Image: Neos Corporation

Long before deckbuilding games became one of the great cornerstones of indie development, they were the domain of quirky, smaller Japanese developers. The Culdcept series started life way back on the PS1/Saturn. A fusion of light board game and deck-building strategy, the early games were known for their friendship-straining multiplayer and remarkably deep solo campaigns. Today, Culdcept BEGINS (the first new game in the series in a decade) reboots the series on PC, after a few months as a console exclusive. And by most accounts, it's pretty dang good, even if it's going up against a vast wall of competition.

Culdcept's core is a bit like Monopoly, only instead of buying houses to tax your opponents, you're summoning creatures, Magic: The Gathering style, to carve out territory on the board. The more land you have, the more income you get each time you come back to the start square, and most matches are played until you hit a certain cash target. Land on an enemy territory and you'll have to fight for it using your own creatures, with your cards coming from a deck that you build and customize between rounds. And much like Magic: The Gathering, there are five different colors of magic, each with their own particular strategic leanings.

It's an obvious mix of inspirations, but back in the days of the PS1, it was more than a little novel. Now we've got countless card games and plenty more hybrids like this, including perennial indie favorite 100% Orange Juice on Steam. Still, despite some simplistic graphics (no fancy creature models for you here, just cards smashing into each other), the production value on Culdcept Begins is clear to see.

Our man Mitch Vogel reviewed Culdcept Begins for Nintendo Life back in July, and loved it, giving it a resounding 8/10, with the one major complaint that the game had no local multiplayer option. Sadly, everyone needs their own system and copy of the game. That regrettably applies to the PC version as well (and the game lacks cross-platform play, too), so those hoping for a casual pick for board game night might be disappointed, but those looking for a juicy fusion of board game strategy and deckbuilding should find something to like.

Of course, it's worth mentioning that this isn't the first Culdcept release on Steam. Also, back in July, the original game saw a PC port arrive on Steam, although it was a bare-bones release, with no additional quality-of-life features or mouse control. Given that it clocks in at a surprisingly steep £25/$30, this new reboot might be the best place to start.

Culdcept Begins is out now for £40.50/$50, with a 10% launch discount until November 10th. There's also an Early Purchase bonus (adding a couple of little cosmetic items) available to anyone who picks it up before October 28th.