Culdcept Review

Developer	Omiya Soft
Publisher	NEC Interchannel
Genre	Strategy

“My oh my, where did the time go?”

Prepare yourself, because this will be the most commonly asked question after you purchase Culdcept. Once again, NEC snuck a title into stores with very little bravado. However, unlike Tube Slider, this is one game that will suck hours upon hours from your life and will compel you to play over and over again. It’s a great multiplayer experience with a surprisingly addictive solo mode to boot.

Gameplay - At its heart, Culdcept is a board game that can be equated to Monopoly with a fantasy/adventure twist. The game has seen numerous versions and updates in Japan on Saturn, PSone, and Dreamcast, having gained a hugely popular following. The storyline, for those who need it, involves Culdcept, the book of creation and destruction made by the goddess Culdra. You play as a young Cepter, which is an individual able to summon from the book of Culdcept, on a mission to stop the one Cepter who is out to use his power to destroy the universe. The truth of the matter is that the story is almost completely unimportant as acquiring cards, strengthening your book, and ravaging your friends on the playing field will take up all of your time and energy.

Those familiar with the Magic games will find a nice variation with Culdcept. As mentioned, the game involves a great deal of card collecting and building your book (deck) to increase its strength. Cards come in three main variations: Creatures, Spells, and Items. The game plays much like Monopoly as you will summon creatures to occupy spaces or territories and then charge your opponents a toll should they land on your territory. If your opponent decides s/he would rather not pay the toll, s/he can then summon a creature in an attempt to defeat your creature and claim the territory.

Each round plays as follows: you begin by choosing a spell card. If you decide not to cast a spell, or if you don’t have a spell card to use, you simply move onto rolling the dice. After moving to the next space, if it is empty, you can summon a creature to occupy that space and charge tolls to opponents. If the element of the creature matches the element of the land, that creature’s stats and/or abilities are enhanced. If an opponent’s creature occupies the space you land on, you can choose to either pay the toll or summon a creature to do battle. During battle, you may choose to use an item (sword, armor, etc.) to help your creature along.

Interestingly, you’re also able to upgrade your territory – for a fee, of course – which will not only increase the toll amount, but also increase the overall value of your land. Leveling up your territory is key to success, as forcing your opponents to pay the huge toll could devastate their magic value and heavily benefit yours. However, it could backfire if they win in battle. The first player to reach the overall value (magic value) decided before the game wins.

For a card/board game, Culdcept is surprisingly compelling single player experience with the storyline spreading out as you play along and more items and boards unlocked along the way. However, it’s the multiplayer mode that really allows Culdcept to shine. Just like “real” fantasy card games, pitting your deck and your wits against your friends is an activity that could border on obsession. Much like strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which allow you to build up your characters and their job classes, the construction of a quality deck is as enjoyable as it is time consuming. It really is half the fun of the game. And don’t worry about variety. Culdcept has over 480 individual cards to collect, ensuring that a host of options will be at your disposal.

Graphics - As deep as the game is and as much of a joy as it is to play, Culdcept could have benefited greatly from stronger presentation. The cut scenes are nice, and the in-game graphics do the job adequately, but a bit more bravado would have been appreciated. For example, a bit more variety with the board would have been helpful as most of them are rather plain looking. Also, when entering battle, your creature cards flip onto a stop background. If you have a wolf card and attack your opponent, your opponent’s card will shred. (Because a wolf has claws, see?) A much cooler approach would have been having an actual wolf attack your opponent’s creature.

The cards themselves, however, are almost all spectacularly designed, each one of them having been designed by famous Japanese artists. The illustrations range from lush mysticism to gothic-style drawings. There is a tremendous amount of variety and looking at the illustrations on the front of the cards is almost as satisfying as finding out what the card does from the information on the back.

Sound - The audio category is easily Culdcept’s biggest letdown. Madness would have taken us had we not turned down the volume on our television and turned on the stereo throughout the hours upon hours we spent with this game. Again, the audio presentation between levels and during cut scenes is all well and good. It’s the handful of simple, repetitive tracks that loop over and over again during gameplay that made us crazy. And because Culdcept is essentially a board game, there isn’t much else to hear.

Our advice: love the game, kill the music.

Bottom Line - Personally, I was overwhelmed with excitement when I discovered that NEC was getting back into the publishing business in the United States. Tube Slider was a slight letdown, but I took into account that it was their first attempt. Culdcept has exceeded my expectations in nearly every way. The game is deep, addicting, and an absolute joy to play. Hilden and I have regular Culdcept sessions each week with our friends, and it makes the ideal party game for those willing to get into it and give it a chance. Sure, it may not be a laugh-out-loud, pick-up-and-play title like Mario Party, but it remains a remarkable experience nevertheless.

While the game could benefit from a boost in the presentation department, Culdcept is as addicting and enjoyable as the finest fantasy card/board games out there. Customizing your deck and taking over boards is a treat. For those of us who love niche games that don’t usually see the light of day outside of Japan, NEC may prove to be another publisher, like Atlus, who could satisfy our craving for these outside games. I, for one, can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.

Review by John Luedtke