Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses
Encyclopedia
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelist of the Roses, Released in Japan as , a video game for PlayStation 2
in the Yu-Gi-Oh!
series, has loosely been based on the real-world Wars of the Roses
.
Yami Yugi (Yugi Mutou
in the English anime and the original Japanese adaptations) could assume the identity of the head of the Tudor dynasty
, Henry Tudor
, while Seto Kaiba
would represent the head of the Yorkist
can force as Christian Rosenkreuz
.
The player can choose the Red Rose for the Lancastrians, or the player can choose the White Rose for the Yorkists. Each side has different opponents and different endings, but there is an option to restart the game after completion to travel the path not chosen in the first game. Both paths end with a battle against Manawyddan fab Llyr, a Card Guardian at Stonehenge once all sixteen Rose Cards have been gathered there. It's at this point that Seto will reveal that his family made a pact with a Card Guardian centuries ago (likely the DarkNite from Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories), and he allowed the gathering of the Rose Cards to summon Manawyddan in the hopes he was the Guardian his family dealt with.
. The game gives you two opponents to start with, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor, and depending on which one you defeat will determine what opponents you can battle next. If you defeat Weevil, you unlock Pegasus Crawford and Bandit Keith, and if you defeat Rex you will be able to defeat Necromancer and Panik (Darkness-Ruler). Players of the game often consider the latter the easier opponents, which usually leads to defeating Rex before Weevil. Defeating Rex's path unlocks, Panik and Necromancer, grant you a Rose card in which you need 8, but do not offer new opponents. Defeating Weevil's path unlocks however grant another duelist, respectively, Labyrinth Ruler and Ishtar. Defeating Pegasus Crawford does not grant you a Rose card and is the only duelist in the game besides Rosenkreuz and Mannawydan fab Llyr to do so. After defeating those opponents, a battle with Richard Slysheen of York is granted for the next rose card. A cutscene and extensive dialogue highlighting Richard's fall in battle is given unlike most other characters, giving a climactic, almost boss like feel to Richard despite him not being as proficient a duelist as other Rose Crusaders. Richard however is not considered a boss as he does not have unique background music
in his match, but the traditional castle icon over his mark is replaced by two swords clashing together. After defeating Richard, Yugi suggests you defeat Rosenkreuz, and Crawford, who has now sided with the Lancastrians, reveals Seto is at the Stonehenge. The respective map for this battle features a layout akin to the stonehenge, featuring walls surrounded by meadows. After defeating Seto, he uses the 16 rose cards to summon the "Card Guardian", Mannawydan fab Llyr. Featured on both sides, fab Llyr is established as a near undefeatable opponent in the game and uses many cards unobtainable in the game even after completion of both sides. On this side, fab Llyr's Stonehenge map is filled with the crush terrain that destroys any over 1500 attack level card. His strategy is to surround the outskirts of the field with powerful monsters while laying the middle with intensely high power trap cards.
If you choose to side with the Yorkists, the game features a more linear gameplay. Each opponent you defeat leads you to one new one, removing the option of choosing an opponent that seems easier to defeat, making it more difficult for those stuck on an opponent. The game starts in England, and progresses towards the docks. You first face Tea Gardner, a weak opponent. The game then progresses with T. Tristan Grey, another weak opponent with a higher deck value. After these two are defeated, Margaret Mai Beaufort is the final opponent to face in England, and features a much stronger deck than both previous opponents, in addition to a map tailored entirely for her deck unlike the previous opponents. After beating Mai, Mako takes you to France, but stops you on the way to battle you. The map features terrain to match the straight, having meadow in the top right and bottom left corners, the rest consisting of seawater to compliment Mako's water based deck. When you beat Mako, you land on France to face Joey (Christopher Urswick
). Unlike the two previous two opponents but like the first two, Joey does not have a map that specifically compliments his deck, making him an easier duelist than Mako and Mai. Continuing, you face Shadi Morton who is considered a staple in the game to receive higher powered cards such as Zoa. Shadi also has no specific map terrain bar one corner wasteland for his rock monsters, and the other corner forest for pyro cards. The enemy after Shadi is Jasper Dice Tudor (Yugi's grandfather). His strategy is two block both sides of a labyrinth box with traps and spellbinding flip effects while trying to successfully summon Exodia to win instantly. If this strategy is deprecated, he is easily defeated as he does not have powerful cards. Bakura is the next opponent and has a low cost deck of low power monsters on a field consisting of many crush pieces and forest terrain. Terrain changing cards and high power monsters are an easy way to over power him if you can bring your deck cost down low enough. Yugi is then depicted as a semi-boss, having his own unique BGM. The field for Yugi has a pattern of all terrains that continue from the top left of the board to the bottom right. Yugi gives you the 8th rose card after being defeated, and Kaiba uses the 16 Rose cards yet again to summon fab Llyr. On the Yorkist side, fab Llyr's deck features high powered, sometimes undefeatable monsters. The middle of the stonehenge is filled with Dark terrain, and the only strategy used is to overpower you with high attack monsters.
