Deeko's Review (9/10)

Culdcept provides gamers with a nearly limitless amount of gaming that is addictive, amusing and simply a must have for anyone who loves games...

First Impressions

Culdcept began as a collectible card game in Japan, though it never made a stateside appearance, even though the game was nothing shy of a hit in the Land of the Rising Sun. I mean, there is even a Culdcept National Championship for the game in Japan, where people play for cash awards, that's how big it is. Launched in 1997, the game has seen several video game related versions. The Saturn, Playstation, Dreamcast and Playstation 2 have all seen their share of the game and have enjoyed relative success. Though collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! are a hit in the United States, the world of Culdcept looked as if it would never be seen by American audiences... until now. NEC has been kind enough to bring over a Culdcept title on the Playstation 2 and though it may not be a Christmas hit, it is the first time North American gamers will be able to partake in the engrossing gameplay and incredibly amusing world of Culdcept.

Game Structure

A Cepter is defined as a person capable of controlling the book of creation and destruction, the "Culdcept" by name. Those who can control the book have the ability to summon creatures and items that can be used for good or for evil. The Goddess Culdra has seen the future and learned that a Cepter is coming who will use the power to destroy the universe and it is up to you to stop this being... the fight for the fate of the universe is about to begin.

The storyline really plays second fiddle to the overall gameplay experience. Culdcept is a game that has qualities of a collectible card game mixed in with a dash of a table top board game... and sprinkled with a hint of the classic Parker Brother's board game Monopoly. As a Cepter, you will make your way around the board and attempt to gain control of land and creatures in an effort to defeat your opponent

Each board is laid out in color coded squares. Like Monopoly, these color combinations flow into each other... you'll find a group of four yellow spaces and then a row of all blue spaces, followed by a number of red spaces and so on. Each colored area represents a specific land type and gaining control of every square in a land type will work to your advantage. Instead of purchasing the property, as in Monopoly, you can choose a monster from the cards in your hand to summon and thus make the property yours. Be careful, however, as some monsters are stronger when applied to certain types of land. You can check this before planting a monster by looking at the border of the creature card. If the color of the boarder matches the color of the landscape, that monster will receive a bonus. Some monsters are neutral, with a grey boarder and are best used for filler or to fight other Cepter's creatures.

As you roll the die, your character will move among these color coded squares and you will have the option of either summoning a monster (should the space be unoccupied), paying a toll (if the space is occupied and you don't wish to or have no monster to fight), or fighting an opponents monster in order to gain the square and avoid paying the toll. The ultimate goal in any game of Culdcept is to magic points. Reach a set number of points and reach the castle to win. It sounds easy, but there is a lot to the game... enough to make it incredibly deep, yet unbelievably accessible.

Instead of purchasing hotels and houses, you can choose to upgrade the land that your monster rests on. This causes two things to happen. First, it makes the space more valuable in terms of paying a toll and secondly, it causes the power of the monster to go up. This is a nice feature, as it will oftentimes force an opponent to cough up magic points, rather than be defeated by your monster. Of course, there are item cards that you can draw (you draw a card at the beginning of every turn), and these item cards might give you the edge you need, should you find yourself up against a monster whose strength seems insurmountable. Spell cards also exist within the game and can further help you defeat a creature, sometimes several turns before! Along with the color coded squares are special land squares, each on featuring a unique building which can aide a player. The castle is the main building on the board and earns you a bonus each time you pass it. You need to land on the castle in order to win, as well. You'll also find forts, shrines, altars and bridges, with special events or bonuses being earned should you land on them (or pass them).

If you manage to land on the castle or fort, you'll have the ability to enter the territory menu. By using this menu, you can do several different helpful things. Say, for example, you have a grey boarder monster on a yellow territory, but have a yellow board card in your hand that you'd rather use (since it gains a bonus). The territory menu will let you switch out that monster! You can also change the level of the land and the kind of land, but it will cost you magic. Still, leveling up land is the best way to make bucks in the game, as your monsters will become more difficult to defeat and the value of the toll goes up a lot! Use the territory option to your advantage!

