Yu-Gi-Oh! GX has a special place in my heart.
In addition to being the first new Yu-Gi-Oh! series after the iconic original Duel Monsters anime, it also arrived when I was starting at a new school. Suffice it to say, then, the early Duel Academy stories of plucky freshman Jaden Yuki and friends really resonated. (Before the series lost that refreshing low-stakes hook by focusing on ridiculous world-ending threats, anyway.)
Naturally, then, Konami’s latest Yu-Gi-Oh! game, Tag Force GX, is pretty much made for me. At New York Comic Con (NYCC) last week, I got to go hands-on with the game, and it felt like a proper homecoming.
Impressively, this is a full remake of the 2008 PSP game GX Tag Force 3, which never came to North or Latin America. That alone would make this a worthwhile release, but Konami has also greatly expanded on the original with fully overhauled graphics and animations, voice acting, new cards, online multiplayer and more.
“It’s the 20th anniversary of the anime, and so we wanted to celebrate the GX anime series, and so Tag Force was really a no-brainer,” says Yumi Hoashi, vice president of Konami Digital Entertainment’s card business.
“The platform was so old previously, and so we wanted to reinvigorate the brand overall, and also reinvigorate the game. It’s the 30th anniversary of the manga this year as well, and then GX. We focused a lot on Duel Monsters this year, but we’ve also brought back a lot of the GX cards as well, and so it was just the right time for it.”
In Tag Force, you play as a student going about their days at Duel Academy. It’s a simple but nonetheless effective premise that affords the game a novel sort of slice-of-life RPG framework wherein you’re able to explore the campus, befriend fellow students, find new cards and, of course, take part in lots and lots of duels.
Visually, the remake retains the chibi-style character models but gives them a welcome coat of paint. The real highlight, though, is in the duels themselves, with characters having fully animated and voiced 3D models. Say what you will about English dubs, but I’ve always said Duel Monsters and GX have really strong voice acting, Matthew Charles as Jaden, especially, so hearing all of that preserved in Tag Force brought a smile to my face. These animations extend to select monsters as well, with the likes of Jaden’s Elemental Hero Neos, Chazz’s Armed Dragon Level 7 and Zane’s Cyber End Dragon spring to life with aplomb.
To be sure, the dialogue as I ran around was often very basic, filled with all sorts of rote “oh man, I can’t wait to duel you!” banter. But of course, you’re not coming into this for a strong narrative; you’re here to, in the immortal words of Jaden himself, get your game on. That’s where Tag Force GX‘s titular team-up mechanic comes in. During duels, you and your chosen partner will alternate between using your respective decks on your shared side of the field.
I never actually played the original Tag Force games, so this mechanic admittedly took some getting used to. Seeing my teammate take over with completely different cards while also being able to use mine made for a decidedly distinct experience, making me consider how I could help him and he, in turn, could return the favour. To be sure, I still prefer 1v1 duels, and that’s thankfully still an option in the game, but I think I’ll come to better appreciate the change of pace that will bring over time.
But above all else, Tag Force GX just feels perfect for someone like me who was obsessed with Duel Monsters and GX but has gotten lost with the many new card types ever since. Indeed, the TCG feels practically impenetrable to veterans, and so these old-school video games are perfectly positioned to ease us back in and, maybe, even welcome in new players.
“The digital games help people learn how to play,” says Hoashi. “With Tag Force GX, we incorporated a casual level as well, which makes it a lot simpler, and so that should also help with the new players that are coming in.”
So far, Tag Force GX is exactly what I want as a lapsed Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, and I’m very much excited to play more.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force GX launches on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and Steam on Feb. 16, 2027.
Image credit: Konami
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