Product Info

Platform

Switch 2, Switch, PC

Publisher

Neos Corporation

Developer

Neos Corporation

Series

Culdcept

Genre

Strategy/Tactics

Players

1-4

File Size (Minimum)

3.2 GB

Release Date (NA)

Jul 16, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

Steam

Culdcept BEGINS is a meow-velous strategy game blending Monopoly-style board mechanics with deep deck-building for an addictive tactical experience that rewards careful planning. But the steep learning curve can be a hurdle for new players, and the real fun starts when you’ve learned to navigate its systems.

The Young and Powerful

The story takes place on the continent of Bavrashka, which was made by the gods and is home to both the People of the Landmass and the People of the Deep Lake. During this peaceful time, though, something from the shadows is planning to bring a sealed god back to life.

The story begins at the Royal Cept Academy, a place where Cepters are trained in the use of Culds, mystical stone tablets in the shape of cards. You are Kamru, a quiet young boy with the ability to summon powers that can use Culds to confront the conflict threatening the entire continent while searching for the whereabouts of the hero known as Origin. You’ll be accompanied by Ishara, another student who also carries an intriguing background that’s connected to the upcoming rumbles. Your stay at the academy isn’t very long, as you’ll travel across the continent to tackle each challenge. You’ll only control the destination as the game plays a dialogue cutscene before and after each match. Card battles are your only main activity when playing.

While you play solely as Kamru, there are side quests where players can play as different characters. Ideally, I’d like to see more options to play as different characters that are not solely on side quests and multiplayer matches. However, the book of cards is the main focus that you should concentrate on.

The story feeds pieces of dialogue to help build up each chapter’s momentum. Carrying unresolved answers the further you go into the story while learning about Origin’s past memories in cutscenes. While voice acting would add more emotion to the story, it does enough to serve players an idea of what’s at stake. The real treat is the card battles.

Do Not Pass Go

Players may find familiarity when first playing Culdcept BEGINS, as it resembles the classic board game Monopoly. The goal is to control the most territories to help rack up the targeted amount of “Magic” and race back to the castle with the required amount.

You’ll play on a board where players will begin by rolling the dice. Move across the board and decide on how to use the space you land on. If it’s empty, you can place a creature to take residence. These spots also carry an elemental property, so if you place a creature with the same element, it’ll make a stronger defender. You’ll have the option to change the element later in battle. Players can also raise the occupied spot’s level to earn more points and make it challenging for foes to capture it.

When you land on a spot that is taken by your competitor, you can invade them or pay a toll from your Magic. The game is where most of the action takes place. Choose a creature from your hand and use a spell card to improve your chances of winning the battle, as you have one round to do so.

The attacker wins by depleting the opponent’s creature’s health points or using a skill such as instant death. If you win, your summoned creature then takes that spot and is removed for your hand. The defender wins if the attacker fails to deplete the defender’s health in one round or if the defender attacks first and depletes the attacker’s health. If you lose, you not only lose your creature but also have to pay the required toll. The larger the level, the more you owe, just like landing on a Monopoly property with houses/hotels. Pick your battles wisely.

To control the outcome, control as many territories as possible before your foes do. It’s a game where players must think a few steps ahead and strategize. Understanding when to attack or defend, using your Magic points wisely on territories, when to use your spell cards, and which path on the board you should take.

The target goal changes per battle in story mode but can be altered for online matches. When you get that required number, you’ll need to race back to the goal, typically the castle, to win. If another opponent also meets the number of points needed to win, they can still win by reaching the goal first, even if your total is higher than theirs.

This game is just a basic slice of the challenge players will have to take on. While it sounds simple on paper, it’s a challenge to master. Just expect to go through some learning curves, along with some frustration and deck adjustments, to understand the mechanics.

