For several years now, the trading card-based Yu-Gi-Oh! television show has stayed wildly popular among its fans around the world. And now with the heavy shift in characters and settings to the brand new Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Konami has released another game based on the series: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Duel Academy. Though lacking in some respects and leaving features to be desired, Duel Academy is a solid version of a card game that has thrived for an impressive period of time.
Duel Academy places you in the shoes of a new duelist at a school where Yu-Gi-Oh! is the only subject. Soon after your arrival at the school, you’re placed into the dorm room called Slifer Red, where you’ll meet the main characters of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX television show. From this starting point, you need to work your way up through the ranks—from the shameful "Dropout Boy" to the prestigious "King of Games"—and to the upper dorms named Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue.
"...a solid version of a card game that has thrived for an impressive period of time."
|
After an optional but thorough tutorial on how to play the card game, you’re given three new decks which you can immediately duel other students with. It’s nice that the game starts you off with coherent decks too, so you won’t be left struggling in the numerous duels you’ll be participating in. In fact, Duel Academy is much more enjoyable precisely because you’re eased into the game instead of just being left to figure everything out on your own.
With each duel you win, you’ll earn currency called Duel Points, which you can use to purchase new cards at the academy’s shop. Though at first you’ll only be receiving basic cards, you’ll eventually find more advanced cards with which you can modify and fine-tune your deck. Deck-building isn’t just a way to keep Duel Academy from becoming monotonous—it’s also an addictive and essential aspect of the game.
"...you’re eased into the game instead of just being left to figure everything out on your own."
|
Duel Academy progresses with the use of a calendar, and the game’s events occur accordingly. Various events will take place during the school week, but on the weekends you’re allowed to explore the academy’s island and to duel other students that you meet. New booster packs arrive every Tuesday in the Shop, and there is testing for dorm switches every month.
What’s strange about Duel Academy is that even though you are in a school, you don’t learn much about the intricacies of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. After the initial tutorial, you’re basically left to fend for yourself in terms of strategy and tactics. Moreover, the Dorm Switch exams that you’re given ask you questions that will probably leave you completely in the dark as to what their answers are. The game gives you no test preparation beforehand, so you basically need to guess or scramble to look up the answers to the questions, and with the pressure of a ten-second time frame as well.
As in other Yu-Gi-Oh! games, Duel Academy’s Shop allows you to input codes found on the official Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards so that you can import new cards into the game. Not surprisingly, this feature can turn out to be very helpful when you need an extra boost in the power of your deck, or when you just want to test out a certain monster or spell card that you own. The only downside to the importing feature, though, is that you need to pay Duel Points to import a card (usually a fairly hefty 1,000 Duel Points per card), and that you can’t import a card more than once. Nevertheless, importing is a welcome addition to the game.
"After the initial tutorial, you’re basically left to fend for yourself in terms of strategy and tactics."
|
Duel Academy’s visuals and sound are quite good. For the most part, its environments and characters are well-designed and visually appealing, the only negative being the interface shown while dueling, when objects aren’t as clearly defined. The music, on the other hand, is well-composed and appropriate for the game. Throw in play time that amounts to however long you choose to continue attending the Academy, as well as 100 puzzles included for you to solve, and you’ve got very solid production values for a very solid title.
If you haven’t taken a liking to Yu-Gi-Oh! already, Duel Academy won’t make you change your mind, and you might want to pass on the experience if you’re expecting to learn many new tricks and strategies from the Academy. Regardless, Duel Academy is a fairly enjoyable title, and one that is a recommendable purchase to any fan of the trading card game.
