Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom

"It's not Duel Monsters, but heck, I'm not complaining"

No matter where you look, you can't escape it. Yu-Gi-Oh is everywhere. The popular card game has spawned all manner of toys, games, and other various paraphernalia. Now, the phenomenon comes to the GameCube in an entirely new experience entitled Yu-Gi-Oh: The Falsebound Kingdom. It skillfully blends RTS and turn-based RPG action in a plotline that combines the modern and the ancient.

The story takes place after the Battle City tournament. Yugi Mutou, our heroic super-duelist, along with his friends, have been invited to SIC Domino Labs to test out their latest venture: ''Kingdom,'' a multiplayer VR adventure in which players take on the roles of Marshals for the Resistance against an evil empire. Despite suspicions by Yugi's partner Yami from within the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi jacks into the game. Of course, the game goes horribly wrong and now Yugi can't jack out...unless he and his friends beat the game.

Of course, you couldn't have a Yu-Gi-Oh story without Yugi's eternal blood-rival, Seto Kaiba. It turns out that he has his own story line.

The gameplay begins with your team of marshals, led by either Yugi or Kaiba. Each marshal commands a team of up to three monsters from the Yu-Gi-Oh world. You can equip your monsters with up to three items apiece. Your mission in each stage is to liberate a specific town or base. In the process you may come across random battles against a wild monster. If you manage to defeat the monster, it may join your army for a future mission.

Of course, the enemy also has marshals. When two marshals meet, battle begins! The turn-based combat system is simple, button-driven, and action-packed. Battles don't always come down to last monsters standing. The length of a battle depends on the monsters' ability points. Each action costs a number of AP, and you get Battle Points based on your actions. Once all the AP of all the monsters is exhausted, the marshal whose team has the most battle points wins. However, the enemy marshal remains on the field until all of his monsters are gone. You get experience from battle to level up your monsters and discover combination attacks along the way. Of course, you need to defend your own footholds as well. Otherwise, the enemy is gonna swamp ya.

I like this game. It's a genuinely unique challenge, and the monsters look so awesome in 3D. The sound is a little subdued, but it's good enough. And the game demands a great deal of strategy to manage your troops.

Sure, it's not the card game, but it's still fun.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/03