I bought this game with no prior knowledge of what it was really, plus it’s the only Yugioh game on my beloved Gamecube. With it being somewhat rare to buy, I went out of my way to purchase it. What a fucking disappointment it turned out to be. It’s truly shite, like I managed a couple hours with it and just don’t get what it’s supposed to be. So you’ll be pleased to know there won’t be much to this review, as there isn’t much to talk about.
I truly find that, it genuinely only has one saving grace and that is the monster graphics and attack animations are fairly nice for the age of the game. Seeing as this is based off a popular trading card game you’d expect the game to be card battles, no. It’s a turn based strategy game where you control three monsters in your team and take turns attacking the opposition, but fret not each encounter is turn limited so it can take several battles to defeat one opponent and honestly the game doesn’t really take off much from that starting point. It is almost as if the developer themselves saw the game as a sinking turd in their own toilet.
The game takes place in a fictional world within the already fictional world of Yugioh, and initially you choose to play as either Kaiba or Yugi which gives a slightly different story but the game plays out the same. You get transported to the virtual reality world of ‘Kingdom’, a hard thought out name I know. You are then tasked with joining, and controlling marshals in a warring realm, where you fight in next to non populated or animated worlds with some forts dotted about. The aim is to fight over and have to take control of it as your own. Don’t worry though, each lead monster you have will walk at the pace of a dying snail, it’s tedious just waiting for anything to happen. These forts once taken after a literal arduous confrontation offer rewards. Mainly shit rewards I might add. They then act as strongholds you can then move units to and from as well as buy some optional extras, like cannons to aid in damaging enemy units prior to the fight.
The premise of this game could be really good, even with the limited monsters you gain on your adventures and eventually I’m assuming the Egyptian God cards. Let’s be honest as youths were the cards we all wanted, the ones you would show off to your friends until they then got three shiny blue eyes white dragons but I never managed to put enough time into it to get that far. I just don’t see how or why you would want too. There is no real distinguish between anything, and the weird paper thin plot is the only thing that makes the game move. Each individual monster have levels and stats that increase with XP, and can take battle items with them which after a while unlock new moves, effecting the state of play. There really isn’t much more to it than that, anything and everything all seems lacking in content everywhere area like they thought of the starting point ideas, and then proceeded to just end as they began.
This is a strange game, that lacks content for a style of game that needs, hundreds of items, attacks and creatures to all effect the style of play to your selected team for attacking and defending. It’s all wrapped in a strange story with a half arsed attempt at a tactical turn based RPG. Limp dicking around in a dead looking world, which hit 0 – 50 straight away and then coasted off the path into a ravine as the car ran out of petrol and then the driver just sat in the dead car hoping for a kind stranger to pass by and help.
I can only certify this a 3/10 just about tasty, and that’s mainly due to it being a Yu-Gi-Oh game, which comes from the fact the TCG and original anime holds some very fond memories for me. In all serious buy it for your collection but otherwise ignore it’s existence.
Nintendo Gamecube 5th December 2002
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