As you start the game, you are given the option to side with the Yorkists or the Lancastrians. The game initially highlights the Lancastrians side to imply playing on the "good side" lead by Protagonist, Yugi Motou. There is still the option to choose siding with the Yorkists, however.
gave it a mixed review, giving it a 5.1 out of ten. He said "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses is a game that can really be appreciated only by dedicated fans of the series who have been eagerly awaiting a Yu-Gi-Oh! game for the PlayStation 2. The presentation is terribly stripped-down, and as an odd duck sort of hybrid strategy game, it doesn't offer much accessibility or depth." IGN
gave it a mixed review, awarding it three out of five stars. They gave it a positive note, saying "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist of the Roses just happens to be the title matching up with the aforementioned heavyweights. And we have to admit; the game's premise is definitely surprising." But they did say " Complicated rule set aside (let's face it, anybody who picks this up probably already knows how to play anyway), the kid-friendly setting and familiar themes are sure to spark an interest in an otherwise neglected videogame genre. Expect heavy sales and heavy requests for improvements in a sequel."
On Metacritics, the game holds 59 percent out of 100 out of 14 reviews, while it holds 7.7 out of 10 by 54 user reviews. Game Informer
said "If a small portion of you has always wondered what a game like this is all about, this is the best card game that money can buy." Yahoo! Games
however gave it a negative review, saying "When these sorts of loaded odds are all you get in lieu of a competitive computer player, the whole thing feels like you're being cheated rather than challenged."
.com, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelist of the Roses had sold over 1.11 million copies in North America
only. And according to a website, the game had sold over 68,420 copies in Japan
alone. After the estimates, the game sold over 1.178 million copies worldwide, becoming a worldwide success. It is currently the #138 best selling Playstation 2 game in video game history.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in the Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
series, has loosely been based on the real-world Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
.
Yami Yugi (Yugi Mutou
Yugi Mutou
is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
in the English anime and the original Japanese adaptations) could assume the identity of the head of the Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
, Henry Tudor
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, while Seto Kaiba
Seto Kaiba
is a fictional character and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game...
would represent the head of the Yorkist
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
can force as Christian Rosenkreuz
Christian Rosenkreuz
Christian Rosenkreuz is the legendary, perhaps allegorical, founder of the Rosicrucian Order , presented in the three Manifestos published in the early 17th century...
.
The player can choose the Red Rose for the Lancastrians, or the player can choose the White Rose for the Yorkists. Each side has different opponents and different endings, but there is an option to restart the game after completion to travel the path not chosen in the first game. Both paths end with a battle against Manawyddan fab Llyr, a Card Guardian at Stonehenge once all sixteen Rose Cards have been gathered there. It's at this point that Seto will reveal that his family made a pact with a Card Guardian centuries ago (likely the DarkNite from Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories), and he allowed the gathering of the Rose Cards to summon Manawyddan in the hopes he was the Guardian his family dealt with.
