The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection brought back a lot of classic titles, but there’s one Yu-Gi-Oh game that more than deserves its own comeback. With Yu-Gi-Oh still having a strong fanbase after over twenty years, it’s little surprise that it would have a long history of video games. The Early Days Collection paid tribute to that history, but there are plenty of Yu-Gi-Oh games that were not included. There is one game in particular that has more than earned its reputation. It wasn’t in the Early Days Collection, but it has more than earned a release on current-gen consoles.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection gathered 14 Yu-Gi-Oh games that were originally released for Game Boy consoles from 1998 to 2004. Most of these were card games, including the Duel Monsters games that predated the official card game’s release and used their own version of the rules. The collection also includes Monster Capsule GB and Dungeon Dice Monsters, which focus on games aside from the card game as a throwback to the series’ original focus on gaming in general. The games in the collection are a far different experience from Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, and it’s an interesting look overall at Yu-Gi-Oh‘s earlier years.
The first Yu-Gi-Oh videogame ever released, Yu-Gi-Oh Monster Capsule: Breed and Battle, had nothing to do with the card game.
Related
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links May Need To Ironically Evolve to Keep Up With Pokemon TCG Pocket
Announced in the latest Pokemon Presents, Pokemon TCGP enters Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links’ market space, challenging the latter to improve.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories is a Prime Candidate For a Modern Port
Forbidden Memories May Be the Most Iconic Old Yu-Gi-Oh Game
One title missing from the Early Days Collection‘s list of titles is one of the series’ biggest. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories was a PlayStation game that followed the same general rules as the early Duel Monsters titles, with a couple of twists. Taking place in Ancient Egypt, the game follows Pharaoh Atem as he duels to avenge his family and stop the wicked high mage Heishin from ruling all of Egypt. Forbidden Memories has its own story that doesn’t really intersect with the actual plot of Yu-Gi-Oh, but is more of an alternate retelling. It may not be canon, but it’s still a fun and challenging journey.
Forbidden Memories Still Has a Devoted Fanbase
Forbidden Memories is fairly notable for its thriving and impressive speedrunning community. Despite Forbidden Memories‘ high difficulty and heavy reliance on luck, a lot of speedrunners enjoy challenging themselves with the game. Not only that, but challenge runners have found plenty to like about the game as well, attempting to beat the game with various themed decks. Even though the game’s mechanics are old and simple compared to modern Yu-Gi-Oh, that doesn’t detract from its popularity. In fact, it’s a good alternative considering how complicated and fast-paced the card game is now. Forbidden Memories is still enjoyable despite the passage of time.
The Flaws of Forbidden Memories Could be Addressed in a Remaster
A remake could also solve some of Forbidden Memories‘ issues, similar to the Early Days Collection‘s quality-of-life changes. In Forbidden Memories, some cards were only obtainable through the Pocket Station, a peripheral only available in Japan, which made them unobtainable to everyone else. This is particularly painful since that list included many excellent cards. Likewise, while players could buy cards with Starchips, most strong cards cost 999,999 starchips, which was more than one could ever expect to earn in-game. By addressing these issues while keeping the overall challenge and formula intact, players could get a better version of Forbidden Memories than ever before.
Forbidden Memories deserves a remaster, possibly more than any other Yu-Gi-Oh game. While players have Master Duel for modern Yu-Gi-Oh, Forbidden Memories is a fantastic throwback to the older days of the series. It may be one of the hardest games for the PlayStation, but that hasn’t stopped the gameplay from holding up. In fact, Forbidden Memories would only need a few minor adjustments at most for a modern release. A Forbidden Memories remaster feels like the best next move for the future of Yu-Gi-Oh games.
Digital Card Game
Strategy
- Released
-
December 9, 1999
- ESRB
-
E