UNO is just brilliant. I spent hours and hours over Christmas playing with my partner through PlayLink, so the recent Flip DLC was a welcome surprise.

PlayLink is a really underrated feature in PS4 games, enabling you to connect your mobile device to the game in question and contribute to the game through your phone. PlayStation made some games exclusively available for it – Hidden Agenda, probably being the most popular – but UNO is the one I keep going back to.

Being able to flick my cards onto the screen is more satisfying than it has any right to be, but it also means anyone in my family can hop in and play without feeling overwhelmed by the controller. So when Flip got announced and released, I was looking forward to more hours on UNO with everyone.

Turns out, though, PlayLink Support has been disabled for this new mode. I’ve tried numerous times, looked for updates, but it just doesn’t work.

I get it, PlayLink is basically dead and unsupported at this point – it’s a shame, it really is as there’s still potential in the feature – but it doesn’t make this any less disappointing. Especially since Flip is the best thing to happen to UNO in years.

UNO Flip is basically the same game as normal, but in addition to your light cards – Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red – these cards also have a Dark Side if you flip them over.

No, this has nothing to do with Darth Vader. Ubisoft’s DLC is based on Mattel’s new take on the game, converting the physical double-sided cards into the digital world, and it works a real treat.

The same rules apply in that you have to get rid of all your cards, and call ‘UNO’ when you’re down to your last. But the twist here is that if you can’t go ‘out’ on the light side, the dark side could hold your key to victory.

The way it works is that you now have a ‘Flip’ Card in your deck, and if this is played at any point, all players have to turn their deck of cards over.

The Dark Side of UNO has harsher penalties for players as well, like making players draw +5 cards, instead of the usual +2 / +4 , or the ‘Skip Everyone’ card, which means everyone else misses a turn, not just the player next to you.

And you know what’s worse? That can potentially be stacked so that one person can pick up as many as 20 cards! Yikes!

Fortunately, if someone else plays a ‘Flip’ card, the game will revert back to the Light Side, meaning the normal rules apply.

I love it, genuinely. This is such a creative and fun inclusion to the game that I’ve already lost countless hours to. There’s this newfound dynamism in UNO now that wasn’t there before, and yet another deep layer of strategising to ensure your path to victory.

If you’ve ever enjoyed UNO at any point on any format than the Flip DLC is essential. It’s good for solo players taking on AI, but of course it’s even better when you’re playing with a friend or relative.

Dark Side UNO is horrifying. The rulesets in place mean a game can be completely changed with one card. You never know if the person next to you has that devastating +5 which is like practically receiving a whole new deck.

But with that comes a sense of pressure to stay focused and keep your head in the game. Just when it seems like you might be completely out of it, you may just as soon find yourself back in the driver’s seat.

While I still miss that PlayLink support, UNO Flip is brilliant and essential for any UNO fan. The new ruleset will keep you playing for hours on end and it’s a real nice step up in difficulty for those seeking a new challenge.

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UNO Flip is now available across all formats.

Reviewed on PS4

Code provided by Ubisoft