Plot and story
If you choose to side with the Lancastrians, the map where you play over is on EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The game gives you two opponents to start with, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor, and depending on which one you defeat will determine what opponents you can battle next. If you defeat Weevil, you unlock Pegasus Crawford and Bandit Keith, and if you defeat Rex you will be able to defeat Necromancer and Panik (Darkness-Ruler). Players of the game often consider the latter the easier opponents, which usually leads to defeating Rex before Weevil. Defeating Rex's path unlocks, Panik and Necromancer, grant you a Rose card in which you need 8, but do not offer new opponents. Defeating Weevil's path unlocks however grant another duelist, respectively, Labyrinth Ruler and Ishtar. Defeating Pegasus Crawford does not grant you a Rose card and is the only duelist in the game besides Rosenkreuz and Mannawydan fab Llyr to do so. After defeating those opponents, a battle with Richard Slysheen of York is granted for the next rose card. A cutscene and extensive dialogue highlighting Richard's fall in battle is given unlike most other characters, giving a climactic, almost boss like feel to Richard despite him not being as proficient a duelist as other Rose Crusaders. Richard however is not considered a boss as he does not have unique background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
in his match, but the traditional castle icon over his mark is replaced by two swords clashing together. After defeating Richard, Yugi suggests you defeat Rosenkreuz, and Crawford, who has now sided with the Lancastrians, reveals Seto is at the Stonehenge. The respective map for this battle features a layout akin to the stonehenge, featuring walls surrounded by meadows. After defeating Seto, he uses the 16 rose cards to summon the "Card Guardian", Mannawydan fab Llyr. Featured on both sides, fab Llyr is established as a near undefeatable opponent in the game and uses many cards unobtainable in the game even after completion of both sides. On this side, fab Llyr's Stonehenge map is filled with the crush terrain that destroys any over 1500 attack level card. His strategy is to surround the outskirts of the field with powerful monsters while laying the middle with intensely high power trap cards.
If you choose to side with the Yorkists, the game features a more linear gameplay. Each opponent you defeat leads you to one new one, removing the option of choosing an opponent that seems easier to defeat, making it more difficult for those stuck on an opponent. The game starts in England, and progresses towards the docks. You first face Tea Gardner, a weak opponent. The game then progresses with T. Tristan Grey, another weak opponent with a higher deck value. After these two are defeated, Margaret Mai Beaufort is the final opponent to face in England, and features a much stronger deck than both previous opponents, in addition to a map tailored entirely for her deck unlike the previous opponents. After beating Mai, Mako takes you to France, but stops you on the way to battle you. The map features terrain to match the straight, having meadow in the top right and bottom left corners, the rest consisting of seawater to compliment Mako's water based deck. When you beat Mako, you land on France to face Joey (Christopher Urswick
Christopher Urswick
Christopher Urswick was a priest and confessor of Margaret Beaufort. He was Rector of Puttenham, Hampshire, and later Dean of Windsor...
). Unlike the two previous two opponents but like the first two, Joey does not have a map that specifically compliments his deck, making him an easier duelist than Mako and Mai. Continuing, you face Shadi Morton who is considered a staple in the game to receive higher powered cards such as Zoa. Shadi also has no specific map terrain bar one corner wasteland for his rock monsters, and the other corner forest for pyro cards. The enemy after Shadi is Jasper Dice Tudor (Yugi's grandfather). His strategy is two block both sides of a labyrinth box with traps and spellbinding flip effects while trying to successfully summon Exodia to win instantly. If this strategy is deprecated, he is easily defeated as he does not have powerful cards. Bakura is the next opponent and has a low cost deck of low power monsters on a field consisting of many crush pieces and forest terrain. Terrain changing cards and high power monsters are an easy way to over power him if you can bring your deck cost down low enough. Yugi is then depicted as a semi-boss, having his own unique BGM. The field for Yugi has a pattern of all terrains that continue from the top left of the board to the bottom right. Yugi gives you the 8th rose card after being defeated, and Kaiba uses the 16 Rose cards yet again to summon fab Llyr. On the Yorkist side, fab Llyr's deck features high powered, sometimes undefeatable monsters. The middle of the stonehenge is filled with Dark terrain, and the only strategy used is to overpower you with high attack monsters.
Gameplay
Although some rules of the game remain the same as in previous games, such as Field bonuses and Fusions, the duels of the game take place on a 7×7 table, with each player commanding a "Deck Leader" that will act as the representation of their Life Points as well as the means through which their cards can be played - cards can only be placed on the board in one of the squares surrounding the Deck Leader. While battles between monsters take place the same as in the real game, monsters have been required to move about the board to battle opposing monsters and ultimately deplete the opponent's Life Points or surround the enemy Deck Leader to prevent the opponent from playing any cards.As you start the game, you are given the option to side with the Yorkists or the Lancastrians. The game initially highlights the Lancastrians side to imply playing on the "good side" lead by Protagonist, Yugi Motou. There is still the option to choose siding with the Yorkists, however.
