Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: World Duel Carnival (Nintendo 3DS) Review

As this is the first, and likely only, videogame to take place within the ZEXAL sub-series now the animation for it is over, the roster for the game is entirely new for those only following the games themselves. Starting up the game, the player can quickly and easily choose to either follow a chain of events through a linear Story Mode or take on any one of the 40 characters in a Free Duel Mode. Story Mode takes one of twelve characters through the events of the Duel Carnival as they interact and battle with other characters, with the player freely able to change their deck formation as they go along. This mode is faithful to the animation, with character motivations and story arcs, and is for the most part enjoyable enough, as players can try out new strategies and combinations with pre-set deck formations. Plus, the fact that it isn't a nameless character being shoe-horned into the story is a welcome change to an established standard from previous games.

However, by going with set events the Story Mode lacks a crucial degree of variety that the older games did have, Motorcycle Racing and Speed Duels being a notable example. The formula is essentially talk, duel, save, duel someone else, save, and repeat. Controlled characters can be switched out whenever the player is in need of a change, and decks that can be re-mapped help mix it up, too, but as well written as the dialogue and events are, they feel very one-note.

For long-term fans of the series, the burning question will simply be: is the card game itself still intact and enjoyable? The answer to that is a resounding 'Yes.' Bringing together all of the mechanics that the card game has introduced over the years and even after introducing a new overlay summoning system called an 'XYZ Summon,' the core of the game is as solid and satisfying now as it has ever been. Seeing a deck strategy play out and keep the opponent on the ropes before delivering a resounding victory is still one of the most rewarding ways to win in a videogame that there is.

XYZ Summons add a new spice to the formula, bringing in a new type of black-bordered card that can be summoned in a similar manner to Synchro Monsters, but only using the Star Values on regular cards. As per the focus of the series, most duellists in the game tend to build deck strategies using these cards, and what may seem like an overpowered new element at first is surprisingly well balanced throughout, rarely feeling cheap or pulled out of nowhere. Putting these new XYZ cards together with Synchro Monsters, Fusions, Ritual, Effect, and Normal Monsters, and Spell and Trap Cards, makes a vast array of customisation options possible, not to mention the approximate number of 5,800(!) cards to mess around with.

Ironically enough, that number brings to light one of the biggest glaring issues with World Duel Carnival, and yet for a number of veteran players just wanting to dive straight in, it might be a non-issue altogether. In previous games, players would battle opponents and upon winning would receive Duel Points to use on buying booster packs, helping to build their deck gradually and develop new stratagems to progress further and unlock more packs to buy. In World Duel Carnival that sense of progression and reward is completely gone, save for the Story Mode events. There are no Duel Points to earn and no packs to buy, with every customisable element already unlocked. This does effectively mean that every single card is unlocked from the get-go to do whatever the player wishes with - somewhat of a positive for the aforementioned veterans, but this also means that two years' worth of new cards that no new games have featured are all thrown in at once, and in a very overwhelming manner. The way Konami has done this, and the lacklustre so-called 'tutorials' the game presents during what would be confusing duels for new players, instead of having its own dedicated mode, makes World Duel Carnival a complete no-go for new players wanting to get into the series.

Trying to sort through those 5,800 cards does highlight more functional improvements on the deck creation side of things, though. It's still fairly simple to group guards together in order of attack, defence, level, or any of their other variables, but the new text search option is a calling from the heavens that many fans will be relieved to see. Typing in a word or two will search for any card that has that terminology in its name or description; an essential tool for gathering together a subseries of card or other cards that work well with favourites. It's especially vital now with how every card can be chosen from straight away. The option to use an opponent's deck formation when having beaten them enough times is also welcome.

Aesthetically, World Duel Carvival is sufficient to the eyes with clear menus, character portraits with changing expressions to convey dialogue personality, and pleasing card art. When considering the hardware jump from DS to 3DS, however, this game is incredibly disappointing visually, doing very little that couldn't have been achieved on Nintendo's first dual screen handheld at a push. Only the 3D switch makes that bit of difference, and even then, due to how the game's Card Game field interface is Touch Screen-focused, all that pops out is character portraits and card text. A two-year wait to see such marginal improvements and sloppy use of the 3DS' abilities stings even more.

Thankfully, as with most games in the series, the music remains pleasing to hear and moves dynamically to fit the pace of the current duel, going for a hard-edged tense tone in more important match-ups and taking on a calmer fun tune for friendly matches. Voice acting that was present in the original Japanese version is omitted in the localisation - not so much of a con when considering its implementation in duels, whereas the player would have to click though several lines of character dialogue before said duellist made their move. This still happens without voices, but can thankfully be turned off.

Free Duel Mode is usually where most dedicated players will spend their time, and the one in World Duel Carnival has seen a number of smaller adjustments. Previous games featured actual duel monsters to battle instead of franchise characters, and whilst such an option sounds cool in theory, it wasn't very satisfying going against blank slates that just happened to have decks suited to their theme. Here there is the option to battle any of the characters in the show with any one of their own preset decks, with one made of the player's own choosing as well. The familiarity of the characters for fans of the show, together with the optional dialogue that they can use and the anime-style portrait summons they can do, makes them far worthier opponents. Like the cards themselves, each opponent is unlocked for battle straight away - a plus for player choice but a minus for any sense of progression.

Free Play Mode becomes even more of a blessing when considering the complete lack of any multiplayer functions in the game. Any hint of an online mode is non-existent, and players wishing to try out their superbly-made deck won't even be able to play against another human player. For a social game like Yu-Gi-Oh!, these features being left out when previous games had little issue with including them is completely unacceptable.

Speaking of omissions, World Duel Carnival has had plenty trimmed off for its localisation as well. The lack of voice acting is something the series has always had in the West, and something most would argue it doesn't need anyway, but the slimming down of just a dozen character campaigns in the Story Mode instead of the original 40 will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers. That, plus the complete removal of the Database and Device Modes, of which would have offered a look at Duelist Profiles and the choice to freely listen to the superb music in the game, further alienates new players wanting to learn more about the ZEXAL series and characters. The core duelling mechanics of the game thankfully aren't affected by these missing features, but the asking price for World Duel Carnival should have been lowered to reflect this. As of now, Konami is asking full retail price for the game, which is borderline insulting. Despite these numerous problems with the game, World Duel Carnival delivers perhaps the most enjoyable round of duelling there has yet been with the franchise, and the XYZ Summons add a welcome shot to spice up the game a little more.