Last year marked a significant milestone for Yu-Gi-Oh! as it celebrated its 25th anniversary, reminding fans just how swiftly time flies. Konami decided to keep the festivities going with the launch of the ‘Quarter Century’ edition of this iconic card game. Part of this celebration is Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection, a unique video game compilation that shines a spotlight on the franchise’s beginnings. This collection features roughly 14 games that span the early platforms like Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. As someone who still avidly plays Yu-Gi-Oh!, my curiosity was piqued about this nostalgic gateway. Although I hadn’t experienced all of these titles before diving into this review, I did recall them as being somewhat rigid and seemingly more focused on drawing in fans of the anime rather than the card game itself. My suspicions turned out to be correct, but the reality wasn’t as off-putting as I had feared. For many, revisiting the roots of Yu-Gi-Oh! will feel like a curious journey into the past, but true enthusiasts of the franchise will find a certain allure within this collection, albeit with a bit of digging.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, this collection boasts a whopping 14 Yu-Gi-Oh! games, all released between 1998 and 2005. It includes titles from the inaugural Yu-Gi-Oh! Game Boy releases, which were Japan-exclusive and based on the manga, now fully localized in English for the first time, to the Game Boy Advance world championship series that aimed to emulate the battles accurately, plus some experimental outliers. Initially, that sounds like an intimidating number of games, but there are some catches. For example, the early Game Boy entries serve more as incremental updates to the card game, which was still evolving at the time. Take Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories, which mainly featured new rules and cards to maintain deck balance. Meanwhile, its western counterpart, Dark Duel Stories, added little more than a single zone for trap cards. While this is a fascinating glimpse into how swiftly the game evolved due to both hardware limitations and the card game’s growth (particularly in Japan), playing these titles consecutively might feel rather repetitive to most players. Observing the nuances in game design, especially regarding UI and UX improvements, was intriguing, yet I found myself quickly gravitating towards the more accessible titles in the collection after just one match.
The revelation for me was Duel Monsters 3, a title previously available only in Japan. It follows the Monster World arc where Yugi’s friends are transformed into monsters and end up in a tabletop roleplaying game, with antagonists acting as Dungeon Masters. Significantly, this game forsakes the trading card premise. Instead, players position monsters on a grid, reminiscent of a simplified turn-based strategy game like Fire Emblem. Each monster carries distinct attack patterns and benefits from buffs depending on its grid position and proximity to allies. Consequently, every battle comes across as a mini-puzzle. To decide whether attacks hit or miss, two D10 dice are rolled, influencing success or failure. This intriguing system extends to determining random encounter rates during boss fights, making it starkly different from others in the collection and thereby a standout.
The same praise doesn’t apply to Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler. These spin-offs take a board-game approach to Yu-Gi-Oh!. Dungeon Dice Monsters, which seems an attempt to digitize its relatively obscure namesake board game, places two players on an isometric grid where they deploy cubes that unfold in preset pathways. The aim is to create a path to your opponent’s dice master for an attack. Although this sounds appealing in theory, the game offers no tutorials whatsoever, requiring constant reference to an unwieldy manual until you grasp it. This is where the collection begins to show its flaws. While it offers some quality-of-life improvements, they fall short in critical areas. For instance, each game manual resets to the first page every time you reopen it, problematic in games with intricate rules like Dungeon Dice Monsters. The same goes for the specific type chart used in early games or RPG titles, where a monster can be instantly defeated by an opposing type. The chart isn’t as intuitive as one might hope, containing types absent from the actual card game, like ‘dreams’ and ‘shadow’ types. Although there’s a welcome rewind feature allowing you to revisit the last minute of gameplay anytime, the absence of a fast-forward option is sorely felt during the slower-paced GBA duel simulators, where the CPU can take its sweet time planning moves.
Online capabilities, or rather the lack thereof, are another sticking point. Of all the games, only Duel Monsters 4 enables multiplayer dueling and card trading, odd considering this title was only initially available in Japan. Furthermore, every game has a cheat menu for unlocking cards or bypassing duelist point restrictions, which undermines the experience. This wouldn’t be problematic if Duel Monsters 4 weren’t split into three variants, based on Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey’s decks. You can duel across versions, but there’s little incentive. More intriguing would have been online support for more cherished formats like Stairway to the Destined Duel or World Tournament 2004, especially given their enduring appeal among long-time Yu-Gi-Oh! players. Perhaps this could change in future updates, but for now, the online features feel like an afterthought, failing to elevate the collection into a must-have for online enthusiasts.
This sense of half-hearted effort pervades Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. Take, for instance, Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2, touted as one of the series’ most popular games during Yu-Gi-Oh!’s peak in Japan. While its inclusion seems logical, it’s bizarrely presented in Japanese, despite other entries being localized. Although one might argue it inspired the westernized Stairway to the Destined Duel with modified rules, its standalone presence feels misplaced. Other Japanese originals have an option for language selection in the main menu, but not this one, leaving it an oddity.
These aspects reflect the dichotomy within the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. It’s fascinating to dive back into the franchise’s quirky pre-card game history, before it morphed into a staple of anime tie-ins or straightforward duel simulators. Yet, while the volume of titles is impressive, the collection misses the mark on delivering the care and attention to detail that fans deserve. It comes off as a half-baked anniversary set. Quality-of-life features are somewhat supportive, but not quite enough. Some games are challenging to grasp without incessantly checking the manual, and the unexplained decision to leave one title in Japanese, alongside minimal online options, speaks to an oversight in design. Missing extras like concept art or design notes could have added significant value for devoted fans. While there are gems such as The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory, many titles serve merely as stepping stones in the series or deviate drastically from the card game formula. It’s a historical piece but lacks the depth of appreciation for the legacy it represents.
Who exactly is Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days aimed at? For those eager to revisit the era of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s prime, there might be some enjoyment to unearth. The sheer number of games boasts appeal, but sustaining interest might be a challenge. I found myself returning occasionally for quick sessions. Reconstructing decks or crafting strategies for what are essentially iterations on the same card games didn’t hold my attention, particularly as I progressed to the later GBA titles. This collection could have been a fun area to explore with friends, but with online functionality restricted to a single game, it’s hard to recommend even to the most passionate Yu-Gi-Oh! aficionados. Entering without expectations and discovering the more peculiar titles may yield entertainment. Just be prepared that you might end up appreciating how far the series has come since those formative days.
