Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

I’d be eager to see another collection done in a similar style, and one that includes the more advanced Yu-Gi-Oh titles from home consoles, but this is fine for the time being.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is an incredibly robust collection that is sure to please long-time fans, but may be a bit too archaic for some newcomers.

If you want to complete 16 legendary installmentsof the Yugi saga, this is your opportunity to review its history and learn why it became a mass success. Also, if Konami sees interest in sales, they may now want to move to the PlayStation era.

Bringing back classic handheld entries into one convenient bundle, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection enhances each game with new modification options, fresh translations for many, and online play for one title in particular. Some of the selection feels like more of a historical novelty than solid games in their own right, and a lack of proper tutorials in any of them make that barrier of entry somewhat prohibitive, but new players willing to persevere will find a robust group of titles waiting for them.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a great compilation, certainly aimed at enthusiasts but also at those who want to discover the origins of Yu-Gi-Oh! stripping it of the many complicated mechanics added in the over twenty-five years history of the franchise. Not all the videogames featured have aged very well but seeing the evolution of Yu-Gi-Oh! starting from the simplicity of the beginnings has its charm, and the presence of titles previously relegated to Japan is an undisputable added value. Too bad the lack of attention to details and valuable extras prevent Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection to achieve the excellence it could perhaps have aspired to.

The collection offers a variety of gameplay experiences, from simpler Game Boy titles to more complex Game Boy Advance entries. However, some games suffer from poor translations and lack of multiplayer options. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable way to revisit the series' evolution and its impact on the collectible card game genre.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a valuable re-release of games from the dawn of one of the most famous card games in the world. The package is rich in terms of gameplay, while the extra materials leave a little to be desired. Good instead in terms of the “quality of life” of the collection, with tricks and enhancements that allow you to avoid the most tedious parts of the original titles and focus on what really matters: the duels. Duels that are the beating heart of at least ten of the works present in the re-release, but which are banned in a couple of more experimental titles, whose presence alone provides freshness to the proposal. If you are a fan of the first hour of the anime, manga or the original card game, this appointment with the past could be for you.

Despite a few challenges with translating retro games to a modern audience, the Early Days Collection is a must-have for anyone who wants to revisit the earliest entries in the Yu-Gi-Oh! video game series or experience them for the first time.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a compilation featuring 14 games with different gameplay styles from the card game series. It includes several of the franchise’s best-regarded titles, along with obvious visual and quality-of-life improvements. While it doesn’t reach the level of The Cowabunga Collection as a compilation, it remains a solid collection.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection stays true to its sources and brings a little piece of history into the modern age. Unfortunately, dull mechanics and often unwieldy UI plague many of the games in the collection just as they did on first release, although amidst 14 titles, it would be impossible not to have a couple of winners. For us, Monster Capsule and the two World Championship Tournament titles shone through beautifully. Although the included games are certainly imperfect, we recognise the intentionality behind the collection’s curation and feel that it’s an excellent time capsule of the origins of the iconic Yu-Gi-Oh! Series.