is to try and get rid of the cards from your hand as quickly as possible. You can play cards if they match the color, number or symbol of the last played card. There are action cards that reverse the turn order or skip another player’s turn. UNO Dare! differentiates itself with two additional cards which impose dares on the players. If a player can’t complete the dare, they will be forced to draw cards.


If you would like to see the complete rules/instructions for the game, check out our UNO Dare! how to play guide.


With the number of UNO games that I have reviewed here on Geeky Hobbies, I have probably already discussed all of my thoughts on the main gameplay. For the most part UNO Dare! doesn’t differ much from the original game. Outside of the new dare cards and the elimination of traditional draw cards, the gameplay is exactly the same as every other UNO game. Because of this, my thoughts on most of the gameplay is going to be kind of brief as I don’t want to repeat things that I have already mentioned in other reviews.

UNO is a game that people have pretty conflicting feelings towards. A lot of people dislike/hate the game as they feel it relies almost entirely on luck. These people have a point as the game does rely on quite a bit of luck. The game’s strategy is pretty limited as it is usually pretty obvious what you should do on any given turn. Much of the time your success in the game depends on what cards you are dealt as well. If you are looking for a game with a decent amount of strategy and little luck, UNO Dare! or any other UNOs won’t be for you.

Despite these flaws I have always kind of enjoyed UNO. The game is not trying to be a complicated game filled with strategy. It is a game that is meant to be easy to play that doesn’t require a bunch of planning. New players can quickly pick up the game and play without having to put too much thought into what they are doing. It is nice occasionally playing a game that you can turn off your brain while playing. This is what the UNO franchise is for me. It is far from a masterpiece, but it is a fun enough distraction where you can just have a good time instead of worrying about winning the game. UNO Dare! succeeds at replicating this element of the original game. Fans of the UNO formula can have fun with UNO Dare!.

The one main difference is the addition of the “truth or dare” mechanic. The game has a much greater emphasis on dare, but there is some truth as well. Basically the game has taken out the Wild and Draw Two cards from the normal UNO deck. These have been replaced with the Dare and Wild Dare cards. Each Dare and Wild Dare has a number associated with it. When these cards are played the next player will have to try to complete the corresponding dare challenge from the chosen Dare List card. Instead of being forced to automatically draw cards, you can attempt to complete the dare to avoid the penalty.

The addition of dares to the traditional UNO gameplay is an interesting idea. While they don’t drastically change the overall gameplay, they do tweak the experience. In a way they kind of add more skill to the game. Players have more control over whether they will have to draw cards. If a player is good at completing the dares they can significantly limit the amount of cards that they have to draw. This can help you in the game quite a bit. Players also have the ability to mess with one another more. The rules specifically allow players to try and mess with the player (within reason) to try and get them to fail their dare.

I mentioned earlier that my group and I aren’t really into the whole truth or dare mechanic. Because of this, I didn’t enjoy UNO Dare! as much as most other UNO games that I have played. Based on the dares included with the game, it is obvious that it was developed with families in mind. There aren’t any objectionable dares in the game, and most are designed to be silly instead of mean. The dares just never really worked with our group. Without the dares the game is basically just another generic UNO game. If you aren’t the type to generally like the concept of silly dares/making a fool out of yourself, I don’t see UNO Dare! being for you.

Just because I wasn’t a big fan of UNO Dare!, doesn’t mean that it won’t have its audience. I can see a lot of people really enjoying the game. If you have younger children or your group likes silly games in general, I think there is a lot to like about UNO Dare!. The dares don’t drastically change the gameplay, but they change it enough to keep players interested. A lot of the dares require players to talk in silly ways or do other silly things. If this sounds like your group’s type of game, I think you will really enjoy UNO Dare!.

As for the UNO Dare!’s components, they are what you would expect out of every UNO game. The card quality and artwork is similar to most other UNO games. The cards serve their purpose. I do applaud the game for how its handles the dares though. Instead of printing the dares directly on the cards, they just show a number. This adds another step to figure out what the dare is. It was a good decision though as it lets you choose which dares you want to play with. The game even includes a Dare List card that you can customize yourself. With the numbers you could also just make a list of dares on a sheet of paper and keep creating new sets of dares to play the game with. If your group is the type that likes doing silly dares, I think this could add a lot of replay value to the game.

At the end of the day, UNO Dare! really wasn’t for me. This doesn’t mean that it is a bad game though. Much of the game is similar to your typical UNO. The game relies on a lot of luck and doesn’t have much strategy. It works though because it is simple and to the point where you don’t have to put too much thought into what you are doing. The main difference with UNO Dare! is the addition of dares which feel like they were taken from a G-Rated game of truth or dare. These challenges are quite silly which will turn off some players (including myself). If you are the type that likes silly dares though, I think you could really enjoy the game. The game even makes it pretty easy to create your own set of dares to customize the game for your group.

Ultimately my recommendation comes down to your thoughts on UNO and truth or dare. If you aren’t a big fan of one of the two games, I don’t see UNO Dare! being for you. If your group likes UNO and silly dares though, I think you will enjoy UNO Dare! and should consider picking it up.

Components for UNO Dare!

UNO Dare!


Year: 2014 | Publisher: Mattel | Designer: NA | Artist: NA

Genres: Card, Family

Ages: 7+ | Number of Players: 2-10 | Length of Game: 5-10 minutes per hand

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: High

Components: 19 blue cards, 19 green cards, 19 red cards, 19 yellow cards, 8 Reverse cards, 8 Skip cards, 8 Dare cards, 8 Wild Dare cards, 4 Dare List cards, instructions

Board Game Geek Page


Pros:

  • Maintains the same simple but fun gameplay of the original UNO.
  • If you like silly dares, you will likely have a lot of fun with the game’s dares.

Cons:

  • The silly dares are not going to be for everyone.
  • Relies heavily on luck like the original game.

Rating: 2.5/5

Recommendation: For fans of UNO that also like trying to complete silly dares.

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UNO Games: The Complete List of All Themed Decks and Spinoffs - Geeky Hobbies

Saturday 5th of November 2022

[…] Mini Review: UNO Dare! is basically exactly what I expected it to be. Most of the game plays exactly the same as every other UNO game. Occasionally one of the players have to complete a dare (usually silly actions as the game is family friendly) in order to avoid drawing cards. I can see the game’s appeal for people that like silly dare games, but it wasn’t for me. The dares didn’t really add much to the game in my opinion and when they did my group wasn’t really into doing them. If an UNO game with silly dares in it sounds like something that you would enjoy though, I think you should consider checking it out. Full Review […]