Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

About

"Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel" is a digital card game that allows players to build and duel with virtual collections of Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards. The game features high-definition graphics and supports online multiplayer, as well as solo gameplay against AI opponents. Players can compete in various dueling modes, including ranked matches and special events, to earn rewards and improve their skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

graphics134 positive mentions

optimization161 negative mentions

The game offers a vast card selection and a generous crafting system, allowing players to build their desired decks without spending money.
The graphics and animations are impressive, providing a visually appealing experience for players.
The solo mode is engaging and helps new players learn the mechanics of the game.

The mobile version is poorly optimized, leading to frequent crashes, lag, and connection issues during matches.
Players often take excessive time on their turns, making matches feel drawn out and frustrating.
The game lacks a proper ban list, allowing overpowered decks to dominate the meta, which can be discouraging for casual players.

optimization
525 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
54%
31%
The game's mobile optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting severe lag, frequent crashes, and excessive battery drain, even on high-end devices. Many players suggest that the game feels like a poorly executed port from PC, lacking necessary adjustments for mobile play. Overall, the performance issues significantly detract from the gaming experience, leading to calls for urgent optimization updates.
- “The game could easily have a better rating on the store if they just fixed the performance on mobile.”
- “It is clearly a game designed for PC, ported over to mobile, but never optimized to be playable on mobile.”
- “The game is poorly optimized for mobile and eats up RAM and has connection issues.”
- “The sad part is this isn't a connection/WiFi issue (because, like I said, solo mode will never have any FPS issues) but it's an optimization issue.”
- “Game is great, but it's almost unplayably laggy and sluggish on mobile, constant freezes and connection issues which result in unfairly lost games; it's horribly optimized, feels broken and janky.”
graphics
345 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
6%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and aesthetic appeal, with many users noting that they enhance the overall experience. However, there are significant concerns regarding optimization, as players report frequent crashes, lag, and excessive battery drain, particularly on lower-end devices. Many reviewers express a desire for adjustable graphics settings to improve performance and accessibility.
- “The graphics are amazing.”
- “I love the graphics and the soundtrack but it's not so pleasant to play at the moment.”
- “Great graphics, great concept!”
- “The game is unplayable currently; it is filled with bugs and glitches plus the graphics are very poor.”
- “I can barely play the game; it freezes every few seconds. Please give this app a reduce graphics button; this game is almost impossible to play considering all the lag and freezes.”
- “The graphics are not sharp, a bit laggy on touch, kills battery, and heats up my phone. It needs to be patched up ASAP.”
gameplay
295 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
49%
7%
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its mechanics, card crafting system, and engaging tutorials, making it accessible for both new and returning players. However, many users report significant issues with performance, particularly on mobile devices, including lag, crashes, and slow response times, which detract from the overall experience. While the core gameplay is enjoyable and offers a nostalgic feel, optimization and connection stability remain major concerns that need addressing for a smoother experience.
- “I love the gameplay and the tutorials you can use to learn how to play.”
- “The gameplay is great and I don't have any problems with it because I love it.”
- “The gameplay is clean and slick; almost everything in the game is affordable, and the crafting and deck-building system just make this one of the best card games out there.”
- “This game has anything but fluid gameplay.”
- “Good effort but this game has many issues, very slow to play on mobile and certain players will run the clock down instead of dueling in an attempt to get you to surrender; this game could be fantastic but slow mobile gameplay and toxic players ruin this game.”
- “The gameplay is terrible, can't get around in the game.”
stability
283 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
98%
The stability of the game is a significant concern among users, with frequent reports of freezing, crashing, and lagging, particularly during online matches. Many players experience these issues regardless of their device specifications or internet connection, leading to frustrating gameplay and unfair losses in ranked matches. Overall, the game is described as highly unstable and in need of urgent optimization to enhance the user experience.
- “The game runs great, plays well, and has a nice touch with the story mode.”
- “No glitches, no misspellings so far. USA region user.”
- “It's a good game; everything is fair and there's no glitches. I like Yu-Gi-Oh! also, so I like this game. Please make more updates! 😃😃😃😃😃”
- “The game has been crashing and the screen freezes a lot.”
- “Game freezes constantly, unplayable on high resolution.”
- “Every time I try to duel solo or ranked, the game freezes for a long time and crashes.”
story
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
74%
10%
The game's story aspect has received mixed feedback, with many players expressing a desire for a more robust and engaging narrative. While some enjoy the backstories provided in solo missions, others criticize the lack of a cohesive story mode and the repetitive nature of missions, which often lead to frustration due to technical issues like crashes and lag. Overall, players are calling for improvements in storytelling and more substantial solo content to enhance the gaming experience.
- “I love this game, it feels as good as the old PSP games I used to play. I hope they would give more of a story mode as they had in older games for some of us who enjoy some RPG feels.”
- “The game runs great, plays well, and has a nice touch with the story mode.”
- “Love the story mode and the PvP; honestly, one of the best Yu-Gi-Oh games in a long time.”
- “There's no real solo play or story.”
- “The main reasons for this is the lack of any type of story mode, and on top of this, this game heats up phones quickly, which means that it's not optimized well yet.”
- “It lacks any actual story and is pretty small, bots take a really long time to take their turns when you get further in and loaner deck battles can get pretty ridiculous in terms of fairness.”
