I have very fond memories of sitting down in the early 2000s and spending hours upon hours playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! video games. The first anime series was in the middle of it’s peak, kids everywhere were getting into the card game, and I tried as hard as I could to get my hands on every Yu-Gi-Oh video game that I could.
My main platform of choice at the time was my Game Boy Advance, and thankfully there was no shortage of Yu-Gi-Oh titles releasing pretty frequently at the time.
Now, I, along with many others are going to be able to relive that nostalgic experience thanks to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. The collection is a compilation of 14 handheld Yu-Gi-Oh! games that originally released between 1998 and 2004 across the Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. Best of all, several of the games in this collection are getting localised into English for the very first time, and a number of titles are going to support online multiplayer (though this will be limited on release and expand to other games after launch).
The 14 games featured in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection are:
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Original Release: 1998
Platform: Game Boy
Note: Was previously only available in Japanese
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is the first game in the Duel Monsters series, and the only game released for the Game Boy. This game predates the OCG by two months, and many cards seen here soon made appearances in the earliest OCG sets.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories
Original Release: 1999
Platform: Game Boy Color
Note: Was previously only available in Japanese
Duel Monsters II builds on the rules established in its predecessor, though the gameplay is still much simpler than the OCG. In addition to the 365 cards from Duel Monsters, it introduced 355 new cards, for a total of 720. Trap Cards and Ritual Cards were first included in it.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB
Original Release: 2000
Platform: Game Boy Color
Note: Was previously only available in Japanese
Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB is a video game for the Game Boy Color. It has only been released in Japan. The game takes most of its inspiration from the manga’s Monster World story arc and the Capsule Monsters stories, using both Duel Monsters and Capsule Monster Chess.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories
Original Release: 2000
Platform: Game Boy Color
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories, released in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holy God Advent is a Game Boy Color video game and the third title in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series. It was the first Yu-Gi-Oh! video game to be released outside of Japan, being released the day before Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories (PS1). Players of the game could trade and battle with other players using a link cable.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists
Original Release: 2000
Platform: Game Boy Color
Note: Was previously only available in Japanese
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists was a Japan-only Yu-Gi-Oh! video game for the Game Boy Color, and the fourth installment in the Duel Monsters series. It was released December 7, 2000 as three separate versions (Yugi Deck, Kaiba Deck, and Joey Deck), each being able to use only a certain selection of the 900 available cards.
Each of the god cards are usable after completing the game, but they can only be obtained from a different version by trading:
- Slifer the Sky Dragon can be used in the Yugi Deck version, obtained in the Kaiba Deckor Joey Deck version by defeating Yami Yugi.
- Obelisk the Tormentor can be used in the Kaiba Deck version, obtained in the Yugi Deckor Joey Deck version by defeating Yami Bakura.
- The Winged Dragon of Ra can be used in the Joey Deck version, obtained in the Yugi Deck or Kaiba Deck version by defeating Marik Ishtar.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters
Original Release: 2001
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters is a dice-based tactics video game based on an original board game featured in the Yu-Gi-Oh! storyline. The gameplay revolves around battling opponents using magical dice placed on a board to create dungeons. It contains both a single-player campaign mode in which the player battles the AI, as well as a head-to-head multiplayer mode.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul
Original Release: 2001
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Note: Is a western remake of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 5: Expert 1
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul[a] is a card battle video game based on the Yu-Gi-Oh!franchise. It features a single-player campaign against opponents from the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime as well as a multiplayer head-to-head mode. This game is also the introduction of using the official rules of the TCG in a Yu-Gi-Oh! Video game. The player has a selection of enemies to battle, and winning a certain number of duels against each group will unlock new booster packs and levels of opponents to face
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2
Original Release: 2001
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Note: Only going to be available in Japanese
Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 is set during the Battle City arc. The player Duels characters from the anime and manga. The player can participate in a few tournaments and Duel single opponents they come across on the map screen. Cards are awarded for various reasons including defeating opponents, winning tournaments and free cards with the Duelist Weekly magazine.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
Original Release: 2002
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards, known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 7: The Duelcity Legend in Japan, is an RPG-style game for the Game Boy Advance.
The story of the game loosely followed the Battle City story arc of the anime and manga, with adjustments to allow the player to act the part of a major character and participate all the way into the Battle City finals
Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction
Original Release: 2003
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 8: Reshef of Destruction is a follow up to The Sacred Cards, utilises a lot of its systems and its RPG gameplay. Features an original story set after the events of Battle City and ties into the Egyptian theme of the series.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
Original Release: 2003
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Note: Is the English remake of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2
This game is an international remake of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2. Released in both Japanese and English, it is set during the Battle City arc. The player duels characters from the anime and manga, participating in a few tournaments and duel single opponents they come across on the map screen. Cards are awarded for various reasons, including defeating opponents, winning tournaments and free cards with the Duelist Weekly magazine. This game contains around 1,000 cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004
Original Release: 2004
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: Expert 3. In this game, the player can assemble three Decks and can play Duel Monsters against a variety of computer opponents. The game features 1,138 cards (201 Spells, 109 Traps, 55 Fusion Monsters, 16 Ritual Monsters, 224 Effect Monsters and 533 Normal Monsters). “Dark Magician” and “Polymerization” can be collected in two different artworks, counting as different cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler
Original Release: 2004
Platform: Game Boy Advance
In this game, players can compete against computer-controlled opponents or their friends for control of the Destiny Board.
The game combines the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game and a 5×5 game board. Each game board has a different theme, determined to by the character it belongs to.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005
Original Release: 2005
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005, known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Day of the Duelist: World Championship Tournament 2005 in Europe and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters International 2 in Japan, is a Yu-Gi-Oh! game for the Game Boy Advance. Light and Dark clash in a town where everyone waits to Duel. Battles take the place of words and only the best will win tournaments where glittering trophies await the victor. The game features 1000 cards (105 Traps, 220 Spells and 675 Monster Cards) to collect and Duel with.
Note: Game synopsis’ included from Wikipedia
The collection is also set to feature a number of enhancements that can be applied to certain games. Such as the ability to remove deck point limits for player decks, enabling cards normally banned from play, or activating hidden characters, rewind or fast forward your battles, and cards that could originally only be accessed through special means.
Additionally there will be an in-game gallery that can be accessed via a menu that includes digital versions of the instruction manuals and box art for each of the games in the collection which is something that also brings back a bit of nostalgia, as I have fond memories of looking through game manuals before, during and after playing games at the time and is a way to help preserve these.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is set to release on February 27, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam.
Those that pick up the physical edition of the Nintendo Switch release will also receive a promotional Harpie’s Feather Duster card in one of two artwork variants.
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