Last year marked a major milestone for Yu-Gi-Oh!, as it hit its 25th anniversary, undoubtedly making both new players and veteran fans pause and reflect. In keeping with the festivities, Konami decided to extend the celebration with what they called a ‘Quarter Century’ homage to the iconic card game. Enter Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection—a unique video game compilation featuring roughly 14 titles from the series’ early days. This collection spans games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance eras. As someone who’s still deeply immersed in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game scene, my interest was piqued by this collection. Although I hadn’t played all the titles prior to this review, my memory suggested that they leaned more towards appealing to anime viewers than hardcore card gamers. This assumption was spot on, yet the surprise wasn’t as overwhelming as I had feared. Revisiting these classic Yu-Gi-Oh! games might feel like a curious dive into nostalgia for most, but die-hard fans of the series will likely discover some of its nostalgic charm. Just be prepared to dig a little to find it.
Let’s address the standout feature right away: the collection houses 14 Yu-Gi-Oh! games released between 1998 and 2005. Starting from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! installments on Japan-only DMG Game Boy versions based on the manga, now fully localized in English for the first time, to the Game Boy Advance titles that aimed to be realistic battle simulators, and even some creative experiments in between. On the surface, 14 games sound like an extensive collection, but there are catches. Those early Game Boy titles were essentially minor updates to the evolving card game and its rules during that time. Take Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories, for instance—it only introduced new rules and cards to rebalance decks. Meanwhile, the Western version, Dark Duel Stories (known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 in Japan), added merely one zone for trap cards. It’s a vivid historical glimpse at the game’s rapid evolution, both from a hardware standpoint and the card game’s growth in Japan. However, playing these titles back-to-back could feel monotonous for most players. The real intrigue lies in watching the game’s design morph over time, particularly in its UI and UX elements. Yet, after playing any title for a single match, I quickly sought the more approachable games within the collection.
What really took me by surprise was Duel Monsters 3. Previously only available in Japan, this game is set in the Monster World arc, where Yugi’s friends have been turned into monsters in a tabletop RPG, with the villains acting as Dungeon Masters. It stands out dramatically as it contains no trading cards. Instead, players place monsters on a grid, reminiscent of simplified turn-based strategy games like Fire Emblem. Each monster boasts unique attack patterns and gains buffs depending on its field position and proximity to allies, turning every battle into a tiny puzzle. Hits or misses are determined by rolling two D10s, and this mechanic even affects encounter rates for random enemies during boss segments. It’s a clever system, differentiating itself substantially from the rest of the games in the collection.
Conversely, Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler center around a more boardgame-esque format. Dungeon Dice Monsters aims to digitize its lesser-known spin-off game counterpart. Here, players face off on an isometric grid, placing cubes that unfold in specific directions, aiming to build a path to the opponent’s dice master. While the concept sounds promising, it completely lacks player tutorials. Instead, you’re left with a cumbersome manual you must refer to repeatedly until you get the hang of it. This is where the collection presents notable issues. The quality of life features aren’t inherently bad, but some glaring omissions are present. For instance, when you reopen a game’s manual, it resets to the first page every time, proving particularly challenging for games with complex rules, like Dungeon Dice Monsters. The problem is compounded with the specific type chart in early and RPG games, where certain monster types can instantly defeat others. This chart isn’t straightforward, introducing types not found in the actual card game, such as ‘dreams’ and ‘shadow’. Despite the rewind feature allowing you to go back up to a minute during gameplay, there’s no fast-forward option—a potential boon for speeding up lengthy CPU thinking in GBA duel simulators.
Then we have the matter of online support, or notably, the absence of it. Only one game allows dueling against others and trading cards: Duel Monsters 4. It’s an intriguing choice, given that this title was initially Japan-exclusive. Adding to the oddity is that all games come with cheat menus to unlock cards and bypass duelist point restrictions. Notably, Duel Monsters 4 is divided into three versions—one for Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey’s decks—resulting in little motivation to duel across versions. Integrating online support for titles like Stairway to the Destined Duel or even World Tournament 2004 would have been more appealing, as these formats remain beloved by old-school Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts. Though there’s potential for future updates adding this feature, at present, the online aspect feels like an afterthought, limiting its appeal to those considering picking up the collection.
The peculiar inclusion of Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 exemplifies another strange aspect of the collection. While marketed as a popular GBA title during Yu-Gi-Oh!’s peak in Japan, this game alone remains untranslated, entirely in Japanese. One might argue that it was later adapted into the Western release of Stairway to the Destined Duel with rule modifications aligning with the English version of the card game. Yet its standalone presence feels odd. Most Japanese versions accompany their translated counterparts in the main collection menu, but Duel Monsters 6 stands alone. Meanwhile, all previously Japan-exclusive games have been translated, making this oversight puzzling.
This dichotomy illustrates the essence of Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. It offers a fascinating window into Yu-Gi-Oh!’s quirky history before it cemented its identity as a formidable card game and franchise. Yet for all its nostalgia, the execution lacks the polish expected of an anniversary collection. While boasting an impressive number of games, it falls short in attention to detail. The quality of life features feel half-hearted, with manuals necessary for navigation, untranslated titles, and scant online play. The absence of bonus artwork, concepts, or design documents is another missed opportunity to enrich the package for true Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts. Among the standout titles like The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory, many games come across as incremental improvements or diverge wildly from the card game’s roots. The collection serves as a historical record, but one lacking in the care its heritage deserves.
So, who would find Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days appealing? Those yearning for Yu-Gi-Oh!’s golden days might enjoy a nostalgic trip. Although impressive on paper, it’s hard to say if these titles will capture your interest for long. I found myself revisiting a few for casual play but reconstructing decks and rehashing strategies for the slightly altered but familiar card games wasn’t particularly captivating by the later GBA titles. It might have been novel to explore with friends, but with only one game supporting online play, even the most dedicated Yu-Gi-Oh! players might struggle to justify its value. Still, embracing the unknown and approaching some of the collection’s unique offerings with no preconceived notions could be entertaining. Just be prepared to breathe a sigh of relief by the end, glad to leave those early days behind.
