Summary
Konami and Digital Eclipse confirmed a number of features for the upcomingYu-Gi-Oh: Early Days Collection, including quality-of-life features like rewinding gameplay states, removing deck limits, and online multiplayer. TheYu-Gi-Oh: Early Days Collectionpackage features a number of classic titles remastered for modern platforms. These include games that were never localized in the West and have been Japan-only releases for the longest time.
First revealed in February 2024 for the franchise’s 25th anniversary, theYu-Gi-Oh: Early Days Collectiondigs deep into its back catalog, with fourteen games collected from across its long history that were previously released on the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance systems. This package of retro video games includes titles from the series' past that use a different ruleset that was established before the physical card game’s traditions were set. With theEarly Days Collectionset for a February 2025 release on both Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, Konami and Digital Eclipse have revealed some new features exclusive to this remastered collection, including some important quality-of-life features that will make certain titles a much easier time.
On the officialYu-Gi-Oh: Early Days CollectionSteam page, one of the first things confirmed for the remastered releases is online play. Players can challenge each other inYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelistsat launch, with select titles in the collection getting an online play patch post-launch as well. CertainYu-Gi-Ohtitles likeStairway to the Destined DuelandDestiny Board Travelerdid support multiplayer withthe Game Boy’s link cable, so it’s entirely possible that these titles will get multiplayer after launch.
Yu-Gi-Oh: Early Days Collection’s Features:
Also listed in the Steam description is the game’s variety of quality-of-life features, including the ability to save anywhere and the rewind and fast-forward functions. The most important QoL feature listed, however, is the ability to customize the gameplay. This includes the ability to unlock certain characters and cards straight away, along with the ability to remove Deck Capacity, Duelist Level, and cards from the Forbidden and Limited list. Many of these features can make certain classicYu-Gi-Ohgames, such asthe highly contentiousReshef of Destruction, much easier, as it imposed a lot of artificial difficulty.Reshef of Destructionin particular was criticized for only being able to save the game in one spot, along with the restrictions that stemmed from the Deck Capacity and Duelist Level mechanics.
The ability to turn off some of these features is entirely optional, so hardcore nostalgia-driven fans can also play theseclassic retroYu-Gi-Ohgamesin their original form as well. TheEarly Days Collectionwill also feature a digital gallery that preserves all the box art and manuals from each title, too. All told,Yu-Gi-Oh: Early Days Collectionlooks to be a complete retro package with enough modern features for fans to enjoy.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
WHERE TO PLAY
Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection brings together some of the best Yu-Gi-Oh! games of yesteryear, including Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists and Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2.
