Just last year, Yu-Gi-Oh! marked its 25th anniversary, making fans and longtime players suddenly feel a bit older. In celebration of this milestone, Konami decided to keep the festivities going with what they call a ‘Quarter Century’ tribute to the iconic card game. At the heart of these celebrations is the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Days Collection, a game set that celebrates the franchise with a selection of around 14 games. These include titles from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, showcasing the series’ early history. As someone who still enjoys playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, I was genuinely intrigued by this collection. While I hadn’t experienced all these games prior to reviewing this, my fuzzy recollections suggested they were more about drawing in anime fans than appealing to hardcore card game enthusiasts. My initial suspicion turned out to be somewhat accurate, but the surprise wasn’t as unpleasant as anticipated. Diving back into the realm of classic Yu-Gi-Oh! is likely to spark curiosity among many, but hardcore fans will find a certain nostalgic charm lurking within this package, albeit buried beneath the surface.
Let’s tackle the central detail first. Indeed, this collection boasts 14 full Yu-Gi-Oh! games launched between 1998 and 2005. It kicks off with the very first Yu-Gi-Oh! titles for the DMG Game Boy, which were initially Japan-exclusive, based on the manga, and are now available for the first time in English. It also includes Game Boy Advance World Championship series, which aimed to be authentic battle simulators, and even incorporates a few experimental variations. On the surface, it seems like an impressive number of games, but there are a few provisos. To start, the early Game Boy titles largely serve as incremental updates to the card game, with evolving rules at the time. For example, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories introduces new rules and cards to rebalance decks, whereas the western release, Dark Duel Stories (Japan’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4), adds just a trap card zone. While it’s fascinating to see how swiftly the game developed alongside both technological constraints and the card game’s growth in Japan, playing these titles back-to-back might feel repetitive to most players. The progression, especially in game design and user interfaces, captured my interest. However, after a single match, I found myself drifting toward more accessible titles in the collection.
An unexpected highlight for me was Duel Monsters 3. This game, previously exclusive to Japan, draws from the Monster World arc where Yugi’s friends are turned into monsters and thrust into a tabletop roleplaying game governed by antagonistic Dungeon Masters. Notably, it doesn’t include any trading cards. Instead, you place monsters on a grid akin to a simplified turn-based strategy game in the vein of Fire Emblem. Each monster has distinct attack patterns and receives buffs depending on its battlefield position and proximity to allies. Consequently, every battle becomes a small puzzle. To determine the accuracy of attacks, two D10 dice are rolled, with outcomes dictating success or failure. It’s a neat feature, with the dice roll also controlling enemy encounter rates during boss segments. Unlike other games in the collection, this one truly stands out.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Dungeon Dice Monsters and Destiny Board Traveler. These spin-offs take a more board game-esque approach to Yu-Gi-Oh!. Dungeon Dice Monsters attempts to digitize the often-overlooked spin-off game. Players engage on an isometric grid, placing cubes that can unfold strategically. The goal is to create a path to the opponent’s side and confront their dice master. It’s a compelling concept in theory, but the absence of tutorials leaves players reliant on a cumbersome manual, which becomes a necessity each session until you’ve got the hang of it. Herein lies some of the collection’s more glaring pitfalls. While quality of life improvements are present, they come with glaring omissions. For example, even though game manuals are accessible, they reset to the first page every time they’re reopened, posing a significant challenge in games where rules are convoluted (I’m looking at you, Dungeon Dice Monsters). This issue is compounded by the type charts deployed in the earliest games and RPG titles, where monsters can be defeated immediately by an opposing monster type. These charts aren’t as straightforward as others, especially because they introduce fantasy types like ‘dreams’ or ‘shadow’, absent from the real card game. Although there’s a rewind feature that goes back a full minute, the lack of fast-forward functionality is disappointing, particularly in GBA duel simulator titles where the CPU deliberates extensively over its moves.
Let’s address the elephant in the room—online support, or lack thereof. Only one game allows for player duels and card trades: Duel Monsters 4. A curious decision indeed, as this title was another Japan-exclusive. Stranger still is the inclusion of cheat menus in these games, offering options to unlock cards and bypass point restrictions. This wouldn’t be a concern if Duel Monsters 4 wasn’t divided among three versions—one each for Yugi’s, Kaiba’s, and Joey’s decks. Although inter-version dueling is technically feasible, it lacks any compelling incentives. It would’ve been revolutionary to have online support for games like Stairway to the Destined Duel or World Tournament 2004, considering their enduring appeal among veteran Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts. Perhaps we’ll see this feature added eventually, but for now, the online component feels like a limited afterthought, adding little allure for potential buyers of the collection.
A similar inconsistency plagues the inclusion of Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2. According to its marketing, this GBA title was among the most popular at Yu-Gi-Oh!’s height in Japan, which might justify its inclusion. Oddly, while every other game in this collection is translated, this title remains entirely in Japanese. You could argue that this game was eventually adapted into the Western-released Stairway to the Destined Duel with altered rules to fit the English card game variant. But its presence here as a standalone game feels out of place. While other Japanese versions fall under umbrellas with their counterparts, accessible via main menu options, Expert 2 has its own category. With the other previously Japan-exclusive games now translated, this exception is puzzling.
In conclusion, Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection presents two contrasting facets. On one hand, it offers a fascinating journey into Yu-Gi-Oh!’s quirky pre-mainstream history, before it became a card game titan, with contemporary games closely tied to animated series or functioning as pure duel simulators. Though the sheer number of games is impressive, it’s apparent the collection could have benefitted from greater care and precision. It sometimes feels like a partially polished anniversary package. Despite commendable quality-of-life features, accessibility bumps remain—such as needing to reference manuals frequently, an untranslated title, and online play restricted to one game set. The absence of additional content—artwork, conceptual pieces, or design documents—would have added significant appeal for Yu-Gi-Oh! aficionados. Among the selection, certain entries stand out: The Sacred Cards, Duel Monsters 3, The Eternal Duelist Soul, and 7 Trials to Glory. Yet, many are simply incremental advancements or diverge drastically from the card game roots. Though a fascinating historical artifact, the presentation occasionally lacks the love and care expected of such a retrospective showcase.
So, who is Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days for? Those nostalgic for the Yu-Gi-Oh! glory days might find some delight here. While the collection seems substantial on paper, its ability to maintain attention is questionable. I found myself revisiting a few games for casual play experiences. But tweaking decks and rehashing strategies for some loosely updated, albeit familiar, card games lost its luster by the time I progressed to later GBA titles. Multiplayer excitement could heighten the experience, yet with only one game offering online play, recommending this to even the staunchest Yu-Gi-Oh! fans proves difficult. Approaching the collection with lowered expectations and an open mind—especially for its more unconventional entries—has the potential to be entertaining. Just know that by its end, you might appreciate moving past those early days.
