Yu-Gi-Oh has been a staple in many people’s lives for years now, and it’s back again, but this time leaning on some of those earlier years with a collection of some of the first games. For better or for worse, theYu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collectionmostly leaves the games untouched. This means that you’ll need to draw each card automatically to your hand in earlier entries and deal with some unattractive UI decisions that can leave some scratching their heads. For example, the Game Boy titles in this collection irritate my brain as you can’t set your monsters into defense mode and have to leave them facing up and then switch them to defensive mode.
Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist is an absolute dream for fans and by far the best attempt at bringing the classic gameplay to PC.
This Yu-Gi-Oh Collection Needs Updating
In every instance you place a trap card down in theWorld Championshipsgames, it keeps asking if you want to activate your trap card or not with almost every interaction in the game. It can be irksome to say no multiple times during one turn. Additionally, the Game Boy titles are outdated. The UI is too simple for the detail-rich card game and you have to constantly switch into a status mode that shows what the card does.
The board is simple and shows just enough details to make the game playable. It’s confusing how Konami thought that modern gamers would want to go back to these games that barely do the job anymore. At least on the Game Boy Advance titles, you get basic details about each card and sometimes see pixelized art of each card. It’s cool in a historic sense, however, to see these Game Boy games finally make it to Western territories.
There are neat additions to thisYu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, though. Like in most Konami retro collections, you’re able to rewind your gameplay for the last few minutes. If you choose the wrong option, likely due to the bad UI, you can rewind your misinput, getting you back into the game instantly. For example, if you somehow make your Dark Magician set to Defense mode straight away rather than facing up by accident, you can rewind this and choose to summon him properly instead in attack position. Honestly, this is one of the best features of the game, but unfortunately, the rewind won’t take you back to the beginning of the match.
There’s good news and bad news about save states inYu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. The good news is that there’s saving functionality within this release, but the bad news is that there’s only one save slot per game. you’re able to’t make multiple saves like in Nintendo’s Switch Online service with its older titles. It’s strange how this isn’t available, especially within the more story-based entries of this collection.
The UI Will Drive You Nuts
At many moments of this collection, I found myself confused by the UI. Trying to proceed can be frustrating as you try to figure out how to confirm a card to be sent to your deck, something that should be simple to pull off. The games haven’t been updated at all to meet modern expectations. At one point of the collection, I was on a screen to confirm.
Thankfully, the text is clear enough to see, despite the games originally being in a much smaller resolution than most TVs nowadays. The different filters may help you read the action on the screen better as well. You can also adjust the size of the game with Original, Wide and Full options. The Original is the best, however, as the other two look too bloated. It would have been great to have an even smaller option.
There are some neat additions to thisYu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, however. Like in most Konami retro collections, you’re able to rewind your gameplay for the last few minutes. If you choose the wrong option, likely due to the bad UI, you can rewind your misinput, getting you back into the game instantly.
Some Games Could Have Been Left Out
Some of these games could perhaps have been left out for the PS2 and DS titles in the series. As previously stated, the Game Boy games are lacking and require persistent button pressing to see what effects each card has. Creating a deck is a nightmare in these old titles of the series. The 8-bit music also gets on your nerves after a few minutes. The Game Boy Advance titles are far easier to enjoy despite those too having repetitive music that grinds your gears after a while. What is odd is that the only online-compatible game at launch is one of the Game Boy titles, which is far less engaging than the World Championships entries.
The games included in Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection feel similar to each other. As previously mentioned, the board design looks exactly the same between the World Championship games. The rewards for winning each game are also similar as you earn the same card packs. The system is almost identical. The music is even copied from title to title, adding to the tedium.
A Lack of Tutorials
The games in theYu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collectionthrow you into the mix and expect you to know how to play the game. You can thankfully read the manual, which can give you more clues on what to do, but I was still left confused by the Mario Party-like concept of Destiny Board Traveler. I kept trying to roll but three turns in a row, my character didn’t move at all. I was wondering if I did something wrong.
For those who haven’t played theYu-Gi-Oh!games orwatched the anime seriessince they were kids like me, it can be jarring to be thrown straight into a battle, especially with the low-end cards you’re given from the start of each game. You’ll likely get steamrolled unless you alter your deck. It would have been great to get a tutorial mode for the Early Days Collection in some shape or form.
Closing Comments:
Despite my many hangups with this collection, you may still have heaps of fun. The game is compelling as you set traps for your opponents, cast spell cards to improve your monster’s ATK and DEF, and tribute your current beasts for stronger cards like the Blue Eyes White Dragon (which is also inLegacy of the Duelist). PlayingYu-Gi-Oh! World Championships 2004sent a wave of nostalgia towards me, and if I had a Switch copy of this collection, I’d be playing it for hours, lying on my couch, just like my childhood. It’s just a shame that this collection failed to modernize the classic games with better UI. The lack of save states is also frustrating, and the selection of games on offer may be a disappointment, especially because the Game Boy games are outdated. Also, I don’t know about you, butDungeon Dice Monstersmight be the worst idea for the series, and that’s unfortunately part of this collection rather than something likeDuelists of the Roses.It’s probably best to ignore this collection and check out the more recentMaster Duelinstead if you’re not affected by nostalgia.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection brings together some of the best Yu-Gi-Oh! games of yesteryear, including Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists and Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2.
