Culdcept BEGINS is the newest entry in the long-running Culdcept series, and the first new title to be released since 2016's Culdcept Revolt on the Nintendo 3DS.
Like the titles before it, the game mixes the mechanics of board games, such as Monopoly, with those of a tactical card game, resulting in a unique blend of strategy. While the main game contains a full story mode to play through, Culdcept BEGINS also features a robust online multiplayer mode alongside local SharePlay support. Here, players can put their custom-built decks to the test and battle it out against others in hectic matches where one wrong move can cost them everything.
Ahead of its full release, we here at Netto's Game Room were given the opportunity to check out the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game. I personally had little experience with Culdcept until now, making the game my first true foray into the series. I'll admit I was a bit nervous, especially considering card games are not my forte, but it didn't take long to get the hang of things. After spending dozens of hours with the game, I found myself thinking about my card decks even when I wasn't playing, trying to figure out new ways I could customize them. To that end, it is definitely a title that sticks with you. It is a game that is both fun and addictive, easy to learn yet difficult to master, but it is also not for everyone. To put it bluntly, if you are not a fan of board games, then Culdcept BEGINS might not do much to change your mind; however, for everyone else, it will be incredibly easy to get sucked in.
The Story:
The game's story begins with the legend of a being known as the Culdcept. After being broken into countless stone shards known as Culds, the fragments fell to the world, causing monsters to emerge while also bestowing their power upon the people. Those able to use this power became known as Cepters. Our protagonist, Kamru, attempts to follow in the footsteps of the most famous Cepter of all—a man known as Origin. To that end, he enrolls in the Royal Cept Academy with hopes of becoming a member of the Royal Cepter Guard Regiment; however, when the country is attacked, things take an unexpected turn.
Similar to many tactical RPGs, Culdcept BEGINS' story is told through cutscenes both before and after matches, with some dialogue being displayed during gameplay as well. While the main game is linear, players are given dialogue choices from time to time, and side stories also open up to provide additional context. Due to how "short" the main game is, however, most of its surprises happen quite early on. So, while the overall plot is still interesting, it is told at a much quicker pace. Even so, the matches themselves take quite a while to complete, so one can expect to invest well over a dozen hours into the main story—and even longer as the difficulty ramps up and luck doesn't fall in your favor. With some side stories requiring fixed decks, there are quite a few challenges to face along the way, but by the end of the main campaign, you'll be ready for the "true" Culdcept experience.
The Rules and General Gameplay:
As previously mentioned, Culdcept BEGINS is a board game RPG with trading card game-like elements, featuring multiple layers of mechanics that are introduced as the game goes on. While the story mode locks new game boards behind progression, the free play and standard player match modes allow players to choose whichever map they would like to play on. Earlier, more basic boards feature a simple square shape with key points on the corner spaces, but others introduce multiple paths, dead ends, and even warp points that send players to different sections of the board. With branching paths allowing players to choose their direction of travel, there is no set "correct" path to take, but they will all eventually loop back around to the beginning—a space known as the Castle.
To win a game of Culdcept, players simply need to reach a required amount of magic, known as "G," and return to the Castle space before their opponents. Although G is also used as the in-game currency, it is separated between what you currently hold and your total value. The total tallies up all earned G, as implied, but also takes into account spaces controlled and bonuses acquired during the match. Spending G to take actions will not lower the overall total, but losing a space or being hit by an opponent's special card will. Once players have obtained their required total—typically 8,000 G—and passed through the required "Fort" spaces on the board, they can complete their lap by returning to the Castle to claim victory. Since using the Castle requires visiting the Fort spaces first, players cannot simply race to the goal once the limit is reached. This leaves room for opponents to pull the rug out from under the leader and take the lead before they arrive at the destination. This setup builds incredible tension for the player in the lead while giving hope to everyone else involved, often leading to truly surprising outcomes.
When it comes to earning G, the primary method is utilizing the roughly 400 cards that can be unlocked in-game. At the beginning of each turn, a single card is drawn, which can be a Creature, Spell, or Item card. Creature cards represent characters that can be placed on the board to control territories. They are tied to different elements, with spaces on the board colored to reflect each one; deploying a creature onto a corresponding space provides defensive bonuses. Some Creatures have additional abilities that activate when specific conditions are met, but all of them have standard health and attack power values assigned. These numbers determine if a Creature can continue controlling a space when landed upon, which is exactly where other players get a chance to strike back.
