As Yu-Gi-Oh! marked its 25th year recently, it nudged both players and long-time fans into a nostalgic reflection. In keeping with the festivities, Konami has rolled out a unique homage to this iconic card game: Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection. This set delves into the history of the card game with around fourteen games that originally appeared on the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. Being a devoted player myself, I couldn’t resist exploring this collection despite recalling them as somewhat rigid, aiming more to engage anime audiences than actual card game enthusiasts. My instinct turned out to be right, yet it wasn’t as disappointing as I anticipated. This nostalgic dive, while intriguing to most due to curiosity, still holds a special allure for true fans willing to dig through for its hidden gems.
Let’s address the major point first: the collection comprises 14 classic Yu-Gi-Oh! games released between 1998 and 2005. It starts with the series’ debut on the Japan-exclusive DMG Game Boy, presenting these classics fully localized in English for the first time. This collection spans to the Game Boy Advance titles trying to offer a genuine duel simulation experience, and even includes some experimental tangents. It sounds like an extensive lineup, but there are catches. The early Game Boy iterations mirror incremental updates to the evolving card game and rules back then. Take Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories, for instance— it expands only by introducing fresh rules and cards to refine decks. Then there’s the western Dark Duel Stories (known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 in Japan), which merely added a trap card zone. While these offer a historical peek into the card game’s swift evolution and the hardware limits of that era (particularly in Japan), playing them consecutively could feel repetitive to most players. I personally found the progress in game design, particularly UI and UX elements, fascinating, even though I found myself quickly flipping to more accessible titles after a single match.
Duel Monsters 3 was genuinely a surprise. Previously a Japan-exclusive, this game follows the Monster World arc where Yugi’s friends transform into monsters, trapped in a tabletop RPG with the antagonists taking Dungeon Master roles. It ditches trading cards entirely, instead placing monsters on a grid reminiscent of simplified turn-based strategy games like Fire Emblem. Each monster sports its own attack pattern, gaining buffs influenced by their position and proximity to allies, turning every battle into a tactical puzzle. Success or failure in attacks depends on rolling two D10s. This dice mechanic also controls random enemy encounters during boss fights, making it strikingly unique compared to the rest of the collection.
On the other hand, Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler don’t quite share the same flair. They take a board game-like twist on the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Dungeon Dice Monsters tries to replicate a lesser-known spin-off, where two players navigate an isometric grid filled with extendable cubes to carve a path and assault the opponent’s dice master. While this concept is intriguing, a lack of tutorials throws players into the deep end, relying on a convolutated manual that you’ll often revisit until getting the hang of the game. Here, the collection somewhat falters: despite having some quality of life improvements, they don’t extend far enough. Game manuals restart at the first page each time, posing a hurdle for games with complex rules like Dungeon Dice Monsters. Then there’s the type chart in early games and RPGs, where monsters instantaneously fall to opposing types—a system not immediately intuitive, especially as it incorporates unique types like “dreams” and “shadow” not present in the card game. You can rewind gameplay up to a minute, but lack of fast-forwarding is frustrating, especially in GBA duel simulators with slow CPU turn processing.
Online support, or the clear lack of it, feels like a missed opportunity. Only Duel Monsters 4 allows online dueling and card trading, which is peculiar since it’s one of the Japan-exclusive titles. Even stranger, all these games include cheat menus to bypass card and duelist point limitations. Compounding the issue, Duel Monsters 4 splits into three versions (Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey), yet there’s little incentive for version-specific dueling. Online support for games like Stairway to the Destined Duel or World Tournament 2004 would’ve been far more valuable, given their enduring appeal. Future updates might address this, but for now, online functionality seems more an afterthought than an inviting feature.
The inclusion of Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 highlights some questionable decisions in the collection’s assembly. According to promotional materials, this was a standout in Japan during the franchise’s peak. Curiously though, while other games have translations, this one remains entirely in Japanese. There’s a point that it was later adapted into Stairway to the Destined Duel with adjusted rules for English fans, but its standalone inclusion in Japanese is bewildering. While other Japanese versions are bundled with language selection available, this one’s standalone nature puzzles more.
In essence, Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection offers a dual experience. On one side, it’s a captivating dive into Yu-Gi-Oh!’s quirky history before its establishment as a legendary card game, beyond strict adherence to animated series or pure duel simulation. But while its impressive quantity of games promises depth, its execution occasionally seems lackluster. The quality of life improvements are spotty, some games are hard to grasp without perpetually consulting the manual, and one title inexplicably retains its Japanese-only status. Online play remains solitary, and absent are any additional artworks, concept pieces, or design insights that could’ve enriched the package for die-hard fans. Some gems exist—like The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory—but many entries either subtly tweak the formula or deviate wildly from the essence of the card game. This feels more like a historical display rather than a lovingly crafted tribute.
So, who would enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days? Those yearning for a trip down memory lane might find some joy here. Though the number of games is impressive in theory, they might not fully hold your attention. I found myself revisiting a few for quick sessions, but reconstructing decks and strategies felt repetitive by the later GBA titles. Playing with a friend could’ve been interesting, but with only one game supporting online play, it’s challenging to recommend even to dedicated Yu-Gi-Oh! players. Lowering expectations and exploring some of the collection’s stranger offerings could still be enjoyable—just remember, there’s a high chance by the end, you’ll appreciate how far the franchise has come beyond those early days.
