Competitive play at long last
Konami have been hyping up a Yu-Gi-Oh digital announcement for weeks and today we learned why. The company announced a trio of games releasing in the West including Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel.
Rush Duel is a forthcoming Switch release that will launch this fall. Konami are hoping this will serve as an “entry point” for gamers of all type looking to get into the series while still serving up competitive bite. This is a game for fans of the anime, too, and the somewhat modified gameplay seems intent on speeding up an average game.
Five years into its lifespan, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is getting a new update focused on the Arc V anime series, suggesting that the mobile and Steam release will continue receiving support moving forward.
Konami took advantage of the opportunity to talk mobile games by introducing Cross Duel in what they tease will be a four-player battle format. No additional information was presented except an announcement it’s “Coming soon”.
The marquee announcement, though, is Master Duel. It promises to be the core Yu-Gi-Oh! experience for those wanting to play the Master Rules of the OCG/TCG but with a little bit of the presentation flair fans my have grown to imagine from the anime.
Much like MTG: Arena, when cards are played or powers chained, graphics will announce the action. Cards land with a thud when they’re played and graphics swirl around special summons such as Synchros and Fusions. Even Arena’s pets are here as we’ve spied Duel Monsters like the Dark Magician watching in on a match.
Releasing on every current system–from Xbox Series X to Nintendo Switch along with mobile, PC, and some last-gen platforms like PS4 and Xbox One–Master Duel promises to be the first 4K duelling experience.
Konami was explicit that Duel Links and its partner release Yu-Gi-Oh: Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution are the releases aimed at fans of the manga and anime while Master Duel is all in for OCG/TCG fans.
Master Duel will also be positioned at the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships, the premier event for the card game, and while Konami haven’t said it, it’s increasingly likely they will move to make it a core part of the event given the game’s easy to follow presentation.
No release date has been given but PR have confirmed it’s “coming soon” as well.
This is a developing story…
