Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a compilation of 14 classic Yu-Gi-Oh! games released originally on Game Boy color and Game Boy Advance, now re-released for the Switch and Steam platforms. This 14-game compilation has added cheats that can (but probably shouldn’t) be used at any given time, a rewind feature, widescreen support, and a few other features. And yes, these are emulated from their original releases from 1993-2004. It’s fair in this moment, though, because most of these titles never got localized outside of Japan – until now.
Even better, for the moment at least, these titles are localized and available to own physically by buying the physical compilation cartridge in stores – UNLIKE Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light or, more recently, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation. But, is this compilation a great nostalgic throwback worthy of the franchise’s 25th anniversary? Or is it a compilation that is best left behind in the “early days”? Let’s find out…
The list of games in this compilation are as follows:
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (GB, 1998)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories (GBC, 1999)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule (GBC, 2000)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories (GBC, 2000)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists (GBC, 2000)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters (GBA, 2001)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul (GBA, 2001)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 (GBA, 2001)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards (GBA, 2002)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction (GBA, 2003)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel (GBA, 2003)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 (GBA, 2004)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler (GBA, 2004)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005 (GBA, 2004)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection– as mentioned above – contains those 14 games, screen settings for each game, and cheats. Some of these games include online multiplayer matches. Right now, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is the only game with multiplayer to support online matches (which requires a Nintendo Online Subscription of any tier).
Out of all 14 games, I – unfortunately – spent the most time with Reshef of Destruction. I first heard of it via a YouTuber known as The Quarter Guy, who had included it in a video about his Top 10 Disappointing Video Games. Suffice it to say, after playing Reshef of Destruction for quite a bit, it makes every other game in the compilation look like a masterpiece in comparison. Having fewer cards than in The Sacred Cards? Opponents with 10k+ life points? Unable to heal LP between duels unless you go home and SAVE?! 19 TRAP CARDS ONLY?! And, the kicker? A HUGE difficulty spike from The Sacred Cards. Also, if you apply the included cheats at the wrong time, you can get soft-locked from progressing once you reach the Duel Train, forcing you to restart from the very beginning (I ended up learning this the hard way…).
Dungeon Dice Monsters and Monster Capsule were pretty cool. They reminded me of good ol’ Fire Emblem without the permanent death mechanics of that series. With the other games that focused mainly on dueling, I enjoyed classic dueling as if I was in the original anime show. That being said, Stairway to the Destined Duel was a bit difficult at points. Navigating the map is simpler, yes, but the opponents were as tough as in Reshef of Destruction, only the LP system was more fair, at least. Destiny Board Traveler, however, is my least played classic Yu-Gi-Oh! game and, surprisingly, the most complex. If I had not watched a video by Pikasprey explaining all the mechanics of Destiny Board Traveler, I wouldn’t have any clue on what to do!
In conclusion, Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is an…interesting compilation. I liked most of the games (with the exception of Reshef of Destruction), so that should be a good thing, right? However, the compilation does rely on a ton of early games that, more often than not, come with little to no tutorials unless you want to read the digital manuals first. I recommend watching this compilation in action first before buying.
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)
Release Date: 27th February 2025
