Bust –

Looking at Skunk Software’s Wii U eShop history, it was only a matter of time before they completed their casino line-up of games to include Blackjack.  Like Pharaoh’s Riches (slots) and 6 Hand Video Poker before it, Blackjack 21 is a worthless pile of digital garbage that contains no entertainment value whatsoever.

The entire game is in the screenshot

This $1.99 – 182.5mb download barely functions at all.  The sprites, like the non-animated female dealer during the initial loading screen and chip icons during the gameplay screen, are a blurry/low-res mess. There is also no indication on how to play or how to learn the rules of Blackjack. Even the cards that are played get in the way of the “hold” button on the Gamepad’s touchscreen. The player is also free to bet with no consequence as there are no leaderboards or save functionality; the game always starts the player with 500 credits and simply restarts if all credits are lost. Simply put, no thought has been given to the game design and no care to the presentation.

Perhaps the best/worst part about this eShop exclusive are the horribly bad narrated comments after every hand.  You can watch my Let’s Play below to see for yourself but these voice quips are hilariously bad. These phrases are so random and unexpected it is amazing Nintendo let something like this on the eShop in the first place. Quotes like “Blackjack, in yo face!” or “shut your hole and place your bet,” or even “Bust! But not the good kind…” sound off after each and every hand.  They even say the word “damn” which seems like the ESRB should have given this game a higher rating than T for Teen. Either way, the voice quips alone will make players turn the game off after just a couple of minutes.

Blackjack 21 is barebones Blackjack with nothing more to offer the player. There are no animations, blurry graphics, no options, no multiplayer, the music loops to the point of frustration quickly, and everything takes place on a single screen. This isn’t much of a game at all and there are dozens of free apps on your smart phone way better than this. Like all the other Skunk games, stay far away.

Not As Good As: Solitaire – the free game that comes with your computer
Also Try: Going to a real casino
Wait For It: Skunk Software Roulette

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz