Culdcept review

Recommended

by Huge Ackman

It's reasonable to be skeptical when you hear a game described as "Magic the Gathering meets Monopoly," but the Culdcept franchise combines the turn-based strategy elements of both of those games to make something really unique. It's a great video game that is also great board game and a great card game.

Familiar RPG elements mix with the property-developing, toll-collecting mechanics of Monopoly and it's hard to describe the experience to someone who's never played it. You have never player a game like Culdcept before. If you can imagine a Mario Party game where characters battle each other for control of spaces by summoning creatures and equipping them with gear, you'll have a rough idea. If you're an RPG/strategy fan of any sort, these games scratch that itch in an original way.

Culdcept is not perfect. On the more advances levels, games can drag on for a while (ever play a 4-hour game of Monopoly?), but this can be mitigated by setting the victory condition low. And once a player starts pulling ahead, it can be very difficult to catch up, especially late game. It's often obvious who is going to win a game well before it's over. But that doesn't change the fact that this is still a fun and complex game you can easily spend over 100 hours on.