More Options to Battle

The majority of the battles gradually grow more challenging the further you go into the game’s story. Some rules change, but the goal remains the same: achieving the targeted Magic count. For example, there’s a handful of battles where you will play in a three-way match. These battles can be quite brutal as you’ll focus on more activities occurring on the board. While card battles provide an entertaining experience, they can become quite long and draining. The card game allows players to speed up the gameplay to 2x the normal speed, which is helpful; however, battles can still feel lengthy, averaging about 30 minutes in story mode. Longer if you are competing online. Turning on the autobattle does help when feeling overwhelmed with the length of the game and a beneficial way to farm gold and rewards. The game’s CPU will take over to help speed up gameplay more quickly and perform reasonably well, especially if you haven’t fully grasped how to use your deck. However, do pay attention, as it’s a good learning tool on how to learn to play with your deck, and you’ll need it for the last chapters of the game where autobattle is disabled. You should expect to spend at least 15 hours playing the story and side quests, and more time if you encounter challenges.

While online matches can be longer, it’s a wonderful addition to the game. Players can create custom maps, disable dice rolls, and more. It’s pretty flexible to a certain extent. Adding replay value and the ability to compete with players online, which requires a Nintendo Switch Online Membership. If you own the Switch 2 version, you can GameShare with up to four players playing at once. This allows for a situation where not everyone needs to own a copy of the game. This works locally or online through GameChat. The biggest downfall is, unfortunately, that there is no crossplay between different platforms outside the Switch/Switch 2 consoles. With the Steam version coming out later, it’s a missed opportunity.

Deck the Halls

Players will need to create a customized deck of 40 cards if they want to win. The strategy game offers the ability to insert book codes to create pre-built decks from other players, as long as you have all the necessary cards on-hand. Otherwise, prepare to invest time in building multiple sets, as a single strong set may not suffice for every battle. You may need to spend some time building up multiple sets, since a single strong set may not be enough for every fight. There are more than 400 kinds of cards of creatures, items, and spells. For those who like to build collections, being able to make a deck in your own style and how much you can customize is a fun experience.

I’ve faced multiple battles during story mode that required me to adjust my deck or at least create new sets for specific battles that required aggressively taking over territories or those that required spell cards to counter foes’ moves. I’ve played the same deck in the same match multiple times, where the outcome changed from bad to worse and then better to winning. While having a good deck helps, the match balances based on the cards drawn and dice roll each turn, despite how well your deck was put together. The further you progress, the more unusual it becomes, and I often switch between decks more frequently than I anticipated to determine which one is advantageous, although the outcome is still sometimes uncertain. Did I get the cards I wanted in this turn? Should I have reduced the quantity of that card? Did the enemy land on another empty slot again? It made me doubt my decisions. On the positive side, you do earn experience points, money, and cards despite the outcome.

The card store will sell you packs of specific styles, such as elements, spell cards only, and more. The higher level you are, the more types of packs will be available. Players can also purchase single cards that change after every battle, so be sure to check back often to help build your deck. I find the feature quite helpful when building my decks, and since you can only carry a quantity of four of the same card in a playable deck, selling extras can help you a little. You’ll need the gold you obtained to grab the necessary cards to help turn the tide on a few turns.

Overall, players can expect to dive pretty deep to build the ideal decks but expect long battles and some frustration when it comes to how the dice are rolled. If you have no knowledge of the Culdcept series and are new to the card-based game, then Culdcept BEGINS is an excellent start.

Visually Fun

The visual designs are one of the best presentations I’ve seen in a card game. Illustrations look simple compared to realistic designs like in Magic: The Gathering but carry a unique style that stands out. Animations are simple-looking, but they’re there to just help the story and the dialogue. While there’s no voice acting, it’s not needed as much as it can take away the value of the card battles. I don’t think anyone wants to hear the same dialogue pop up during your long battles.

The soundtrack carries a fantasy atmosphere that works really well in the strategic pacing and battles. Traveling around the board feels whimsical and adventurous with its orchestrated scores. Battles carry a faster style tempo that certainly adds momentum and energy as you duel for territories. It’s a solid set of scores for this card game.

The Final Draw

Culdcept BEGINS is a meow-velous strategy game blending deep deck-building with tactical board game mechanics for an addictive experience. While lengthy battles and unpredictable dice rolls can affect the flow of matches, its rewarding gameplay, high replay value, and fantastic fantasy soundtrack make it a great entry point for newcomers to the series.

A Nintendo Switch 2 review code provided by the publisher. Culdcept BEGINS is available now for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options.