FUN WITH BOOMERS, CANCER AGAINST ZOOMERS.
If you’re a boomer like me and dislike this ABC, SUSPENSION, ZELDA and SINK-O summoning shit, this game is not for you. That is - unless you got some friends to play with you with whatever actual fun decks you agree on.
If you’ve read other reviews on this game, you surely must have noticed complaints about turn length. That is because the most optimal strategies involve using the xyz/ pendulum/link/syncro nonsense to summon half of your deck in the first turn with cards that negate everything your opponent does. Seriously, everything: summoning a monster, activating a card effect, even taking a dump probably. It’s the most optimal way to play the game and also the most boring shit in the world. That said, it’s what the actual game of Yu-Gi-Oh! ™, unfortunately, has evolved into and not the fault of Master Duel specifically.
When it comes to Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel itself – it’s surprisingly fun. Not in a million years would have I imagined that I’d actually say that about a Konami game made post 2015, much less a free-to-play game. As of the writing of this review (20th Feb 2022), the F2P mechanics have been handled fairly. You can pretty much build any deck you want. You will run into a bit of a wall if you want to build multiple different decks quickly, but even then the game is generous enough with gems. With a bit of patience and some easy to do Daily/Weekly missions, you can get a lot of value out of this game without paying a single cent. Of course, this is Konami we’re talking about so it can (and I fully expect it will) change in due time.
Master Duel is very accessible – it’s meant to be enjoyed by the hardcore meta zoomer try-hards, returning old boomers like me who last played Yu-Gi-Oh back when the aforementioned zoomers probably weren’t even born and brand new players who don’t even know why someone would put their cards side-ways. The game has some basic tutorials that quickly introduce you to all forms of summoning, so don’t worry if you don’t know what this alphabet summoning and pendulum swinging is all about. I also like that by linking your Konami ID, your game progress transfers real-time and you can enjoy this game on multiple platforms hassle free.
That said, this game has some odd UI/UX problems. Nothing major but it’s the small niggles that add up and make for some frustrating moments, especially early on while you’re just coming to grasp with it. Also, the music is TERRIBLE. Probably the worst aspect of this entire game, so much so that I’ve had it muted since the first duel. Seriously, just put some tunes of your choice in the background instead. I’m also not a fan of the visual style of this game – it looks like a mobile game/Heartstone rip-off which was an initial turn-off but has since stopped bothering me.
OVERALL – PUT ON YOUR FAKE PLASTIC DUEL DISK AND GET YOUR GAME ON CUZ IT’S TIME TO D-D-D-DUEL!
If you’re a boomer like me and dislike this ABC, SUSPENSION, ZELDA and SINK-O summoning shit, this game is not for you. That is - unless you got some friends to play with you with whatever actual fun decks you agree on.
If you’ve read other reviews on this game, you surely must have noticed complaints about turn length. That is because the most optimal strategies involve using the xyz/ pendulum/link/syncro nonsense to summon half of your deck in the first turn with cards that negate everything your opponent does. Seriously, everything: summoning a monster, activating a card effect, even taking a dump probably. It’s the most optimal way to play the game and also the most boring shit in the world. That said, it’s what the actual game of Yu-Gi-Oh! ™, unfortunately, has evolved into and not the fault of Master Duel specifically.
When it comes to Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel itself – it’s surprisingly fun. Not in a million years would have I imagined that I’d actually say that about a Konami game made post 2015, much less a free-to-play game. As of the writing of this review (20th Feb 2022), the F2P mechanics have been handled fairly. You can pretty much build any deck you want. You will run into a bit of a wall if you want to build multiple different decks quickly, but even then the game is generous enough with gems. With a bit of patience and some easy to do Daily/Weekly missions, you can get a lot of value out of this game without paying a single cent. Of course, this is Konami we’re talking about so it can (and I fully expect it will) change in due time.
Master Duel is very accessible – it’s meant to be enjoyed by the hardcore meta zoomer try-hards, returning old boomers like me who last played Yu-Gi-Oh back when the aforementioned zoomers probably weren’t even born and brand new players who don’t even know why someone would put their cards side-ways. The game has some basic tutorials that quickly introduce you to all forms of summoning, so don’t worry if you don’t know what this alphabet summoning and pendulum swinging is all about. I also like that by linking your Konami ID, your game progress transfers real-time and you can enjoy this game on multiple platforms hassle free.
That said, this game has some odd UI/UX problems. Nothing major but it’s the small niggles that add up and make for some frustrating moments, especially early on while you’re just coming to grasp with it. Also, the music is TERRIBLE. Probably the worst aspect of this entire game, so much so that I’ve had it muted since the first duel. Seriously, just put some tunes of your choice in the background instead. I’m also not a fan of the visual style of this game – it looks like a mobile game/Heartstone rip-off which was an initial turn-off but has since stopped bothering me.
OVERALL – PUT ON YOUR FAKE PLASTIC DUEL DISK AND GET YOUR GAME ON CUZ IT’S TIME TO D-D-D-DUEL!
Zetru
2 years ago