Notably, more than half of the games in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection are part of the Duel Monsters series and these include, Duel Monsters (1998), Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories (1999), Dark Duel Stories (2000), Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists (2000), The Eternal Duelist Soul (2001), Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 (2001), World Wide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel (2003), The Sacred Cards (2002), and Reshef of Destruction (2003). These games all follow a standard formula of beating duelists in battle to unlock new areas and cards, but what is interesting is the fact that the rules in the early games are very different from the actual trading card game. The reason for this is that the first Duel Monsters games actually released before the official Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, meaning its rules had to based on the manga instead, and we can see how the rules evolved as the series continued.
It is with the fifth entry in the Duel Monsters series, The Eternal Duelist Soul, that the rules finally lined up with the rules from the trading card game, but then we take an interesting turn, The Sacred Cards and Reshef of Destruction change the rules again, and now there is a more simplified ruleset, and this was likely due to the inclusion of RPG mechanics and elements were included. There was also an actual environment and story in these games, and so they may be of more interest to fans wanting more than just a video game adaptation of the Trading Card Game.
The differences in the rules and mechanics between the early games and the modern TCG may be surprising to many players for how much of an adjustment will be. The alignment system, for instance, cam entirely throw people off for how different the balancing is, and how the cards work. Seemingly weaker monsters can outright destroy stronger monsters thanks to this alignment system and the strategy involved in these games is completely different.
The other two duel focused games are Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 and Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005, which despite the numbering, are part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship series. These games are much closer to the TCG and while taking some concepts from Duel Monsters, will be much more appealing to fans of the card game. There are other games though in this collection and these ones may be of more interest for many players for the variety they offer.
Among these are 2003’s Dungeon Dice Monsters, which is more akin to a tabletop strategy game, and in fact, between the original Japanese release in 2001 and the global release in 2003, it was adapted into a tabletop strategy game. This is a very different experience with a steep learning curve, but what stood out is how good of an interface the game had. The single player campaign was basic, but if there was more to that mode, the game would be more exciting as there are some fun mechanics here and once you take the time to learn it, it is fun.
The same cannot be said for Destiny Board Traveler, a board game party game that was just annoying and disappointing. It is difficult to figure out what to do and there really is not a lot of fun to be had with it. It looks and sounds nice, but this is one that you can just skip as there is not any fan to be had here.
However, Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB, a Game Boy sequel to the PlayStation game Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule: Breed and Battle and originally only released in Japan, is a great game to try out. This is a turn-based tactics game that is easy to understand and play, and sees the characters magically transformed into dolls, while players must collect and train monsters in capsules. Surprisingly charming, the fights take place on a a 2D battle map, and while not the most in depth tactical game, it has a lot going for it that makes you want to try it.
That covers the games, but what about what else is in the collection? Well, there are a number of extras like preserved box art and original instruction manuals for each game, border options, screen size options, filters and more. In addition, Digital Eclipse included multiple quality-of-life elements such as the ability to save at will, rewind time and alter gameplay rules. The latter will no doubt be useful to many who came into the franchise later, and may need help with the older games.
I was deeply impressed with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection for how it brought these classics back. I grew up playing many of these games on the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, so it was a massive nostalgia trip to get to play these again in a great collection. I also got to play a number of games I had not playeed and while not all were amazing, there were titles that were just incredibly fun.
I hope Konami continues to do this Yu-Gi-Oh! collections, because there are so many amazing games in the series, especially the console games that were truly experimental and introduced unique storytelling and unique RPG elements. As it stands, while not every fan will be able to enjoy every game in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection due to how different the series has become since it started, there is a lot to enjoy here and see where the roots of the series began and how it grew. Plus some of the experimental titles here are truly incredible and the newly localized versions are a massive treat. All in all, a masterpiece.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
