Yushino is an addicting number game available for free from the iPhone App Store. Combining elements of the ever-popular Words With Friends and Sudoku, Yushino requires you to strategically place number tiles on a game board in order to rack up the biggest points combo possible. Though the rules may seem a bit confusing to newcomers, a comprehensive tutorial and beginner’s settings allow virtually anyone to grasp the gameplay of Yushino within a few rounds: hone your skills against the novice computer opponent, then try out your strategy against friends and random players.
Gameplay:
After you download the free Yushino app and sign in with either your Facebook or email account, you’re presented with an extensive tutorial on how to play. Don’t worry if the rules seem confusing at first: you’ll quickly get the hang of it once you start playing. Basically, the game board is set up exactly like Words With Friends, consisting of square tiles and point multipliers scattered about. The goal is to use the number tiles you’re given to create the largest combo possible. Like Words With Friends, you’re only allowed to place one row of tiles at a time, either left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
The rules are as follows: if the number you create is two digits long, the digits must differ by 1 (for example, you can place a 6 tile next to a 5 or 7). If the number you create is three digits or longer, each number you place must be the last digit of the sum of the previous two numbers (for example, if there is a 6 and 7 tile on the board, you would place a 3 at the end, because 6 and 7 add up to 13).
Trying to describe the gameplay makes Yushino sound more confusing than it actually is. As with Sudoku or Words With Friends, the rules become second nature once you’ve played a few rounds. Quickly learn the the game by playing against the novice computer, then see how your strategies work against real-life players by challenging your friends and random opponents.
Pros:
- Free from the App Store
- Play against friends or random online opponents
- Single-player mode lets you play against the computer with three separate difficulty settings
- Social features such as Facebook integration
Cons:
- Rules and gameplay can be a bit confusing to newcomers
The Verdict:
Fans of Sudoku will love Yushino, as it combines many of the same elements into a more strategic, multiplayer game. Likewise, Words With Friends players will find Yushino equally as addicting, as both games feature very similar rules and structure. So if you’re tired of playing Sudoku alone, or if you’re tired of exhausting your vocabulary in Words With Friends, give strategic arithmetic a try by downloading Yushino free from the iPhone App Store.
