There’s not much eSport at the fair. However, Konami’s new “Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel” could become one. We get a first impression
You almost have to look with a magnifying glass for eSport titles at gamescom 2022 in Cologne. eSport is on site and a visit to the Konami stand was a must. We had already been informed in advance that they would only be present in the merchandise halls and only with the title Yu-Gi-Oh; there was no news about eFootball.
However, one of those rare eSports titles could be the Japanese’ latest prank on their trading card game. “Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel” will not only allow two players to fight a duel against each other, but four at once.
The game will be played crosswise – three cards per round will be laid out for the three opponents. However, the different players should not be able to profit from synergies, but at most “interim alliances” should be forged. If one player leads, the others can join forces to restore the balance.
What is special here is that, unlike in Yu-Gi-Oh, life points can not only be lost but also gained. After eight rounds, or when a player falls to 0 life points, the game ends and the duelist with the most life points wins.
Already in Beta – But only in selected countries
The game is currently in beta in the Netherlands and Africa and the feedback is positive, according to Konami. Fans especially like the detailed animations of the monsters, which otherwise tend to appear in two-dimensional form on maps. In addition, the duelists can send all the characters known from the series into the race. Konami wants to make the most varied forms of play available, from a kind of solo campaign to a cooperative 4-player battle against a boss.
With the game, especially new target groups are in focus, especially younger players would probably ask for the special duel form.
Although the beta is running, they didn’t want to give us a release date. “Coming soon” is all that was said about it.
Ultimately, one can only make a real judgement when the game is available. But the four-player duel with animated versions of the well-known monster cards seems promising.
