Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection Reviews
I summon Pot of Mid to draw 14 mediocre games from Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! library! Sure, it’s fun to revisit some of these classic titles, even if some of them don’t quite live up to the hype. Maybe next time Konami will summon a more exciting lineup, but for now, we’re left with a handful of cards that, while decent, don’t offer much beyond a trip down memory lane.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a collection of games that appeals to a very specific niche of millennials longing for the good old days, but I can’t deny, I am that target audience, and I have been playing it non-stop for the past days. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop anytime soon. There’s no way to defend a lack of extras or some tutorials to help newcomers out, but when it comes to preserving a specific niche in Konami’s catalogue, as well as providing us with a near-endless amount of nostalgic fun, this collection is just outright magnificent.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a solid collection of games that will appeal to long-time fans of the iconic franchise. Though this will hardly bring in new fans, half the titles in the collection offer incredibly engaging and varied gameplay and stories within the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection serves as a captivating window into the franchise’s fledgling steps in the video game realm, pulling together 14 titles that stretch across several handheld generations.
At the end of the day, Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a love letter to classic Yu-Gi-Oh!fans. It offers an incredible amount of content, preserves some of the most beloved (and rare) games in the franchise, and introduces just enough quality-of-life improvements to make revisiting them enjoyable.
At the end of the day, Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a love letter to the franchise’s past, but not a carefully crafted one. It feels like a rushed compilation rather than a polished, definitive collection, and while the nostalgia factor is high, the gameplay experience itself is uneven. For hardcore fans of old-school Yu-Gi-Oh!, there’s enough here to justify a purchase, plus if you buy the physical versions you get one of two Quarter Century Rare "Harpie Feathers Duster." For most players, this collection will feel more like an incomplete relic of the past rather than a gratifying experience.
Konami brings back some of the oldest Yu-Gi-Oh! games, and does so by adding some much appreciated QoL features and focusing on creating a sort of digital museum, but the positives end here: this collection does not add anything of value to games that deserved to be modernised instead, allowing them to become more accessible to newer fans. Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection does the bare minimum, while asking a premium price for it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a neat idea that goes a long way to preserve its fairly old titles, but on paper it's almost a novelty. There are a few games in the set that are worth digging into, but none of those feature online multiplayer at launch, and a lot of this collection is just going to be filler for most people.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a really cool package that continues Konami's good work in distributing its classics to a new generation. The collection allows new fans to learn a little about the history of the franchise and see firsthand how influential the developer was in shaping one of the most famous card games in the world, making this the best way to enjoy these games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite some difficulties due to a stability that is not the best, we are satisfied with a collection that mixes nostalgia and a series of games that made history, along with a few more underwhelming titles that can still give something away.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a solid homage to the initial years of the franchise, bringing a good mix of classic titles and some not so well known works. Though the absence of iconic games and multiplayer mode in almost all of its games limit the final quality of the product, this collection still has the potential to please diverse players and fans of the series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a historical recollection to the franchise's legacy in the Game Boy systems (original, Color and Advance). The game's quality can vary wildly and the first ones in the pack are very different from what the real life TCG would develop into. With such an ample history, the series has better games that also deserve such a "rescue", like the Tag Force line, and hopefully the team's efforts don't end with just this rerelease.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is one of the most impressive sets of value and nostalgia with a handful of excellent games. Admittedly, many of the games are filler, but there are around 5 or 6 games like The Sacred Cards that are worth your time and still hold up well even today.
The "Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection", on the other hand, includes many games that hardly anyone knows. This makes it a real gem in any video game collection - especially if you buy the game as a physical version.
Review in German | Read full review
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection pulls together 14 classic games, offering a nostalgic dive into the series’ early days. The duel simulators still hold up, but some mechanics feel outdated, and a lack of tutorials makes certain games frustrating. The spin-offs add variety, though they’re tough to get into without guides. Presentation stays true to the originals, with cool extras like box art and manuals, but don’t expect visual upgrades or major quality-of-life improvements. Longtime fans will appreciate the history, but for casual players, the uneven game selection and missing features make it a tougher sell.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is a throwback to the simpler days of duelling, and despite a few duds is still just a blast for card game fans.
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.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is an excellent grouping of Yu-Gi-Oh! games that fans of the series should check out. The care and attention put into this by Digital Eclipse is palpable, making this a masterstroke collection of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s early days. Here’s hoping the console games and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX titles get this treatment, as this is the best way to play these classics.