Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom

"Now, THIS is a duel!"

Introduction

This Real-time / Turn-based RPG is based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime.

You can play as either Kaiba or Yugi, who have both been sent letters to check out a program called ''Kingdom''. Kingdom is a VR-Program (reminiscent of a short span of episodes), but things seem to go wrong from the start.

Graphics 8

Very good graphics, for the most part. The castles / towns / and surrounding areas are well-done. Time-based effects (darkness and daylight) and pulled-off nearly seemlessly. Attack animations are the focal point of the game, and very well done. The only problem is that some of the monsters that are done in 3D aren't that clean or crisp, but it does not drag the game down that much.

There are many battle angles. Some are decent, but several aren't good. But, the ones that are more than make up for the bad ones.

Cut-scenes in the game are done excellently.

Sound 7

Repeats, at times, but not over-the-top. Battle sounds are decent, and you can, if annoyed by them, remove them during your campaign, but only in-between battles.

Story 8.5

The story-line plays out almost as if this was written like an anime episode, with lots to find and do. It has its humorous side, sometimes, but the humor is low-key enough to make it enjoyable.

Gameplay 7

It's not that hard to get started, once you figure certain things out. Attacking is an easy click one button and choose your opponent deal. At times, the game may be either boring, while waiting to heal, or challenging, when facing new adversaries, but it will keep you coming back to try again if you fail. Movement is easy in the game, and can be done in either 2D or 3D mode.

There is a lot of things to do, such as taking towns and beating enemies, and stuff to find in this game.

Everything, from item buying to team selection is very easy.
Almost anyone can play it.

This game isn't one where you can beat it in a few hours. It may take about 20 total hours to beat just one campaign, but the time taken and the increasing difficulty (to a point) make it worth the while. Battles in the campaign average about 10 - 15 minutes.

Replay Value 8.5

You can choose to complete one campaign or the other. Either way, you will be coming back, just to beat one campaign. There is a Challenge mode, also available, to hone your skills against various enemies.

Recommendation:

This game may not be a card game, but it is very well done. Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! are encouraged to buy it. If you're interested in an easy-to-learn, but challenging game, this may also be a good choice.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/03