Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III - Sanseisenshin Kourin (Japan)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III - Sanseisenshin Kourin landed on the Game Boy Color exclusively in Japan, released by Konami in the year 2000. This is the franchise's first outing on Nintendo's color handheld, marking a step up from the original Game Boy entries. It's a digital card game that adapts the rules of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, letting players engage in duels against computer opponents. The import nature means all text and menus are in Japanese, which adds a layer of authenticity for collectors but also a barrier for non-readers.

Your main activity is building a custom deck from a pool of cards and then taking on a series of duels. A standout feature is the ability to create your own custom cards, not just edit existing ones. This gives you a degree of freedom rare for the time. The duel system follows the core TCG rules: summon monsters, set traps and spells, and reduce your opponent's life points to zero. There's a campaign mode with a linear set of opponents to defeat, and the deck construction screen lets you tweak your card lineup between battles.

For fans of classic Yu-Gi-Oh!, this title is worth checking out because it offers a pure, early implementation of the game before later entries added more complex mechanics. The card creation tool is a unique gimmick that lets you design incredibly overpowered cards if you want, but the real draw is seeing how the series evolved. It's a niche pick for import collectors and anyone curious about where digital Yu-Gi-Oh! began. Be prepared for a Japanese-only interface, but if you know the TCG rules well, you can play through the whole thing without understanding the story text.