The only thing really wrong with Culdcept Saga is the title. First, just about nobody is going to have any sort of understanding of just what the hell that means. What's a Culdcept? I still don't know. And I've played the game for something like 12 hours. Second, it simply does not roll off the tongue. At least, not my American English tongue. Too many consonants. The word "culdcept" is clunky and I sound like I have a lisp when I say it. On the other hand, at least its a short title.
And when I say that the title is the only thing wrong with it, I mean it. It's not perfect in every way, but I can't seem to find any real flaws in it. And Bob knows I'm looking for them.
Imagine an unholy union between Monopoly and Magic the Gathering. Culdcept Saga has a board which you traverse based on die rolls, just like in Monopoly. You also have a deck of magic cards from which you a draw a new card each turn. Sometimes when you move your piece, you'll land on an empty square. As with Monopoly, you can claim empty squares. Instead of buying them, you summon a creature to live there. This is done by playing the appropriate card from your hand. If you have no creature cards, you cannot claim the land.
Claiming the land puts a "toll" on it. This means that, again like Monopoly, should your opponent land there, they have to pay the toll. Or they can fight you for it by summoning their own creature to engage in glorious battle with your own. The toll on un-upgraded land is nominal, so sometimes you're better off just paying it. But the toll on even a single piece of upgraded land (Park Place, anyone?) can be the difference between winning the game and losing it. Upgrading land is a simple affair: you just pay for it. The catch is that you can only upgrade land when you've passed or landed on it in the current turn, or when you've landed on special(Castle or Fort)squares on the board which allow you to manage any single piece of your land on the board. In addition to earning money from tolls, you'll earn a little cash at each fort you pass (some maps have many), and you'll earn a pile of cash when you pass the Castle.
Upgrading land provides a number of benefits. First, it cranks up the toll value. Second it raises the land's value. Land value is the thing you're playing for. Each scenario will have a target land value such as 5k, 8k, 9k or whatever. Whomever reaches that total land value and then passes the Castle Square wins the game. Another important benefit is that a high land value can help the creature living on it in battle. Each piece of land has an elemental type: fire, water, air, grass. Each creature also has an elemental type, though some creatures are neutral. If a grass creatures is on a grass square, then each land upgrade will increase the stats of your creature come combat time. Most neutral creatures receive no land benefit, though some will gain benefits from any type of land.
In addition to creature cards, you will also have item and spell cards. Item cards represent items held by your creature in combat such as swords or shields. These cards will provide your creature with offensive or defensive bonuses for the duration of a single battle. Spell cards are used by you at the beginning of your turn and come in many varieties. Some will heal one or many of your creatures. Some will damage your opponent's creatures. There's haste and slow - and there are plenty of times when a slow spell on yourself can be handy. There are spells for moving you around the board and putting your opponent to sleep. Lots of spells with varying levels of utility.
At the end of each game, you'll be awarded some new cards. A few if you lose, a bunch if you win. So, even if you're losing, it's worth it to finish a game. Im fact, it was only through losing the first scenario three times (god, I suck) that I acquired the cards that eventually allowed me to win. Since your deck only holds 50 cards, once you've won some new ones, you'll want to spend some time going through your cards and determining which ones to play with. Not all decks work equally well on all boards or against all opponents which may focus on certain elements. So you'll probably want to create a few different decks as you go. A balanced deck for when you have no idea what you'll face. A fire deck for when you'll be playing on a fire-heavy board. And so on.
The single player campaign follows the story of a young slave that turns out to be a "Cepter". Cepters are people capable of using the magic of cards in battle. It's a long campaign. I've played for about 12 hours and I've barely touched the surface of this game, much less the SP campaign. Inexplicably, I've found the first scenario to be the hardest. This appears to be because even on the first game board, which is small and simple, the AI is going at full throttle and will kick your ass. Be prepared to lose a few times in the beginning. It's only through playing and failing a few times that you'll begin to grasp the subtleties of the game. There's a big difference between "can fight" and "should fight", and learning that can take some time.
The upside to having the AI on full attack, even on the first board, is replayability. Every game is different by virtue of random die rolls and cards drawn. That first board will remain a challenge and can also provide you with a quick fix. I've had single games go on for over two hours, and I can see them getting longer and longer. But if you just want to play a quick game, that first board will still provide you plenty of challenge in a short game and you'll be rewarded with cards, win or lose.
Culdcept Saga is one of the best games to come out for the 360, ever. And at the "budget title" price of $39, it's also more game per dollar than any game other than Oblivion. You don't have to believe me, though: the demo is freely available on XBLA.
