For MeinMMO author Sophia Weiß, it wasn’t Pokémon or Sailor Moon that was the highlight of her childhood but the epic duels in Yu-Gi-Oh!. A number of the old games based on the anime are now coming to Steam and they are just as much fun as they were 20 years ago.
It’s November 2004. Outside, it’s muddy with sleet at around 8 degrees. In a children’s room, there is a loft bed. My 10-year-old self is sitting down there with my brothers on a pile of pillows, snuggled up in blankets.
One of my brothers is sitting in the middle playing his new birthday gift on my red GameBoy Advance SP: Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction
. My other brother and I are eagerly watching, being the worst backseat gamers you could imagine. It was really nice, even though Mom eventually had to send us to our own rooms because of the fights.
The memory of that rainy day from over 21 years ago came back to me last week when I snuggled up with my Steam Deck on my couch: Konami is releasing the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
via Steam and for Nintendo Switch on February 27, 2025. The publisher kindly provided MeinMMO with a key for some early gameplay, and now I know: Reshef of Destruction
still plays exactly like back then.
Dueling like 20 years ago – with quality-of-life changes
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection includes a total of 14 games based on the popular anime and manga Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi – but from the original series, not the popular spin-off series today. Included are games from 1998 to 2005 for GameBoy Color and later GameBoy Advance.
The titles themselves seem to have changed little in terms of gameplay. I remember Reshef of Destruction
and World Championship Tournament 2004
from back then. Both games play just like they did back then – for better and for worse.
In Reshef of Destruction
, I walk around Domino City with Yugi and Joey in tow, dueling more or less successfully just like before. However, I also cannot speed up the dialogues like I could back then. So, if that annoying Rebecca defeats me for the umpteenth time, I have to go through the three-minute-long dialogue before the duel with every new attempt.
A feature I personally really like is the new top menu in the games: Here I can save my progress at any time, load a save, and also access the manual – even if it’s in English.
The save function, on the other hand, is quite practical for skipping the aforementioned cutscenes. Even though I am forced to play the same part again and again until I get frustrated, if I can’t win.
Additionally, the top menu allows you to choose how you want the game to be displayed: For example, like back in the day on the GameBoy screen, full screen, or with and without a frame.
If you want to make it easier for yourself, you can set before starting a game whether all cards should be unlocked. (Normally, you have to unlock these first.) You can also switch between the Japanese, American, and European versions of the game depending on the game.
For the GameBoy Color game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists
, there is also an online mode.
Same feeling, better English
21 years later, the games are still fun. One reason is that they are simply great games, the other is that I feel just like I did back then with my brothers.
The big difference is that I can now read the English manual and don’t feel as clueless as I did as a child: Reshef of Destruction
operates under different rules than the real card game. If only I had known that back then.
Overall, however, the feeling remains the same: I optimize my deck, try to get the best cards, and repeatedly face off against nasty duel opponents. It also feels great to have the regular Yu-Gi-Oh! back in front of me – I’m out of touch with Synchro and Pendulum Summons.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is, in my opinion, for all those who like to reminisce about the times of Duelist Kingdom or Battle City. Back when you had to play with fake god cards on the schoolyard and decide between the Yugi, Seto, Joey, and Mai decks as starters.
However, the collection comes with a hefty price tag: According to listings on Amazon, MediaMarkt, and the Nintendo online shop, it will cost 59.99 Euros – almost as much as many current AAA games. The price on Steam has not yet been announced.
Finally real dueling again
Sailor Moon was the first anime I ever watched, and I was a Naruto fan for a long time and much more intensely. But the original Yu-Gi-Oh! was the first anime or the first manga I perceived and appreciated as such. The story will always hold a special place in my heart.
During my last move, I also came across my old cards and went through them for two hours before packing them up. Good times.
The Early Days Collection is also optimized for the Steam Deck. I actually played most of my hours on it and can imagine that it will run well on the Nintendo Switch too. On handheld, which is what all the games were originally made for, it’s simply the most fun.
I also don’t know anyone these days who still plays the original card game. They all play either the latest version or other TCGs like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. With the collection, I will finally again get lost in traditional duels. Now I just need to earn the cards for my old favorite deck.
All in all, I can recommend the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection to anyone who is once again excited about traditional duels and intense nostalgia. Both are available here.
And because I’m funny, I’m also going to try the game based on Dungeon Dice Monsters in the coming days – the obscure tabletop game from the days when Yu-Gi-Oh! was all about Duel Monsters. My colleague Jasmin Beverungen, on the other hand, is already deep in the Magic: The Gathering swamp and is currently very excited because the first Commander decks for the Final Fantasy collaboration have been announced: My favorite MMORPG is coming to Magic soon and I’m already saving 200 Euros to indulge in collectible cards
