UNO No Mercy might be the most hyped card game in recent memory. But, is this the go-to game you really want for your family game night or game parties? Here’s our game play experience with this revisioning of a classic game that we love(d)…
Uno No Mercy Game Overview: Buckle Up For Battle…
You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you gather around with friends or family to play a beloved card game?
Yeah, well, light that feeling on fire, throw it out the window, and then run over the ashes because UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy has entered game night.
This is where I should stop and say if you love classic UNO (like us), you may want to avert your eyes or get your blankie or another comfort item before I move on.
All good? OK, let’s continue…
As UNO fans, we thought we were signing up for a slightly spicier version of classic UNO — you know, a game we were familiar with and enjoyed, but with a little more… edge.
What we got instead was a relentless whirlwind of rage, cringy starts and stops, and a night of dread that made my husband want to play Monopoly instead (which he never wants to do, so…).
*In all fairness, we have talked to friends who liked this game, but I have a theory about that (below).
GPG Game At A Glance for Uno Show ‘Em No Mercy
LISTED GAME AGE: 7 and Up
LISTED TIME: 30 minutes (or a lifetime while your soul slowly dies…)
PLAYERS: 2-6+
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS GAME:
- …
- (still thinking…)
- The retro-ish, beat up look of the cards? (That counts, right?)
YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE LESS FUN VERSIONS OF:
GET THE GAME (if you want to prove me wrong, I guess…)GPG TIP: Be sure to see the Owen Rating at the bottom where I tell you how I think this game could *possibly* be redeemed for more fun game play (and why our friends might've enjoyed it better than us, besides just being people who are more fun than us because, valid).
About This New UNO Card Game Version
If you’re not familiar with UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy, it’s a newer UNO card game by Mattel.
This card game first came on my radar because for a few months it was all over influencer accounts everywhere.
I mean, EVERY.WHERE.
But, you couldn’t find it anywhere in stores. (Like, NOWHERE, bruh.)
…except for $54 online in one or two places (like WALMART).
For real.
I briefly considered it as a surprise Christmas gift for my family at the time, even at that price — I know. Judgment valid.
We love a good, ruthless card game and I mean, UNO, people.
What can go wrong?!?
All I can say is that my sense of reason finally paid off for this one, which never happens when I’m buying games. (Shiny.)
If I had paid that amount for this game, I would’ve been rage-playing even more.
SIDE NOTE: The only other UNO game that we did not enjoy was this one.
It’s OK. It was probably time to pare down the friend group anyway…
How To Play UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy
Just like other UNO card games, the goal of this game is to get rid of your cards.
In this version of UNO, you also work to knock other players out of the game quickly using different action cards (even stacked and stacked and stacked) and a bunch of new and harder penalty rules that are difficult to remember, until you emerge, battled and bruised on the other side, clutching one card, and trying to remember the word you’re supposed to say. (It’s UNO, btw.)
If you want a better explanation (fair), here’s a quick overview of the game rules from Triple S Games.
You can also print out the UNO Show Em No Mercy rules from Mattel here.
Our Review Of The Uno Show ‘Em No Mercy Card Game
We played the UNO Show Em No Mercy game with three players after we had played other games that day, so we were geared up for some competitive game play.
We were having blast (namely with this game and also this one) before we pulled out the UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy game.
The gaming mood quickly went downhill when we discovered that we didn’t like this new card game, like, at all.
(I’m sure you’ve gotten that by now…)
What We Didn’t Like About UNO Show Em No Mercy
I think that the basic fail of the new UNO game is the sheer amount of penalty cards and new, complicated penalty rules.
(My husband wants you to know, it’s really complicated and confusing if you’re used to playing traditional UNO.)
One of the great things about the old-school UNO (traditional UNO) is that you are going along playing normally thinking you are winning and someone — SURPRISE! — out of the blue drops a Draw 4 card on you and it changes the game completely.
With the new UNO Show Them No Mercy game, every single turn for every single person is filled with penalty cards and penalty rules, so there’s never a chance for normal game play or to get a flow of the game going — and I find games that don’t let you get a natural game flow going super annoying.
And, when mama ain’t happy then, well, you know the rest…
With this card game version, it’s all start and stop because you’re penalizing other players on every single turn (which gets old really, really fast).
Instead of having fun with “ruthless game play,” we just ended up getting annoyed.
We did not enjoy this game at all, which was really disappointing considering how long I’ve been trying to find the game at a reasonable price (which, I’m happy to report, you can get for less than $20 now, or you can just have ours).
GPG House Rules & Gaming Mods
How This Card Game MIGHT Work Better:
We played this as a 3-player card game, and I don’t think this is a game that plays well with fewer players.
UNO No Mercy might be a totally different card game with a larger crowd where you are cycling through cards quicker and the penalty cards are more spread out (?maybe?), which might make for faster (and more interesting) game play.
If we play this on game night with friends, I’ll come back here and update whether number of players make a difference or not.
Our Owen Game Rating: 2 Paws
This game barely gets 2 Owen Paws from all of us, which usually means it was Ok and we could take it or leave it, but we’ll mainly leave these game.
The only reason that it didn’t get a 1 Paw is that I *think* it might be more fun with more players. (We haven’t tested that yet, but I am willing).
I also think it might be why our friends liked the game more than us. They played with a larger crowd.
Or, maybe they’re some of the influencers that got paid a gazillion dollars 6 months before this game was released to say how great it is. Trust no one in gaming.
::sideeye::
GPG TIP: My family likes this competitive card game much better.
If you’ve played this card game, let me know about your experience with UNO No Mercy in the comments. I’d love to hear what you thought about it and if you have family game rules that made it more fun for you!
