Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel, the preview of a spin-off with very particular rules
Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel
Fans of one of the most well-known trading card games in the world certainly can't complain: not even a year has passed since the launch of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on smartphones, PCs and consoles - currently tens of millions of downloads! - and Konami is ready with the next chapter of the series. It seems impossible not to compete with yourself, given that the market seems to be almost at risk of saturation: yet, after Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (flying over the console-only titles) we are ready to welcome Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel.The following is the preview of Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel: Konami itself invited us to attend an event entirely dedicated to the video game in question which, we remember, will debut on September 6, 2020 exclusively on Android and iOS smartphones (no PC and company, this time). Why should players abandon the already great Master Duel, or join it with the new Cross Duel? We tell you everything we have learned about this latest variant with very special rules.
New rules: Cross Duels
Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel and the "directions" that bind the attacks of monsters Yu-Gi-Oh, as a collectible card game, is constantly evolving: you have to keep constantly updated on new expansions, monsters, types of cards, rules. As for the case of Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel, it seems that Konami has specifically studied the production as a spin-off with very particular rules. Nothing of what you will find in Cross Duel, in fact, will be similar to the contents of Duel Links or Master Duel: the experience is now very immediate and with the starting series it seems to share, more than anything else, simply the iconic monsters and characters of the anime .The offer essentially consists of the Cross Duels, with the variants mentioned above. To be as direct as possible, four players compete at the same time, sharing the pitch; each player's section consists of three monster card zones and three magic and trap card zones, thus returning to a simplification similar to that already proposed in Duel Links (Master Duel had reintroduced the full terrain). That's not all, because at the same time every area of each challenger will be shared more or less directly with that of the others.
For example, anyone's central monster will only ever be able to attack the challengers' central alter ego; the monster in the area on the right will only be able to launch attacks on those positioned on the left, and vice versa. To explain everything is undoubtedly complex, but in reality the logic behind it is simple: there is no freedom in the Battle Phase, but one is bound to certain moves. And therefore the terrain must always be meticulously studied and kept an eye on, to avoid nasty surprises.
In general, other Yu-Gi-Oh rules have also been revised: it is no longer necessary to reduce to zero the life points (or Life Points) of the opponent to win. Not only does each direct attack guarantee the acquisition of an amount of points equal to the total damage inflicted, but the games in general end after eight rounds: a ranking is then drawn up and the one who at that particular moment is in possession of the greatest number of Life wins. Points. In addition, the turn structure is reduced to the Main Phase and the Battle Phase (respectively, in the jargon, Main Phase and Battle Phase): in the first, as many monsters as possible are summoned, neglecting the normal summoning rules, and traps are also placed. ; in the second, in addition to attacking, it is possible to activate magic cards to obtain general advantages over enemies.
Every good Yu-Gi-Oh! will understand well how the general experience has been drastically changed, not necessarily for the worse: simply Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel seeks to innovate the basic formula by adapting it to a renewed (and perhaps somewhat improvised) multiplayer context.
Game modes and potential
Yu- Gi-Oh! Cross Duel allows you to play in the company of famous characters from the animated series So far we have talked about the basic formula of the Cross Duels; but the game modes will be different and diversified as always. Clearly, the online games (organized in classified and not, with the possibility of creating rooms with about thirty friends at the same time) will see four players compete in "one against all". But it will also be possible to participate in real cooperative battles, to be exact in the Raid Duels: a gigantic monster will appear in the center of the field, with a truly incredible attack; a Monarch monster, for example, could exceed 40,000 attack points. The goal of those present will be to knock him down, one turn after another, in the shortest possible time. Once a boss monster is defeated, another will appear immediately, and so on in a chain of encounters with increasing difficulty.Again, there will be a single-player mode that will allow you to challenge the most famous characters of the Yu-Gi series. -Oh! taken in weight by the various seasons of the anime: Yugi, Seto, Jaden, Yusei up to Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens. In this case, our collaborator will be controlled by artificial intelligence, as well as the enemies. The interesting aspect of this proposal consists in the fact that a sort of "affinity" with the corresponding character will develop, duel after duel: this will allow you to unlock various types of bonuses, including the iconic monsters of the hero in question (yes, we're thinking about the various Blue Eyes of Seto Kaiba).
Online multiplayer will clearly be the backbone of Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel Of potential and goodies of this kind, actually, Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel appears to be much richer than the recent Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. All the monsters present in the title, for example, will enjoy their own 3D model, which will thus come to life on the pitch (but it can also be admired "in private", in a special menu). It is legitimate to ask, then, how many monsters in total will be present, because we just do not believe that Konami in a few months has animated every single card of the game published to date. Furthermore, the monsters themselves can be enhanced by a specific skill menu: this aspect is, however, at the moment, the least clear of all. We will need a real firsthand test to understand how it will impact the overall experience; in fact, we fear that microtransactions can cause unpleasant imbalances between paying and non-paying players. But there is no need to bandage your head before breaking it.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel represents a very curious variant, when compared to the more and less recent titles of the well-known collectible card game. The Cross Duels will require the presence of four players at the same time, real or controlled by artificial intelligence; their monsters will only be able to attack in certain directions imposed from above and not as freely as it always has been; in addition, the rules have also been drastically revised, with the possibility of summoning as many monsters as possible in the same turn and to activate the magic card exclusively in the battle phase. Very interesting, however, the return of 3D modeling and animations of all the monsters present (but how many will there be, in total?) As well as the possibility of "making friends" with the iconic characters of the seasons of the anime, enhancing between the other even their most famous monsters. As of this writing, Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel attracts and scares us at the same time; after all, even if it were to turn out to be an accident, it would not affect the already widely diffused Duel Links and Master Duel. We'll keep an eye on the situation for you.
