4 Colors Game Review

Four Colors Game Background

Four Colors is a multiplayer competitive card shedding game. Match cards according to their color or number to shed them. Win a round and earn points by shedding all your cards before the other players. Earn 250 points or more to win the game.

The game’s rules are inspired by UNO, a card-shedding game originally developed by Merle Robbins and currently owned by Mattel.

How to Play Four Colors

Before you begin, choose the number of players to play against. Selecting two players will pit you against a single computer opponent, and so on. You can play with up to three computer players.

The player who goes first is determined at random. At the start of your turn, left click or tap on a card to select it. To shed a card, it must match the color or number of the card shown face up on the discard pile on the center right. If not, select the draw pile on the center left to pick a new card. If you get a matching card, use it. Your turn will not end if you still have a valid move.

You can use special cards to gain an advantage over your opponents. With two exceptions, these must also match the color of the topmost card on the discard pile.

When you’re down to one more card, select the 1 Button. Failure to do so within a specific amount of time will force you to draw two more cards as a penalty. To win the round, be the first to discard all your cards.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Besides the number cards, you have the following special cards, which you can deploy.

• Wild: This can be deployed on any color and be used to change the active color of the discard pile.
• Reverse: This changes the direction of the cycle of turns in the game. If the players’ turns move clockwise, for instance, it turns counterclockwise when the card is used.
• Skip: This card forces the next player to lose a turn.
• Draw Two: This forces the next player to lose a turn and pick two cards.
• Draw Four: This card allows you to choose a new color and force the next player to both draw four cards and lose a turn. You can only deploy this card when you have nothing else to pair.

The winning player earns points based on the value of each card on the other players’ hands. Number cards are worth their face value, while the other cards have the following values:

• Draw Two: 20 points
• Skip: 20 points
• Reverse: 20 points
• Wild: 50 points
• Draw Four: 50 points

To win the session, a player must be the first to score 250 points

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

The smart use of action cards are a key point in this game. Using them well is the key to denying victory to players who are winning and putting other players in a bind. A few uses of these cards are as follows:

• Use Reverses and Skips to deny a winning player any moves.
• Deploy Draw Twos and Fours to force a winning player to acquire more cards.
• Deploy Draw Twos and Fours to worsen a losing player’s situation.
• Use a Reverse card to give yourself an extra turn if the player up next is winning.

Tilt the round to your advantage by counting the cards. This refers to deducing what your opponents have on hand. If you notice a player preferring a specific color (e.g. shedding the same colored card more than once or using a wild card), immediately turn it against them. Cards ideal for this purpose are Wild cards, Draw Four cards, and cards that match the number. This way, you’ll increase their chances of drawing more cards.

The key to winning quickly is to have your opponents amass a large number of cards. A player hindered by a large hand is unlikely to win the game. Likewise, when you do win, the tally of points from their cards skews heavily in your favor. You can easily win an entire session in one round by scoring enough points.

Meanwhile, doing the opposite—shedding high value cards—can help you delay a player’s victory by drawing out the session. Get rid of high-value number cards whenever you can, as well as the special cards whenever it makes strategic sense to do so. Do not hold onto skips and reverses when you are losing the match. The goal is to contribute as few points as possible to the winning player’s score, giving you another chance at winning.

Educational Aspects

This game hones strategic thinking and resource management. Players must think carefully about which card to shed on their turn to aim for both short- and long-term victory. It also encourages flexible thinking as the conditions of the game change as players adapt their strategy to the outcome of each turn.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is recommended for a wide range of players from school-aged children to adults. We recommend this game to people who like card games.