For many, Yu-Gi-Oh is almost synonymous with childhood gaming. Do you create a deck of your own, or do you buy and upgrade a pre-built? Do you open boosters or save up for a box? If you're eager for a nostalgia trip back to simpler days of schoolyard TCGs, the popular game's Link Evolution PC release is a stellar choice.

The full title of the game - Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution - is a bit of a mouthful, but its 'Link Evolution' moniker describes the main draw of this version of the game. We'll go into a bit more detail on what Link Monsters are and how they work below.

In the meantime, we feel that we really should mention that the good old Yu-Gi-Oh we all know and love is alive and kicking, even in the latest ruleset. So fret not, if "Pendulum Summon" and "Link Evolution" mechanics just sound like too much work to bother with.

Get Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution on PC via 2Game, and snag our exclusive discount while you're at it!

Is Link Evolution a New Game, or a Legacy of the Duelist DLC?

As you may or may not know, Legacy of the Duelist isn't a new game on its own. In fact, the original version came out way back in 2016, and though it was pretty well-received, it didn't really get much attention from mainstream media. Whether that's due to the Yu-Gi-Oh IP having a strict niche appeal or for some other reason, we don't know.

In any case, the core of the game was pretty darn solid. Sure, a Metacritic of 7.4 might not be phenomenal, but what we got was a decent trading card game rendition that had - unlike many others - full offline support and progression. It didn't get many updates, however, until last year's release of its Link Evolution build.

Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is a massive standalone expansion pack, in a way. It takes everything that the original release delivered back in 2016 and adds more stuff to the mix. More card sets, more duelists, more campaigns - more of everything. Really, if you're chasing after a trading card game to play on PC that doesn't force you into competitive matches for real progression, there's practically no competition to Link Evolution.

What does 'Link Evolution' mean?

Now, onto the game's titular mechanic. The so-called Link Monsters present an all-new type of summoning that has a number of unique features. We'd call them complicated, but anyone with a passing interest in Yu-Gi-Oh knows that the franchise has long since passed the point of no return. Some will enjoy them, others won't: simple as that. Below you'll find a list of Link Monsters' defining traits:

• no DEF rating, no Level/Rank
• Link Summoned by spending Link Materials
• can only exist in a face-up Attack position
• affect the playing field and other Monsters with Link Arrows (can point in any direction)

There's more to Link Monsters than just that, but we're not interested in writing a bible here. If you've been keeping track of things, though, it's clear that actual positioning plays a major role in the latest ruleset, while it wasn't a particularly important consideration in Yu-Gi-Oh up until now.

It's the natural progression of most TCGs to grow more complicated over time. Just look at Magic: The Gathering, for example. While there's no avoiding the ongoing meta in M: TG's relevant PC game, however, Link Evolution PC does allow you to go back to a simpler time. One where Fusion cards were the pinnacle of complexity and casting the Dark Magician was one of the most exciting things you could do.

Can You Still Play Classic Yu-Gi-Oh without Super-Complicated Mechanics?

One of the main reasons why we're huge fans of Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is that it offers just about the entire history of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime via its many, many campaigns. In fact, you can even pick and choose which of the 150 (!) duelists you want to play against, which ensures that you can always go back and test a legacy deck if you feel like it.

Naturally, since Link Evolution PC allows you to build your deck from any Yu-Gi-Oh set of cards you like - and there's a lot to choose from - you can also mix 'n' match mechanics however you want. If you'd like to obliterate Kaiba's stupid Blue-Eyes White Dragon with a ridiculously powerful Link Evolution deck - you can!

How Many Cards Are There in Link Evolution PC?

Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution currently includes a mind-bending 10,027 cards to choose from. That's pretty much the entire repertoire that's ever been officially available for use in Yu-Gi-Oh. Impressive, isn't it?

What this means is that, in practice, you can recreate any deck you ever wanted to make in Yu-Gi-Oh. Let that sink in: whether you're looking to use any of the numerous meta-defining, tournament-winning decks available, or if you're just looking to recreate one of the snazzy, flavorful (but ultimately dumb) decks used by Anime characters, you can.

But you know what? It gets even better.

Are there Microtransactions or DLC?

There are no microtransactions whatsoever in Link Evolution PC. None! While you do need to build up your library of cards for use in matches, you can only ever "buy" card boosters using the earnable in-game currency. If we're only looking at proper and official PC single-player TCG releases, Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is downright unprecedented.

Does Link Evolution PC get Content Updates, though?

If you're worried that this game is going to be left alone after a while, and that it might be ignored in lieu of the latest real-world Yu-Gi-Oh developments, we don't think that's in the cards (ha!) anytime soon. Quite the opposite, in fact, because the game's massive March 2020 update introduced over 1,000 new cards and rulesets to the mix.

At the moment of writing, Link Evolution supports the April 2020 Forbidden and Limited card list, with the latest content included being everything up to the VRAINS series. Let us tell you: that's a whole heap of content, no matter what niche you're looking to fill.

Conclusion

There you have it. That's Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution for you. We do believe that there's lots to love here. Whether you're a fan of trading card games in general, or if you're just intrigued by the prospect of playing Yu-Gi-Oh on PC, there's not much in the way of competition here. It's a good game! Sometimes, that's the most you can really wish for.

Link Evolution PC is the cutting edge of the franchise, short of real-world tournament gaming. In fact, its singleplayer and multiplayer modes aren't likely to be beaten anytime soon. Not even by certain other franchises, we think.

Get started with Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution PC today!