If a player lands on a Creature card owned by an opponent, a battle can be initiated. Those who choose not to fight are forced to pay a toll, but if they fight and win, they can claim the territory for themselves. Who wins or loses ultimately comes down to which Creature attacks first and whether their attack value is higher than the defender's health, with the losing card being destroyed in the process. While in theory a Creature with an attack higher than the opponent's health will win, things are rarely that simple, which is what makes battling such a risk. Item cards provide additional buffs to Creatures in battle. Players can choose to play a single item from their hand, which can completely blindside an attacker if used smartly. Rather than having only 30 health, a defender could suddenly gain an additional 30 health and 10 attack power—just enough to survive the aggressor's assault and take them out in the process. With so many different Item cards available, each with unique effects, you never truly know what an opponent is holding, making every battle exciting.
Along with placing Creatures on spaces, they can also be upgraded by landing near them or on a special space like the Castle. Upgraded Creatures provide a greater increase to your total G and drain more currency from opponents who land on them, but they also act as a double-edged sword. While players can invest their resources into a single territory to boost their overall point value quickly, another player can come along and take it all away in an instant. With special Creatures like the Reaper allowing for instant kills, even highly defensive units might not be safe, allowing someone else to easily swipe the lead. Players can also increase their bonuses by chaining multiple Creatures of the same element type, but again, there are plenty of ways to counter this.
The final type of card is the Spell card. These can be used at the start of a turn to provide a wide variety of effects and bonuses. There are Spell cards that control other players' dice rolls, ones that allow you to draw additional cards, and even special ones that let you change the element type of a space. With a massive selection to choose from, players can use them to specialize each deck and find cards that complement their chosen strategy. One viable approach is to focus solely on one or two elements and use Spells that support them. Another option is to consider an opponent's main focus for the match and insert cards that serve as direct counters. This tactical layer extends to Item cards as well, but unlike Items, Spells can be used safely at the start of a turn, making them some of the most useful tools in the game if timed correctly. If you are lucky enough to draw the right card, an opponent rushing for the Castle with 8,000 points could be instantly stopped in their tracks by a Spell that subtracts 30% of their G. There is nothing they can do to block it, though they could always counter-attack with something much worse on their own turn.
Alongside these basic rules and gameplay mechanics, each game board and card tends to add a new challenge or twist to overcome. There is a lot to take in, but thankfully Culdcept BEGINS includes a comprehensive Help Menu that fully describes all mechanics and systems. Players can also read the detailed info attached to each card to understand specific skills and abilities, which will help immensely when tackling the next main feature of the game—Deck Building.
Building Your Deck
Before even beginning a match in Culdcept BEGINS, players need to start by building at least one deck (called a "Book" in game). While the game starts everyone out with two beginner options, it doesn't take long for them to become outdated. Each deck must consist of exactly 40 cards, with a limit of four duplicates for any single card. Up to 60 decks can be saved, and their names and cover art can be customized to help players distinguish between them all. With the story often requiring you to alter your strategy to overcome new challenges, this generous deck limit allows you to make modifications to a favorite build as needed without having to overwrite the original. It also means players going up against friends or online opponents can swap out their entire deck between rounds, completely surprising anyone looking for a rematch. It is a highly useful feature, but it is what goes into these decks that truly matters.
As mentioned above, there is a lot to consider in Culdcept, and picking the right cards to get the job done is key. With multiple element types and creatures boasting their own special effects—and requirements to activate those abilities—there are countless ways they can be utilized. The Item cards that support them in battle should be tailored to the specific build you are going for, with Spell cards chosen to further complement them. Some cards are only useful when very specific conditions are met, while others fall into the high-risk, high-reward category. For instance, extremely powerful creatures are great for defending a spot, but they might come with the negative drawback of deleting a random card from your own hand. On the other hand, low-health creatures sometimes come with the perk of always attacking first, which can then be combined with an Item card to further boost their capabilities. Then you have the exceptional creatures that bend the standard rules to give you an edge, though they usually carry their own cons to boot. With so much freedom, it is easy to lose oneself in customizing decks alone, but players still need to put in the work to reach this point.
Unlocking cards in Culdcept BEGINS is done in one of two main ways: playing matches or purchasing card packs. The great thing about the game is that players are always rewarded with both cards and currency following a match, even if it ends in a total loss. This ensures you are always making progress, though winning will naturally fetch more rewards. While some cards are obtained through general story and side story progression, the vast majority are unlocked through card packs. These packs also require campaign progression, as better sets unlock along the way, but even the beginner packs contain useful cards that can become mainstays in your decks. Since cards are drawn at random—just like with a real-life booster pack—duplicates will eventually become quite common. Fortunately, extra copies can be sold for additional credits if you decide to part with them. It saves a bit of time and keeps the card-hunting loop satisfying. Additionally a card shop with a rotating supply also exists, though purchasing cards outright is a bit more expensive.
