Video Games > GameCube > Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom Review (no fat)

by Konami

Platform: GameCube
Genre: RPG

ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release: 2003-11-04

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom Features:

Tactical 3D monster battles
Towns can become bases and strongholds
Search for free roaming monsters

Egamer's Rating: 7 / 10.
Reviewed on: 2006-03-15

Game Description

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a popular anime series that has been converted into several video games. Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom for the Nintendo Gamecube is a break from the traditional card playing action of both the anime and game series. Yugi Mutou and his friend as well as his arch enemy Seto Kaiba and Seto’s little brother are tricked into a virtual world based off of the card game. Now inside a virtual world, on opposite sides of a war, they must find their way to whatever ending the game has in store for them. In this version, you can play as either Yugi Mutou or Seto Kaiba and face two different storylines.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom Gameplay

This installment in the ever expanding Yu-Gi-Oh! series differs from its predecessors, as it’s not a card game. The Falsebound Kingdom is a strategy RPG that uses 3D images of the monster cards to do battle. As either Yugi or Seto, you will have control over several Marshals in your game. Marshals are either characters from the anime series or new characters added for this installment. Marshals have control over 3 card monsters which duly battle the monsters of other marshals. Only the monsters do battle in this game so each monster has its own stats and it levels up based on experience points.

The virtual game is set during the feudal area in the middle of a war between the rebels and the current rule. Yugi fights for the rebels and Seto fights for himself. Much like the card game, you can give your characters “weapon” cards that grant them special abilities. Towns that you take from the enemy can be converted to strongholds which heal your monsters or you can open a shop and buy healing items for your monsters.

The game board that you are given typically contains 1 or more towns that you must capture to move forward. Each marshal has a leader monster that is used as the icon on the game board and you move these monsters by using the hand cursor and selecting the monsters destination. A small green circle surrounds your monster and when this green circle touches a town or an enemies circle, than a battle begins.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom Battle System

The Marshals use their monsters to do battle. The only elements that a Marshall adds to the matches are special health and movement bonus that depend upon the Marshall affinity with the monster. Each Marshal is given 3 monsters to use in battle and the number of times a monster can attack, depends on the type of monster. Your monsters are given the option to attack, defend or wait a turn. Battles involve strategy as you have a limited number of total turns. When both teams use up their available turns, the match is over and the team with the most damage loses.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom Technicalities

The sound in the game is nothing special. It is more like background noise than an actual soundtrack. The music doesn’t detract from the gameplay but it doesn’t make it any more interesting either. The graphics aren’t particularly high tech. There is no CGI and everything else, such as character portraits, look as if they were drawn on paper. The game maps have the appearance of a slightly fuzzy bitmap. The best visuals are the monsters themselves, and their portraits are more detailed better than the actual 3D images.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom – Summing Up

This is the first Yugi game that attempts action beyond that of card playing. You still see the same monsters but now you have control of their actions instead of just moving their card. Each monster uses his signature attack in battle, and while not very creative, they are still interesting enough to watch.

If you are a fan of the series, this is a nice break from the traditional card game. If you are not, this game will probably not hold as much interest for you. Beyond the fact that it is a Yugi game, there is no particular feature that stands out from any other similar game. While it is entertaining at times, overly it is an average game that only sparkles if you are a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.