Line #26 VideoGame/Culdcept


1	[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/culdcept_revolt.png]]
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3	''Culdcept'' is a series of games developed by [=OmiyaSoft=]. The gameplay is an odd mix of TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}} [[JustForFun/XMeetsY and]] a CCG. The players roll dice and move around a game board, needing to pass through one or more forts before returning to the castle, which acts similar to Go! from Monopoly. However, instead of simply buying property you place monsters from your hand on the spaces and opposing players can choose to fight them to try and get out of tolls. The more you upgrade a property, the higher the toll and the better protected the monster on it. Also included are a huge number of spells and item cards that can affect gameplay in many ways.
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5	The original game, ''Culdcept'', was developed for the Platform/SegaSaturn and later released on the Platform/PlayStation. [[NoExportForYou The original never left Japan]] ''Culdcept Second'' was released for the Platform/SegaDreamcast and later the [=PS2=], the [=PS2=] version released in other countries as just ''Culdcept''. The latest entry in the series was ''Culdcept Saga'', strangely released only for the Platform/XBox360 in 2008. Finally, there is a ''Culdcept DS'' [[NoExportForYou but...]]
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7	Its followup, ''Culdcept Revolt'' was released for the 3DS on October 3rd, 2017.
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9	The basic story is that Culdra, [[MemeticMutation absolute Goddess]], created Culdcept, the Book of Creation and Destruction. She then scatters pieces of the book, the cards, across the world and people who can control them become Cepters. If a Cepter passes certain trials, they become the god of a new world that they create. Each game also includes a story, usually involving beating someone evil to the godhood thing, and always peppered with [[QuirkyMinibossSquad oddball minions]] and [[WackyWaysideTribe elementally themed tribes]].
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11	This series has representation in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' in the form of one trophy and one song, as well as in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' in the form of several Spirits. This is a remarkable surprise for a relatively obscure third-party title.
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14	!!The ''Culdcept'' series provides examples of:
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16	* AllJustADream: ''Twice'' in ''Saga.'' Getting two different Bad Ends forces the hero to TakeAThirdOption.
17	* ArtificialStupidity:
18	** A lot of cards have huge strategic value that requires some planning to use effectively. The computer opponent decks are often stuffed with these cards, which they immediately discard because their AI doesn't know what to do with them. Generally improved on in Culdcept Saga.
19	** AIs also rarely take into account the abilities of your cards when deciding whether or not to use an item.
20	* ArmorPiercingAttack: Some monsters have the ability to penetrate the land advantage a defending monster has; this is also the point of scroll attacks, which blow past defenses and can kill otherwise-indestructible enemies.
21	* AttackReflector: The Counter Amulet is an item that does this. Decoy is a creature that has the same effect naturally.
22	* AwesomeButImpractical: Most of the really big "direct damage all X" spells are ridiculously situational. Mildly "damage all X element monsters" are highly useful as long as your opponent is playing at least some of that element.
23	* BarbieDollAnatomy: The "Amazon" card is totally topless, and also totally nipple-less in its model in ''Saga.''
24	* BlindIdiotTranslation: In the English [=PS2=] version. Many cards have inaccurate or just plain indecipherable descriptions.
25	* ChainmailBikini: While many cards are fanservicy, the series avoided this until Sword Princess in Saga, whose outfit is more platemail lingerie.
26	* CombiningMecha: The Air and Ground Gears combine if used together.
27	* {{Dhampyr}}: One of the cards is this; he even closely resembles Literature/VampireHunterD.
28	* DiscardAndDraw: Several cards do this, both offensively and defensively. There are also special spaces on some boards for this.
29	* DiscOneNuke: Creature cards that force an enemy player to land on your square, such as Kelpie and Old Man Willow. You can usually get these cards midway through the game. Buff up these creatures and it'll force enemy players to pay a fee, if you can get multiple of these cards on the board - you'll quickly bankrupt your enemies. It's less useful in later levels of the later games as the A.I has more tactics and stronger cards to deal with this, but it's a highly viable tactic all the way to the end of the game.
30	* ElementalEmbodiment:
31	** Each element gets a basic wall card which reflects its element's play style. Earth's Wall of Stone just has a ton of HP, making it tough to break through and resistant to direct-damage but susceptible to being worn down over time. Water's Wall of Ice has less HP than Wall of Stone, but gets temporary HP with every combat, meaning it's more vulnerable to being sniped by spells but very hard to inflict lasting combat damage on. Wind's wall, the Tornado, has relatively poor defensive stats, but reasonable Strength and the First Strike ability. Fire's wall has solid offensive capability. Finally, Non-Elemental's Wall of Wonder is expensive to deploy (requiring the sacrifice of an extra card from the hand) and has almost no health, but it's completely immune to attacks from any elemental creatures.
32	** As a bonus Paracelsus's elementals appear in their respective card elements. Though [[DistaffCounterpart Undine]] is male for some reason.
33	* ElementalPowers:
34	** The classic four western elements. While there isn't a hierarchy, fire vs water and earth vs wind both get more cards that are the deal more damage to or are resistant to their opposing element. They also complement each other in later versions, with several cards having bonuses for Fire and Earth pairings or Wind and Water pairings, such as Items that inflict critical hits if wielded by one of the two aligned elements or Creatures that gain powerful Synergy boosts if there are other creatures of the "allied" element on the field.
35	** Earth gets mostly [[GreenThumb plants]] and wild animals, as well as a good helping of undead (with more moving this way from neutral in Saga). Earth is a mainly defensive element, getting mostly abilities that increase HP or give regeneration, but a lot of its monsters are just plain ''big'', with enough power to be used offensively anyway. Tied to fire in Saga.
