Culdcept was a game that was doomed to the bargain bin almost before it even came out on the PlayStation 2. It’s a shame because the “Magic-the-Gathering meets Monopoly” play mechanic was actually really engaging. Now, players will get a second chance to discover this unique board game on the 360.

Do Not Pass Go

There is a story surrounding the single-player campaign of Culdcept SAGA, but you’ll soon find yourself wanting to skip past the lengthy, awkward cut scenes in order to simply reach the next board. The game is based entirely around cards, and eventually, around building a great deck in order to defeat your opponent. Unlike Magic the Gathering, Culdcept’s action takes place on an elemental-based board, and hinges entirely on earning a certain amount of magic points and completing the final “lap” before your opponents.

Get Out of Jail Free

As you move around the board, you buy “properties” by placing monsters on each square you want to claim. If you land on a square occupied by an enemy’s monster, you have two choices – pay “rent” in the form of the all-important magic points, or pull out one of your own monster cards and attempt to wrest control of the square from your enemy.

Card battles are straight forward, where attack points subtract enemy life points, and the challenger always goes first. There are loads of different augmentations and multipliers that can be used to change the tide of battle. Give your monster an assist with special attack and defense cards, or set them up on elemental squares similar to the ones they themselves are, or even better, set up chains of property squares along particular sides of each board. The simplicity of Culdcept hides an incredibly deep system, but one that almost everyone will grasp immediately.

Money Management

The key to success lies in knowing how and when to spend your magic points. Any idiot can run across the board constantly buying up any free zone they land on. This not only leaves you low on points, but potentially low on good cards as well. What happens when you land on an opponent’s square? You have no points to pay your “rent,” and a weak-ass creature to take into battle. The tides change quickly in this situation, and you’ll soon find yourself auctioning off your owned properties in order to pay your bills.

Another key to building a good deck is to balance out the spell cards, which allow you to temporarily change the rules of the game at each turn. A particularly irritating foe just about to head into a minefield of your creatures? Limit is die rolls to 1 or 2 over the next couple of turns and watch your army decimate him.

It all comes together very nicely, not only in the single player game, but with up to four other players as well. Combine all of this with the fact that each player can move in opposite directions, and that some boards actually have alternate routes, and the strategy side of Culdcept really begins to shine.

Community Chest

Hopefully this time around, Culdcept SAGA won’t be overlooked like the PS2 release. There really is a lot to like here, and if the community around the game builds up properly, it should bring hours of enjoyment to anyone playing. If the words “card battle” and “Monopoly” doesn’t bring a smile to your face, this Saga won’t change that feeling any time soon.

Review by: Greg Stewart