Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Reviews
One of the most exciting online CCGs released yet. It could use more singleplayer content, but for PvP, it's tough to beat.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is Yu-Gi-Oh! at its best. The kid gloves have been taken off to give us a complex, deep game full of exciting plays and powerful combos, but presented in a sensible and readable way, free from Joey Wheeler shoutin' about da heart o' da cards. Whether you're a veteran duelist, a lapsed player, or someone who's had a vague interest at some point in the last 25 years, this is the way you want to get into Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is an odd game to recommend. Those of you who have never played before may want to check it out-it's free after all-but even at that lowest of prices the barrier to entry is so great that it can feel like getting stuck into this one isn't really worth the effort it would take. Those of you who have a longer history with Yu-Gi-Oh! will have a much better time getting into it and climbing the ranks, but then you were probably going to play this game regardless of reviews. At any rate, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has all the foundations of a potentially great online card-battler, and though it has its issues - at least at launch - it's definitely worth checking out if you've got the fortitude to stick with it.
If I could grade Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duels in Magic Terms, I’d give it a Sideboard B. If you love Yu-Gi-Oh, this is probably the pinnacle of the game’s experience, with modern flourishes and easy access to a huge repository of cards. However, if you’re not a hardcore fan and just fancy dipping your toes in the water, this game is probably not for you — by all means give it a chance, but don’t be surprised if you find its complexities impossible to overcome.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is the best videogame transposition of the famous collectible card game ever arrived on the market, if you want to duel you just have to download it and launch yourself on the battlefield!
Review in Italian | Read full review
The foundation for an incredible online card game is very much present in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. There's all the tools here for the next online TCG sensation, and its free-to-play friendly beginnings coupled with smooth UI make it quite watchable from a viewership perspective. If Konami sinks more content into ranked play and maintains a steady schedule of single-player releases and game modes over the next year or two, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel could become the top-tier online representation of tabletop card game experiences - something that would've been absurd to suggest after lengthy head starts by Magic Arena, Hearthstone, and others.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is an excellent game buried under a few layers of frustration and potential hang-ups. Excavation efforts are easier than they might appear, and the game does an okay job of helping you out. The game can be frustrating and off-putting for some, but if you know where and how to interact with your opponent’s multi-minute combo turns, a whole world will open up for you. Even as I write this, I find myself tempted to boot it back up for “just one more game.” And given how close I am to my assigned word cap, I might do just that.
If you can overlook the limited available modes and move past the potentially devastating feeling of being one-turn-killed online, Master Duel is a Yu-Gi-Oh! game that will allow you to build — and more importantly, defend against — a deck of that caliber.
With some patches and more quality of life features, this game could easily become the definitive Yu-Gi-Oh! experience, but only time can tell.
Master Duel has all that it takes for a Yu-Gi-Oh! video game to work: let's hope Konami is going to support this one for a very long time.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a free to play game designed for those who have been active in the card game for years and are looking for a space to measure themselves against other duelists from around the world. It's a deep game, with over 10,000 cards and updated rules. It's also addictive and a lot of fun, but less experienced players will struggle as they adjust to competitive play.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If those sympathetic to Yu-Gi-Oh agree to step aside, it could be the best online Yu-Gi-Oh experience for fans of the series. It's thrum, though, whether it's the best experience for wallets.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
There have been several games over my lifetime that have really captivated my attention, and have really made me invest a lot of time playing them, simply because of the fact that I really enjoy them. The gameplay mechanics are fantastic, the stories are captivating and allow you to feel personal connections, the replayability of the game makes it worth the money that you have spent, the graphics of a particular game are breathtaking, and the soundtrack is filled with emotion. The list goes on and on.
Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel is the best you can get from a digital version of the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG. However, the game is remarkably unfriendly to new players. If you don’t have a detailed understanding of every card in your deck, games can be a little slow. An experienced or meta-conscious player, which Master Duel has a lot of, can win a game in one turn, often after a frustratingly long series of plays that you can do nothing but watch. If this doesn’t deter you, or you’re someone who’s happy with Yu-Gi-Oh’s current competitive state, Master Duel is the game for you.
While it may not be as event or anime-focused as the other two YGO games, this is definitely a very well polished duel simulator I plan on playing off and on for many months to come, and even if I find myself sucking at ranked matches, taking notes from those battles and seeing myself slowly improve with card types I used to think were too complex to ever understand was the best aspect of the experience by far, and cross-save makes it the best kind of game to literally play on anything, so for the cost of nothing, all versions are equally worth a go, especially with the Solo Mode being a fine introduction.
Very fun game of Yu-gi-oh!, perfect for the fans and good pass duel content
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel can indeed be considered a good card game. Beautiful visuals, intuitive gameplay, good amount of content and resources to get you started. Unfortunately, there are two serious downsides. First, the game is relatively slow, especially during online matches; second, the matchmaking system is pretty bad and makes competitive play a pain, especially for less experienced players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ultimately, Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel is a must-play for fans of the franchise, and they'll fit right in despite the lack of beginner-friendly design. If you're new on the other hand, it's hard to recommend unless you can bear with the frustration that's sure to plague your first games and put in the effort to learn the myriad of mechanics. If you can overcome the hurdles, you'll be blessed with one of the most electrifying and rewarding TCGs on the market, with richly tactical gameplay, stylish presentation, and some of the friendliest monetisation that can be found in free-to-play gaming.