Out of nowhere, Konami launched Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel on Android. After the official announcement last year, Cross Duel for mobile devices is finally here. The stealth launch brings a four-way battle royale gameplay for mobile users. This is the second Yu-Gi-Oh! game that the developer of the popular series has released this year following the Master Duel earlier in 2022. YuGiOh Cross Duel arrives with no prior announcement to the surprise of fans.
Cross Duel brings a unique variation of the four-player card battle associated with the traditional Yu Gi Oh card game for mobile, where players face off against each other in a free-for-all format with original rules.
At its core, it combines elements of Rush Duels, Duel Links, and the regular card game format to offer something entirely new to gamers.
As for the gameplay, the spinoff title allows three opponents duel at once. Monsters will have individual skill trees that can unlock skills exclusive to the game.
Unlike Master Duel, which was a closely mirrored interpretation of the tabletop game, Cross Duel comes with a fast-paced multiplayer duel against three other opponents.
Each player’s Monsters are located on the three lanes with the powers to attack the rival to the right or left of them, with the final lane meeting in the middle for a four-way clash.
In addition to this free-for-all format, the dueling cuts through the complexity to present a simplified version of what we are familiar with, taking elements from the main card game and joining them with its faster counterpart, Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel.
Some cards have been tweaked to suit the four-way format, for instance, Dark Hole destroys all monsters in a single lane here instead of all in the TCG. Also, the extra deck, which is a key part of Yu Gi Oh!, gets replaced with RPG-style leveling for individual cards, making them to upgradeable from Normal Monsters into their more standard Extra forms.
Currently, Cross Duel is available in the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Canada via the Google Play store, with Konami playing to roll out the game in more regions over the coming days.
