Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses

About Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses

The gameplay begins with a dialogue between Seto Kaiba and Simon McMooran. First, McMooran allows the player to choose from several starter decks with a lead deck leader; each deck leader is dealt in threes, based on the name that McMooran requests at the beginning of the game. Kaiba then allows the player to choose between two teams: the Lancastrians (Red Rose) or the Yorkists (White Rose). Each choice later determines which characters to face in future duels, which are displayed on a world map within the game.

Each duel takes place on a 7x7 battlefield that resembles a chessboard. Each space has a unique terrain that is specific to the character they are fighting. Different terrains (such as normal, forest, meadow, dark, sea, wasteland, mountain, toon, crush, and labyrinth) can increase or decrease different types of monsters' attack and defence by 500 points, as well as increase each character's movement space. Three terrains have special effects: labyrinth, which no cards can pass through except for a few monsters with special effects; crush, which destroys monsters with more than 1500 attack points; and toon, which weakens all monsters except toon monsters.

Each duelist includes a "Deck Leader" who is also placed on the battlefield. It represents the duelists and can move around the battlefield while being vulnerable to attacks from the opponent. Each deck leader has a total of forty cards per duel; each deck has a "deck cost", which is a card's strength-based value. For each battle, the deck must be less than a specific deck cost that is significant to the opponent. Each deck leader can play one card per turn and is placed adjacent to them. When two monster cards collide on the field, they are flipped face up, and a battle is commenced similar to the trading card game, with life points deducted accordingly. Spell and trap cards can also be placed throughout the field and activated under a variety of conditions.

The game is loosely based on the Wars of the Roses, a series of conflicts fought between the House of Lancaster and House of York for control of England in the 15th century. Yugi Mutou takes on the role of Henry Tudor, the head of the House of Tudor, while Seto Kaiba plays Christian Rosenkreuz, the leader of the Yorkist clan force. Other characters from the series take on the roles and names of those involved in the conflict.

The player controls the "Rose Duelist," who is summoned from an unknown time period to 1485 by a Lancastrian druid to help them defeat the Yorkists and reclaim the throne. Both sides have eight "rose cards" with sorcerous abilities. The Lancastrians want the Yorkists' white rose cards because Seto's forces are using their power to create a barrier that protects their territory, and the Yorkists want the Lancastrians' red rose cards because Seto needs all 16 rose cards to attempt a forbidden "rose summoning" that would give the Yorkists great power. The Rose Duelist also requires all 16 cards to conjure enough power to return to their appropriate time period, forcing the player to choose a side.