music
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
36%
5%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, with many users describing it as fantastic and immersive. However, there are frequent complaints about the lack of variety, as players often hear the same tracks repeatedly during duels, and some express a desire for the option to select their own music. Additionally, technical issues such as app freezing while the music continues to play have been noted, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “Super f2p friendly, visuals, animations and music are gorgeous.”
- “Amazing graphics and soundtrack, and also stellar gameplay.”
- “The music is fantastic 👌 one or 2 more tracks (at the same quality please ^_^) the graphics pack a punch!”
- “I hate that I have to hear the same music over and over again every duel I play, and I also hate the fact that there's no feature where we are allowed to play against our friends.”
- “For some reason, it keeps crashing and after 5 minutes of playing, the app just closes. Sometimes the screen turns black with nothing but music in the background.”
- “Having to listen to the most horrible music while installing data made me delete the app before even playing it.”
monetization
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
43%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players labeling it as a "cash grab" due to the reliance on in-app purchases and overpriced card packs. While some appreciate the free access to cards and the potential for deck building, others express frustration over the game's balance and frequent crashes, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to be a significant point of contention, with calls for more fair practices and better rewards for players.
- “I expected it to be very difficult to build decks due to the nature of in-app purchases, but Master Duel actually gives you a ton of access to cards for free with a very handy card generating trade-in system.”
- “Accurate updates and an easy earning system guarantee you can acquire all the cards you want with no ridiculous in-app purchases needed.”
- “Great game and cross-platform, but it's a bit greedy with its in-app purchases.”
- “I'm instantly turned off when games come off as giant cash grabs.”
- “The monetization is what brings it down unfortunately.”
- “Game is too expensive, a money trap for younger audiences; I'd rather pay $40 for the game than get it free with microtransactions.”
grinding
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the game allows for free card acquisition through grinding, the process can become tedious and time-consuming, especially for free-to-play players. Many users appreciate the crafting system and the ability to build competitive decks with some effort, but they also express frustration with the prevalence of bots and the overall grindiness of the game. Overall, the game is seen as more accessible than previous titles, but the grinding aspect remains a significant point of contention.
- “The bots continue to plague the game; I can't play events or ranked matches because every opponent is a do-nothing, time-wasting gem grinding bot.”
- “Making your first deck isn't too hard within the first week, but after that, earning gems to make cards is too tedious, and the crafting system doesn't give you enough resources to balance out the bad pack RNG.”
- “A faithful mobile recreation of Yu-Gi-Oh! let down by extreme grinding and extremely RNG deck building.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often derived from its technical flaws and absurdities, with players finding amusement in its poor optimization and frequent crashes, which lead to unintended losses. Many reviews highlight the irony of the game's competitive nature, where players can lose yet still see their ranks increase, adding to the comedic experience. Overall, while the game has its serious elements, the humor largely stems from its frustrating yet entertaining mechanics.
- “Hilarious first 15 minutes (for the wrong reasons) and I thought I would leave a review because evidently that's all the time we need.”
- “The loaner decks are beyond funny that Konami actually believes they are usable.”
- “Very good, exceptional, and takes all of my time even though I keep losing... it's really funny 😄”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express strong emotional reactions to the game's technical issues, such as disconnections and unresponsive gameplay, which lead to frustration and disappointment. The loss of a previous game, "Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Generations," adds to their emotional turmoil, although some find solace in the new game despite its flaws. Overall, the emotional experience is marked by a mix of anger and nostalgia, highlighting the impact of technical performance on player satisfaction.
- “I was really pissed when they took Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Generations away, but this made me feel a lot better.”
- “It's heartbreaking to lose to disconnection when your network and Wi-Fi are at full; like this, it will be difficult for mobile players to climb the ranks.”
- “This game is broken, is not responding on my Huawei Nova 3i, and every time I complete a solo, it exits me out of the game. I don't recommend it at all for resulting emotional damage to me.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's replayability is significantly hindered by frequent crashes, poor performance, and limited deck viability, with only a small number of decks being effective. Additionally, the lack of a single-player story and minimal rewards from solo duels further detracts from the incentive to replay. While some improvements have been made, overall optimization remains a concern.
- “The game offers a variety of strategies and deck combinations, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “There are numerous challenges and events that keep the gameplay fresh, encouraging players to return for more.”
- “The inclusion of different modes and seasonal content adds layers of replayability that keep players invested.”
- “Most decks should be fairly playable; instead, only 10 or so decks are playable out of hundreds.”
- “Little to 0 reward in solo duels, and there is absolutely no single-player story with replayable rewards.”
- “Game becomes unresponsive and crashes frequently, along with extremely poor frame rate after finishing a duel every time.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the music for enhancing the experience, others feel it fails to capture the essence of Yu-Gi-Oh, citing a slow pace and lack of engaging card animations. Additionally, the game's environment is criticized for reflecting the toxicity of the community and tournament scene.
- “Still good though, the music sets the atmosphere well.”
- “This game is slow; the atmosphere doesn't feel like Yu-Gi-Oh, and neither does the music. The card animations are non-existent.”
- “It's as toxic as the actual community and tournament atmosphere.”