36	** Fire excels in high attack, low HP cards. Many have additional abilities that grant them critical hits. The theme is fire and war, and most things that aren't directly elemental are explicitly warriors. Oddly, contains some of the best defensive monsters in the game, though they're a massive minority within the overall group.
37	** Water gets... Are you ready for this? Sea creatures! It's the second defensive type, though its defenses come more from abilities and element immunities than Earth's sheer bigness. Not that it doesn't have big cards; Aspidochelone, for example, is a whale with an island on its back that gets stronger for every single round that passes.
38	** Wind is the FragileSpeedster archetype element. Most of the creatures with First Strike are wind element. The element is overall movement and strike based, with even fewer defensively oriented cards than fire. Wind is tied to water in Saga.
39	* EvolutionaryLevels: Added in Saga. Most are straight upgrades, though a few cards can be evolved back and forth between each other.
40	* ExplosiveBreeder: Powder Eaters, the game's weakest card (1/1 in a game where stats are base 10). When they use the move command, they duplicate instead of leaving the original space. Useful when combined with kamikaze weapons.
41	* FantasyKitchenSink: Has creatures from ''everybody's'' mythology, including things from Chinese and Japanese, Russian, South American and even Hawaiian myths.
42	* FightLikeACardPlayer: Somewhat averted in Saga, where it becomes obvious that the cards exist in-universe. Before that it's less clear.
43	* GottaCatchEmAll: It ''is'' a mons game/CCG.
44	* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Culdcept Saga has Rilara the thief who is the first character you fight, she becomes the HeroOfAnotherStory later on. She talks a lot about how attractive she finds the main character, but her deck is full of {{Fanservice}} cards with attractive female art... There are two other characters in the game who have sexually themed decks, Castora who has decks with [[{{Bishonen}} attractive men]] [[BestialityIsDepraved and ogres]] to represent her harem and Gottleib who has another attractive female deck to represent his [[SexSlave slaves]]. This makes Rilara look especially suspicious in comparison.
45	* HeroicMime:
46	** Goligan generally does all the talking for you.
47	** Which is a pity, since Goligan couldn't talk his way out of a wet paper bag, leading to several fights that probably could have been avoided.
48	** Averted in ''Culdcept Revolt'', where the protagonist is an actual character.
49	* {{Makara}}: Appearing in ''Culdcept Revolt'', Makara is a water-type monster with an item limit for weapons and scrolls. It looks a monstrous cross between a fish and a pinniped and has a trunk above its maw with which it spews an endless supply of water. Therefore, it has the special ability to turn occupied terrain into water territory.
50	* MookMaker: Gooba Queen, a slime monster that can make mini-slimes appear on vacant spaces. Hive Queen is a variant, since her territory ability adds another Hive Worker card to your hand (and Hive Workers gain in strength for every one already on the field).
51	* MultiplayerOnlyItem: The Haunt spell, which causes a Cepter to be controlled by the (not very bright) computer for two turns. Quite damaging to players, but useless in Singleplayer ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard to you, anyway]]), since your opponents there are already controlled by the computer.
52	* NonElemental: Neutral cards, which don't gain land bonuses under normal circumstances. In universe, they're "not aligned with any god" and include robots, some undead, and very basic animals.
53	* NonMammalMammaries: The Gooba Queen and Hive Queen, a slime and an ant, respectively.
54	* OmnicidalManiac: If Geminigh becomes a god, instead of creating his own universe, he'll start smashing everyone else's.
55	* {{Portmanteau}}: The series title, when read in Japanese (''Karudoseputo''), can be seen as a {{Portmanteau}} of 'card' and 'cept' (likely from 'concept').
56	* SurplusDamageBonus: Card effects, like damage reflection or damage-based money theft, will keep counting past "lethal" damage.
57	* TakenForGranite: The monsters Medusa and Cockatrice turn monsters into Statue and Stone Wall respectively. There's also the spell Turn to the Wall, which makes a monster into its element's basic wall.
58	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Cards whose strength is based on something you can control, like Leoknight and the elemental avatars, can get stats so high that they go right off the meter in battle.
59	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Several creatures. Baldanders turns into a random monster at the start of battle, Shapeshifter can become something else on the field, and Mystery Egg changes based on the weapon given too it. There's also Mesozoic Song, which causes all creatures you control to ''[[TRexpy become Tyrannosaurus Rex during battle]]''. The Spectre doesn't shapeshift, but its formless body causes its stats to be completely randomly rolled with each battle.
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61	!!''Culdcept Revolt'' provides examples of:
62	* AristocratsAreEvil: The Count is the BigBad [[spoiler:for the first arc of the game]].
63	* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:A four-way battle between yourself, The Count, a war god, and Synch.]]
64	* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Synch was using the Free Bats the entire time.]]
65	* InterfaceSpoiler: Looking in the rulesets, you can see that there are two rulesets that ban the game's expansion sets.
66	* OurHippocampsAreDifferent: Hippocampus looks like a seahorse with horse legs, and its flavor text states that once it's fully grown, it'll climb onto shore and become a kelpie.
67	* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler:Goligan is revealed to be the count's right-hand man... though he was brainwashed into doing so.]]
68	* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:While his delusions of godhood are genuine, the real reason that he was having Cepters hunted and killed was that they were being summoned from other worlds, and implanted with FakeMemories specifically for the purpose of killing him.]]

Context VideoGame / Culdcept