Game review: Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute (Xbox Series X)

Many of our younger readers may not have been alive in 1997 when the first Culdcept game was released. The original game came out on the Sega Saturn before it was ported to more systems, including the PSOne, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo 3DS.

Despite being a 29-year-old video game, Culdcept was only available to Japanese gamers. That is until now, because a port has been released worldwide for modern platforms called Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute. Let's dive in and see what this game is all about in our full review.

Graphics

1997 is a long time ago because it was a time before HD televisions were created. Back then, we had to play games on CRT TVs, and they were often very small with round screens. The original Culdcept only had an output of a measly 240p.

Now that modern TVs exist, the Xbox Series X version of Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute has been upscaled to 4K, and the image quality is crisper than it has ever looked before. If you like the old-school look of CRT TVs, you can even add in scanlines to this modern port.

That said, the image output is only in a 4:3 format, but there are many different wallpapers you can choose from to fill out the rest of the screen. You can stretch the image to 16:9, although this makes the game look more pixelated.

New features

Probably the biggest new feature of Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute is that this is the first time that the game can be played in English! If you managed to play the original version on Sega Saturn, you'll know the game was only available in Japanese. If you are bilingual and can understand both English and Japanese, you will be happy to know this new port includes both languages.

Another cool new feature of Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute is that you can now rewind the game. Culdcept is a hybrid board game and trading card game, so every move you make can have consequences. A rewind feature is helpful if you make a blunder during a match.

Not to mention, the port also comes with quick loads and quick saves. If you have played Culdcept before, you'll know matches can last anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes! Having a quick save feature means you can leave and come back anytime you want.

Speaking of matches going too long, this new version of the game comes with a fast-forward feature. This obviously makes matches go much faster so you don't have to wait too long for the AI to make its next decision.

Lastly, another cool new feature of Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute is a cheat that allows you to reveal what type of cards the AI player is currently holding. This is a setting that you can turn off or on, but it is helpful if you are struggling to beat the AI.

Gameplay

If you have never played Culdcept games before, it combines the strategy of Magic: The Gathering and the madness of Monopoly. The goal is to get the most magic points before your opponent does.

When you roll a die, you land on a place on the board where you can claim territory with one of the monster cards in your deck. The more territory you gain on the board, the more likely you'll win the game.

If an opponent lands on your territory, this is when the card game battle begins. The opponent chooses a monster in their deck to fight the monster you placed on the board. Card battles are simple because the winner is the person who has the bigger HP or attack power.

Aside from monster cards, there are other special cards you can collect in your deck that can aid your monsters. This includes cards that can increase a monster's attack power and health bar. There are even cards you can collect that sabotage your opponent, too.

Closing thoughts

Culdcept: The First Saturn Tribute is a great game to play if you are a fan of both trading card games and board games. Not to mention, this port is the best way to play the original game thanks to its graphical enhancements and quality-of-life additions. The only downsides are its slightly steep learning curve and the long length of matches.