Yu-Gi-Oh! has been around for a quarter of a century, and last year marked a significant milestone for the beloved card game. To keep the celebration going, Konami released a special treat for fans: Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection. This unique collection brings together around 14 games from the early days of the franchise. It features titles from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. As a long-time fan and player of Yu-Gi-Oh!, my curiosity couldn’t resist this trip down memory lane. I hadn’t tried all these games before diving into this review, but my foggy recollections of them as being more fan service for anime lovers than actual card game enthusiasts turned out to be spot on. Yet, the experience wasn’t as off-putting as I’d anticipated. For hardcore fans of the series, this collection offers some hidden charm, though you’ll have to search for it.
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, this collection indeed packs 14 Yu-Gi-Oh! games that were released between 1998 and 2005. It starts from the original releases on the DMG Game Boy, exclusively launched in Japan, which are now available in English for the first time. Then, it moves onto the Game Boy Advance championship series, promising more accurate card battles, plus some quirky ones in between. At first glance, that sounds like a staggering amount, but there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, the early Game Boy titles mainly served as step-by-step updates to the evolving card game rules of the time. Take Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories as an example; it simply adds new rules and cards to balance the decks. Meanwhile, the Western version, Dark Duel Stories (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 in Japan), merely incorporated a single trap card zone. For those who are curious about the rapid game evolution spurred by hardware limitations and the card game’s growth in Japan, this collection is quite the historical journey. But to most, switching between these games won’t feel all that different. The evolution of game design, especially when it comes to user interface and experience, fascinated me for a short while. However, after a brief match, I found myself drawn to the more approachable titles in the lineup.
What genuinely surprised me was Duel Monsters 3, a game that was previously exclusive to Japan. It follows the Monster World arc, with Yugi’s friends morphed into monsters, trapped in a tabletop RPG under the control of antagonist Dungeon Masters. This installment tosses the trading card dynamic completely aside. Players place monsters onto a grid, in a simplified turn-based strategy akin to Fire Emblem. Each monster boasts a distinct attack pattern and receives boosts depending on adjacent fields and allies. Consequently, each battle morphs into a small, strategic puzzle. To determine attack outcomes, D10 dice are rolled, deciding hit or miss scenarios. This interesting mechanic even sets the encounter rate for random foes during boss fights. It stands out amid the collection’s other offerings.
However, titles like Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler didn’t quite hit the mark. These two spin-offs adopt a board game feel. Dungeon Dice Monsters attempts to digitize a little-known spin-off game where players compete on an isometric grid, placing cubes that unfold in various directions. The objective is to pave a path to attack the opponent’s dice master. While intriguing in theory, the game offers zero tutorials, leaving players overwhelmed by an overly complex manual. This marks the beginning of several issues I encountered with the collection. Though some quality of life features are present, they’re overshadowed by glaring gaps. For instance, each game includes a manual, but reopening the menu resets it to the first page, proving particularly vexing for games with complex rules (I’m looking at you, Dungeon Dice Monsters). This issue is even more pronounced in games utilizing a specific type chart, where monsters can be instantly defeated by opposing types. This chart is not obvious and includes unfamiliar types, like ‘dreams’ and ‘shadow’. While you can rewind gameplay by up to a minute, there isn’t a fast-forward option—a feature that would be helpful in the GBA duel simulations where the CPU processes moves at a snail’s pace.
Let’s talk about online support, or the lack thereof. Only one game supports online dueling and card trading—Duel Monsters 4—a curious choice, considering it was exclusive to Japan. Stranger still, cheat menus are accessible to unlock cards and bypass duelist point limits. Normally, this wouldn’t matter, but Duel Monsters 4 is split into three versions (Yugi, Kaiba, Joey decks). So, despite version-to-version dueling being possible, there’s little motivation to do so. Games like Stairway to the Destined Duel or World Tournament 2004, which maintain a loyal old-school following, would have greatly benefited from online capabilities. Although future updates might address this, currently, the online offering falls short of providing a compelling reason to purchase the collection.
Even more perplexing is Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2. Advertised as one of the most popular titles during Yu-Gi-Oh!’s peak in Japan, it justifies its presence in the collection. However, unlike other translated games, this GBA title remains entirely in Japanese. It seems to be a precursor to the Western release of Stairway to the Destined Duel, adjusted to suit the English trading card game format. Yet, its solo Japanese version stands separately, an odd choice given that other previously exclusive Japanese titles have been translated, leaving this inclusion baffling.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection represents two contrasting facets. On one hand, it’s exciting to delve into the quirky past of Yu-Gi-Oh! before it solidified as a card game. Conversely, the seemingly rich assortment lacks the polish and attention to detail found in a truly commemorative collection. At times, it feels half-hearted, with quality of life features falling short, some games challenging to grasp without a manual, one title entirely in Japanese, and limited online play confined to a single set of games. There aren’t even any bonus artworks or design concepts, elements that could have enhanced the collection for die-hard fans. Among the games, some gems shine, such as The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory. Yet, most are incremental improvements or stray far from the card game’s essence. It stands as a historical record, lacking the loving care such a collection deserves.
So, who exactly is this collection for? Those eager to relive the golden days of Yu-Gi-Oh! might find some joy here. While the sheer number of games appears impressive, they might struggle to maintain your focus. I found myself returning to a few choice titles for quick playthroughs. By the time I reached the later GBA games, rebuilding decks and tweaking strategies for slightly different, yet fundamentally the same card experiences, my interest waned. It could be fun to explore with a friend, but given that just one game supports online play, even ardent Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts might struggle to find a good reason to dive in. Still, diving into some of the collection’s quirks blind could be a gratifying experience. Just know, by the end, you might be relieved to move on from those early days.