Player Matches and Match Customization
Outside of the main campaign, Player Matches are ultimately the core focus once the story has come to a close. Here, players can freely select which game board they would like to play on, customize the G limit required to win, and play against other users online. The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game also supports the SharePlay function, which lets both local users and online friends without a copy of the game join in on the fun, albeit with more limited deck options.
Along with match customization, players can select their favorite avatar and change their features. While it isn't a full character creator by any means, it allows for enough personalization to help everyone stand out. To top it off, Handicap settings can be turned on to alter a player's bonuses based on the level selected. For example, a Handicap +1 will provide a +25% G lap and toll bonus, while a Handicap +5 provides a 100% G lap and toll bonus and starts the player out with four high-level creatures already placed on the board. The idea behind this setting is to allow beginners and players with weaker decks to stand more of a chance, though it can also be used to simply mix up the gameplay in some unique ways.
While the main campaign takes things slow and introduces new mechanics gradually, Player Matches are where the gloves completely come off and the true Culdcept experience, well, begins.
Assist Functions
The final features Culdcept BEGINS includes are two helpful assist functions.
Since matches can become quite lengthy, the game thankfully includes an option to increase the speed up to double the standard rate. This can significantly speed up hour-long games, making it incredibly hard to go back to the standard pace once you have become used to it. As for the second function, it is something not everyone will use, but it can honestly be quite useful.
In addition to the increased speed option, players can turn on the Auto Play function, which does exactly what the name implies—it plays the game for you. Similar to the automated systems found in modern mobile titles, enabling it allows the CPU to take control of your turn and make the moves it thinks are best. From my experience testing it out, the AI does a decent enough job, but the inherent randomness of the game never guarantees a win.
While it might seem pointless to use, considering most players would prefer to actually play the game, there are still some benefits to checking out Auto Play from time to time. For one, it can be a welcome relief for those coming off a crushing defeat after spending an hour in a match, only to lose at the very last second. Secondly, it can be used as a tool to both watch and learn how to play. While the CPU is no genius, it does know how to make use of the cards in your deck and can pull off some surprisingly clever maneuvers. As a newcomer, it helps not just to watch what your opponents do, but to see how you could have handled your own hand better. It is a classic example of how great players are created not just by playing, but also by watching, learning, and breaking down what they have just witnessed. Sitting back and enjoying the show is fine, but unless you truly comprehend the logic behind the strategy, it won't do you much good in the long run.
Should you play it?
Culdcept BEGINS is not a title that will be for everyone. It is at its core a board game, and while its unique mechanics and trading card-based system add an additional layer, it most likely won't change anyone's mind if they do not enjoy rolling dice and moving pieces across a board. For everyone else, however, the game can easily become your new addiction.
As a newcomer to the series, it is easy to see why it is so beloved. The gameplay is simply fun, the deck-building aspect allows for some truly unique builds, and it is also a game that always asks you to think ahead so you can snag the win. While one might be tempted to place their best card on the first space they land on, saving it for later and putting it in a more optimal spot—especially once you have item cards to back it up—might be for the better. Yes, you'll miss out on scoring some G now, but it might be your trump card that wins it all later on! Of course, there's always a risk involved with every action you take, but that too is part of the fun and adds to the excitement of never knowing what is going to happen. While those with better cards will have more of an advantage, with a little luck and a lot of planning, even the underdogs can come out on top.
I'll still never forget my first match where I was thousands of points behind and one of my opponents was rushing for the Castle. Just then, they happened to land on one of my "weaker" creatures and initiated a battle. Little did they know, I had an Item card up my sleeve that would change everything! Just like that, our roles were almost completely flipped as I stole away enough G to buy me some time. From there, I continued my advance and somehow came out as the winner—moments like these you don't forget, and they leave you craving more! Again, it isn't hard to get sucked in, and its board game nature makes it a perfect title to return to whenever you find yourself in the mood.
On the other hand, some fans might be a bit disappointed by the art style and the design of the cards themselves. While I personally liked the cartoonish style, it might not be for everyone. The other change is a bit of a letdown to see, however, as all of the card art has been replaced and simplified. Again, this was my first Culdcept experience; however, for the sake of this review, I revisited earlier titles in the series to get a greater understanding of what came before. While the gameplay is in fact intact here, I'll have to admit that I prefer the more detailed card designs with backgrounds from the previous titles. As someone who has always liked the collecting aspect of trading card games, I like having a "pretty picture" to look at, and the new card designs do not quite fully do it for me.
Overall, Culdcept BEGINS is an addicting title that expertly blends together the worlds of both board and trading card games. With matches that can completely flip at the drop of a hat, and an in-depth deck builder with 400 cards to choose from, it is a game that can easily become your new obsession.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy was Provided
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