You can only hold a maximum of six cards in your hand at any one given time, so you'll need to pick and choose cards carefully. It's nice to have a liberal amount of extraneous monsters in your hand, as well as weapons and armor, but you'll really need to find a good balance, as the computer will generally show you no mercy. The battle system within the game is quite simple as well. Should you land on a monster square or should another Cepter land on one of your monster owned squares, a fight may begin. The two cards will be shown on the screen in full glory and you'll see your hand of cards at the bottom of the screen. On each usable card is a button press, so you'll have the opportunity of using an item on a monster prior to battle. It seems odd at first, especially in a two player game, to have the actual hand displayed, but you won't know which card, if any, they picked, simply because you won't know if they pressed a corresponding button or not. Keep in mind, not all creatures can use items and armor, so you may go at it alone! Once items have been chose, one monster will attack. In most cases, the aggressor will go first, but some monsters have an advantage in battle which allows them the chance to strike first. There are other special attributes to be found on monster cards as well, so learning which monster to use in which situation is important. Once the monster attack, one of two things will happen. Either the defending monster will die, thus ending battle, or the defending monster will withstand the attack and counter with an attack of its own. If you were fighting a monster under another Cepters control, you will win that piece of land and not have to pay a toll. Should you lose or end in a draw, you will be forced to pay the toll and possible lose a monster in the process. Combat is very simple and straight forward, but has a decent amount of depth to it, especially as you gain more and more cards.

The number of cards in the game is over 480 and obtaining them all will take a fair amount of time. Thankfully, you have a book I which you can edit your deck and fine tune your cards in order to best defeat your foes. There are an incredible number of creature cards, spell cards and item cards to find and you are awarded a few every time you play (even if you lose). At first, you'll get new cards a plenty, but after time, new cards become less and less frequent... so play often! Some cards are common, but there are a number of rare and extra rare monsters to be found as well! The single player campaign is huge and features over 42 unique gameboards, so opportunities to gain cards will be common. Granted, some boards will take over 90 minutes to play (thankfully you can save at any time) and you might just lose... but this is one of those few games where losing isn't always a bad thing. I always found myself ready to get back into the thick of things and try again!

Editing your deck is easy and fun to do. You have one book to start with and you can choose up to 50 cards to hold in your book. As you earn more magic, you can purchase more books and thusly create alternate decks. Adding and removing cards is a simple and painless process and sorting them is something that the game does for you. Honestly, you couldn't ask for an easier interface. I originally thought I'd hate the idea of editing a deck, but Culdcept makes it easy and fun!

While the game sounds pretty deep, which it is in some respects, it is a game that can be played by anyone over the age of 10. The rules are simple to learn and the strategy within the game is simply something you develop over time. Learning to balance your deck may take some time, but in the end Culdcept is simply a game that almost anyone can really get into and enjoy!

Visual Appeal

First and foremost, the cards and the illustration on them are simple gorgeous. Designed by famous Japanese artists such as Naoyuki Kato, Hiroaru Kaida, and Kasyua Terada, these cards are simply enchanting and help lend an incredible air of fantasty to the game. The rich amount of color and detail is vibrant and shows just how much care went into their creation. This art isn't simply throwaway; it is spectacular and must be seen to be believed.

The rest of the graphics are quite nice and colorful, presented in a somewhat cartoon style art form. Character portraits are large and incredibly detailed and the in-game counterparts are just as fun to watch. There are a number of animations to be seen within the game and it will take a lot of time to see them all! Combat animations are simplistic, though they do a pretty good job in conveying damage... for example, if a monster wielding a sword attacks a card, the card is sliced in half. If attacked with a fireball, the center of the card may become charred or simply burn down if the card is defeated. They are simply effects, but well implemented and designed.

Soundtrack

The musical score is good and it fits the bill, but it isn't as stellar as the rest of the game. While the music never becomes annoying, it simply drags on, which can be a bit boring in a longer game. I still found myself enjoying the tunes, none-the-less and found that they fit the feel of the game quite well.

There are a number of vocal cues within the game as well and they are done quite well. While I can't say that voice acting is predominant (which is odd considering the amount of text during the game), the short voice cues are entertaining (though after you hear Holy Word 1 about 50 times, it gets old). Overall, the sound is as solid as the rest of the game.

Final Impressions

Culdcept surprised me. I had half expected something akin to Magic: The Gathering, which is a game that is enjoyable, but not a particular favorite. What I ended up with was a game that was filled with an astonishing amount of depth and a huge amount of overall fun. The number of cards to earn is staggering and the sheer amount of levels within the single player game is quite high. You can play up to four player multiplayer, as well, which only adds to the replay value of this title. I've heard that Culdcept has been released in somewhat limited quantities and recommend that people interested in a game like this find themselves a copy ASAP! It is a lot of fun and the gameplay value is almost infinite. This is one gaming sensation that has taken too long to find it's way here... and now that it's here, I can only hope it gets bigger and better!

The Deeko Minute