Yahtzee is an addictive classic dice game and Yatzy Free delivers that gaming experience to your Windows 10 PC or Mobile device. Yatzy Free offers up a few online gaming modes and a couple off-line modes where you can take on your friends in pass-n-play fashion or bet against the odds.
Games move quickly and Yatzy Free is a fun choice for short gaming spurts and addictive enough if you are in the mood to sit down for longer stretches with a game. Graphics are a little congested, but nothing terrible and gameplay requires a little luck and strategy as you complete your scoreboard. All in all, Yatzy Free is an entertaining version of the classic dice game well worth checking out.
Yatzy Free's main menu is loaded with gaming options that include your player stats/profile, gaming modes, settings and stats. You can play Yatzy Free with a generic player profile or log into the game with your Game.IO, Facebook or Microsoft accounts. Logging into Yatzy Free with one of these accounts allows game progress to transfer between Windows 10 devices.
One gaming stat you need to pay attention to is your chip count. You begin with 5000 chips and these chips are used in the online games and the Bet Mode. Chip balances increase with wins and if you find your balance beginning to run dry, in-app purchases for chips are available ($0.99 to $49.99).
Gaming modes for Yatzy Free include four modes and three styles of play. The gaming modes include:
- Training Mode: Here you can practice your dice throwing skills against computerized opponents or in pass-n-play fashion with friends.
- Bet Mode: This offline gaming mode has you wagering some of your gaming chips to see if you can achieve scoring goals in a solo game of Yahtzee.
- Online Mode: Here you challenge online gamers in one of three gaming areas that are progressively unlocked. You can choose your opponent at random or challenge online buddies.
- Play and Wait Mode: This gaming mode is designed for those who want to take their time with a game of Yahtzee by allowing plenty of time between gaming turns.
The gaming styles are basically distinguished by the number of dice used and the scoring sheet entries. The three styles include Yatzy, Maxi Yatzy and American Yatzy. American Yatzy involves five dice and the scoring sheet resembles the classic gaming style. Yatzy also includes five dice and adds a few more scoring entries to the sheet. Maxi Yatzy adds a sixth die on top of that.
Regardless of the gaming style, the flow of gameplay follows the classic game of Yahtzee. You have a scoring sheet full of entries that you try to match with your dice rolls. Each round allows you to roll the dice three times, saving key dice as you go. After the third roll of the dice you match the dice to the scoring entries and earn points accordingly. For example, one scoring entry is the total value of all the fours your roll. If at the end of the third roll of the dice you have three dice showing four, you earn twelve points. If you manage to get all of the dice to match, that's a "Yahtzee" worth 50 points.
You can only use a scoring entry once during a game and there are be times your final roll produces a collection of dice that do not match any of your score slots and you'll have to take a zero in a slot instead. This is when a bit of strategy comes into play and you need to choose these entries carefully. It's better to sacrifice the harder to get entries first (2-3-4-5-6 straight, full house, etc.). The easier entries (sum of all fives, two of a kind, etc.) to match may give you a fighting chance for victory. As you might guess, the player with the most points wins the game.
In playing Yatzy Free, I did not have any troubles finding online opponents and the computer matches were plenty challenging. Graphics do feel a little cluttered, but nothing terribly disappointing. The Windows 10 PC version has the benefit of a larger screen and did not feel as cramped as the Windows 10 Mobile version. Games can be completed in a few minutes for those times you only have a little down time to burn and addictive enough to satisfy more serious gaming itches.
Yatzy Free is a fantastic rendition of the classic gaming title. It quickly reminded me how much fun this game can be — especially when it's free.
Download Yatzy Free from the Windows Store
