Last year marked a significant milestone for Yu-Gi-Oh! as it celebrated its 25th anniversary, a realization that might make many fans feel a tad older overnight. Konami decided to extend the celebrations recognizing this ‘Quarter Century’ of the iconic card game. The spotlight is on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection, a unique video game collection created for this particular occasion. It bundles together roughly 14 games from the series’ early history, spanning the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance platforms. As someone who’s still a fervent player of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of curiosity about this collection. Although I hadn’t played every title before this review, my faint recollection of them suggested they felt a bit rigid, targeted more towards those familiar with the anime rather than the card game aficionados. Validated this notion turned out to be, but fortunately, the experience was not as jarring as anticipated. For many, revisiting the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! era might come off as a nostalgic escapade, yet true fans of the franchise might find a glimmer of charm in this package. Just be prepared to dig a bit to uncover it.
Let’s confront the elephant in the room. Indeed, this collection boasts 14 complete Yu-Gi-Oh! games that saw their release between 1998 and 2005. These range from the initial Yu-Gi-Oh! titles on the DMG Game Boy, which originally launched exclusively in Japan, based on the manga and finally available in English, all the way to the Game Boy Advance world championship series, designed as faithful battle simulators, along with a few wild experiments slipped in. At a glance, that sounds like a treasure trove of games, but there are some caveats worth mentioning. The early Game Boy games, for one, are merely incremental updates tied to the evolving card game rules of their time. Take, for instance, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories, which merely included new rules and cards to help balance the decks. Meanwhile, the western Dark Duel Stories (referred to as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 in Japan) introduced a singular zone for trap cards. While this offers an intriguing flashback to how the game swiftly evolved, dictated by both hardware limitations and the card game’s growth in Japan, playing these games back-to-back might come off as monotonous to most players. Witnessing the evolution in game design, particularly regarding the UI and UX, held a certain fascination for me. Yet, after a round or two, I found myself gravitating towards the more user-friendly titles in the collection.
The standout surprise for me turned out to be Duel Monsters 3. Previously exclusive to Japan, this title is rooted in the Monster World arc, where Yugi’s friends are transformed into monsters within a tabletop role-playing scenario with the antagonists as Dungeon Masters. Thus, this game diverges from card trading altogether. Instead, you strategically position monsters on a grid, somewhat reminiscent of a simplified, turn-based strategy game like Fire Emblem. Each monster is endowed with its own attack pattern, receiving boosts based on its position and proximity to allies. This mechanic morphs every battle into a compact puzzle. Attack accuracy hinges on rolling two D10 dice to determine hits or misses. This clever system even plays into determining enemy encounter rates during boss battles. Its distinct nature sets it apart from the rest of the collection.
Unfortunately, the same praise can’t be extended to Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler. Both spin-offs embrace a more boardgame-like approach to Yu-Gi-Oh!. Dungeon Dice Monsters endeavors to translate a largely forgotten spin-off into the digital realm. Two players clash on an isometric grid, strategically placing cubes that can unfold in specific patterns. The ultimate aim is constructing a path to the opposing side to conquer your opponent’s dice master. Although sound in theory, the absence of player tutorials is glaring. The only option is a dense, cumbersome manual that one must continually consult until grasping the gameplay. This is where the collection’s shortcomings become apparent. Although it does feature some quality-of-life improvements, notable gaps persist. Manuals reset to their first pages upon reopening, posing challenges in understanding games with complex rules like Dungeon Dice Monsters. The same issue arises with the unique type chart present in early games and RPG titles, where monsters can be instantly defeated by certain opposing types. This intricate chart includes types unseen in the conventional card game, such as ‘dreams’ and ‘shadow’. While the option to rewind up to a minute is available, fast-forward functionality is sorely missed, particularly in the GBA duel simulators where CPU processing lags behind.
The online component, or rather the scarcity of it, is another notable point of contention. Only one title, Duel Monsters 4, supports dueling with other players and card trading. This selection is puzzling, given its initial Japan-only release. Curiously, all games include cheat menus allowing card unlocking and circumventing duelist point restrictions. This wouldn’t be problematic were Duel Monsters 4 not divided into three versions (Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey’s decks). While dueling between versions is possible, the incentive is minimal. More enticing would be online support for games like Stairway to the Destined Duel or World Tournament 2004, still cherished by veteran Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts. Perhaps it might be added later, but for now, the online feature seems like a limited afterthought, failing to enhance the experience or provide compelling reasons for acquiring the collection.
The odd mix of elements carries over to the decision of including Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2. As per marketing, this GBA title was among the most popular during Yu-Gi-Oh!’s peak in Japan, justifying its inclusion. However, unlike the other games, Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 remains entirely in Japanese. It can be argued that it was adapted into the western release, Stairway to the Destined Duel, albeit with adjusted rules fitting the English version of the trading card game, yet as a separate game here, it feels misplaced. Although other Japanese versions exist alongside the translated games, allowing for language selection in the main menu, this one seems oddly categorized on its own. With prior Japanese exclusives being afforded translations, leaving this one untouched feels perplexing.
This all points to the split identity within Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. On one hand, it captures the essence of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s peculiar pre-establishment history before evolving into the globally recognized card game it is today. However, the collection seems to lack the level of detail and care that might have been expected for such a commemorative release. Often coming across as a draft anniversary collection, it falls short in delivering comprehensive quality-of-life upgrades, leaving some games complex and misleading without constant manual reference, translating only some of the original Japanese titles, and providing online functionality for just a single game set. Additional features such as concept art, design documents, or behind-the-scenes content could have added value for die-hard Yu-Gi-Oh! fans. Standout titles do exist, like The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory, however, much of the experience involves incremental developments or lights out connections to the original card game. It stands as a historical document, yet with surprisingly little reverence to the illustrious history it attempts to showcase.
So, who exactly is the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection made for? Those longing to relive Yu-Gi-Oh!’s golden era might glean some joy from it. The quantity of titles looks impressive on paper, however, maintaining player attention is another matter entirely. I did find myself revisiting some of them for quick gaming sessions. Yet, perpetually reconstructing decks and rehashing strategies for subtly tweaked but otherwise same-old card games didn’t captivate me with the later GBA titles. It could potentially be entertaining to explore alongside a friend, but since only one game supports online play, recommending it for even the most devout Yu-Gi-Oh! fans seems challenging. Approaching it with tempered expectations and giving a chance to some of the collection’s more offbeat entries might lead to enjoyable experiences. Just be aware that, more than likely, you’ll be relieved once you’ve moved beyond those early days.
