Yu-Gi-Oh has come a very long way from when I first started playing the card game way back in June 2002. Back then, the rules were much simpler and the grind was easier and I had great memories playing the card game along with attending local tournaments. The first big change to Yu-Gi-Oh outside of the yearly forbidden/limited list was the introduction of Synchro Monsters back in 2008 and since then, more types of new types of monsters and summoning were introduced. It may seem bvery overwhelming at first, but it will be simple once you get around to the rules. This year, Yu-Gi-Oh finally comes to the Switch and I got my hands on a review copy of Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution and here are my thoughts of the game.
If you are familiar with the Playstation 4 port of the game, then you know how the mnechanics work. But this version of the game, has the Link Summoning rule that was introducted in the VRAINS series. In fact, this game’s campaign mode features the stories from the original series, GX, 5D’s, Zexal, ARC-V, and the current VRAINS series with over 9000 cards in the game. That is right, this game has the most cards out of any video game in the Yu-Gi-Oh series. You have the option to play whichever story you want so for instance, if you want to start with 5D’s, you can right away. You can do that, but I recommend to playthrough it in order for first time players. I say this because once you begin 5D’s, you will have to learn the Synchro Summon mechanic. Zexal has the XYZ Summon, ARC-V has Pendulum Summon, and VRAINS as I said before, has Link Summoning. Each of those along with Fusion and Ritual will have a learning curve for you to endure, but it is worth it when you customize your decks with the many options of cards. Speaking of the cards, many of them you will have to unlock by purchasing them in their shop (Not with real world money) in different booster packs.
Link Summoning and its monsters changed the gameplay of Yu-Gi-Oh forever as the field matters more than ever. Link Monsters have arrows on the edges of its cards and depending on what it points to, good or bad effects can happen so not only that you have to pay attention to where you place your cards, but where your opponent plays their cards as well. This feature I had the most time thinking about whenever I am about to Link Summon since I knew about the previous summoning mechanics from years ago. You also get most of the Link Monsters from the VRAINS campaign, but I have a feeling that there will be more DLC from the VRAINS campaign since the show is still ongoing.
This game also supports local and online multiplayer with ranked matches. I did not experience lagging or cheating during my online matches so that is a great thing. Another mode that caught my interest is the Battle Pack Mode and for that mode, you can use decks that are already built in your matches. But this will come with an in-game currency fee so it is totally up to you if you want to use this mode.
This game to me, celebrates the 20+ year anniversay of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise and I recommend new and veteran players to pick this game up and play it. It is challenging, fun, and worth the wait especially since there has not been a full fledged Yu-Gi-Oh video game on a Nintendo console in almost 7 years. Yu-Gi-Oh has a special place in my teenage years and it still manages to find me being drawn back to the series. Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is the treasurebox of all Yu-Gi-Oh video games and I appreciate the efforst that Konami has put in this massive game!
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