Lancastrians
- Yugi MutouYugi Mutouis the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
as Henry TudorHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, later Henry VII of England - Tea Gardner as Elizabeth of YorkElizabeth of YorkElizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
- Tristan Taylor as Thomas GreyThomas Grey, 1st Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
- Mai Valentine as Lady Margaret Beaufort
- Joey Wheeler as Christopher UrswickChristopher UrswickChristopher Urswick was a priest and confessor of Margaret Beaufort. He was Rector of Puttenham, Hampshire, and later Dean of Windsor...
- Shadi as John Morton
- Ryo BakuraRyo Bakurais a fictional character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! created by Kazuki Takahashi. In the English Duel Monsters anime, he is known as simply Bakura, and in the English Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul video game, Bakura's name is given in the traditional Japanese order and is rendered...
as Jack CadeJack CadeJack Cade was the leader of a popular revolt in the 1450 Kent rebellion during the reign of King Henry VI in England. He died on the 12th July 1450 near Lewes. In response to grievances, Cade led an army of as many as 5,000 against London, causing the King to flee to Warwickshire. After taking and... - Solomon Muto as Jasper Tudor
Yorkists
- Seto KaibaSeto Kaibais a fictional character and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game...
as Christian RosenkreuzChristian RosenkreuzChristian Rosenkreuz is the legendary, perhaps allegorical, founder of the Rosicrucian Order , presented in the three Manifestos published in the early 17th century... - Weevil Underwood
- Rex Raptor
- Bonz
- Bandit Keith
- Meikyū Brothers
- Player Killer of Darkness (also known as PaniK)
- Maximillion Pegasus as Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of DerbyThomas Stanley, 1st Earl of DerbyThomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England...
- Ishizu Ishtar
- Slysheen as Richard III of EnglandRichard III of EnglandRichard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
Reviews
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Duelist of the Roses received generally mixed reviews from game critics. First, critics did praise its graphics and music. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it a mixed review, giving it a 5.1 out of ten. He said "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses is a game that can really be appreciated only by dedicated fans of the series who have been eagerly awaiting a Yu-Gi-Oh! game for the PlayStation 2. The presentation is terribly stripped-down, and as an odd duck sort of hybrid strategy game, it doesn't offer much accessibility or depth." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it a mixed review, awarding it three out of five stars. They gave it a positive note, saying "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist of the Roses just happens to be the title matching up with the aforementioned heavyweights. And we have to admit; the game's premise is definitely surprising." But they did say " Complicated rule set aside (let's face it, anybody who picks this up probably already knows how to play anyway), the kid-friendly setting and familiar themes are sure to spark an interest in an otherwise neglected videogame genre. Expect heavy sales and heavy requests for improvements in a sequel."
On Metacritics, the game holds 59 percent out of 100 out of 14 reviews, while it holds 7.7 out of 10 by 54 user reviews. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
said "If a small portion of you has always wondered what a game like this is all about, this is the best card game that money can buy." Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games is the section of the Yahoo! website in which Yahoo! users can play games either with other users or by themselves. The games on the website are typically Java applets or quick Flash games, but there are others which require a download. Many of the games that require a download...
however gave it a negative review, saying "When these sorts of loaded odds are all you get in lieu of a competitive computer player, the whole thing feels like you're being cheated rather than challenged."
Commerical response
According to The Magic BoxThe Magic Box
The Magic Box is a fictional magic shop in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon. It is located in Sunnydale and was last owned and operated by Rupert Giles, and served as the primary headquarters of the Scooby Gang for seasons five and six.-Ownership history:The shop went...
.com, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelist of the Roses had sold over 1.11 million copies in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
only. And according to a website, the game had sold over 68,420 copies in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
alone. After the estimates, the game sold over 1.178 million copies worldwide, becoming a worldwide success. It is currently the #138 best selling Playstation 2 game in video game history.
Release history
These are the countries the video game was released in;- North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...