A 1997 SEGA Saturn Classic Is Making Its Xbox Debut This Tuesday

A retro classic from the SEGA Saturn era is making its way to Xbox consoles this Tuesday. Culdcept The First Saturn Tribute is arriving on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, marking the first time the original 1997 title has ever received a release in the West.

Originally debuting on the SEGA Saturn in Japan before later seeing PlayStation 1 and Nintendo DS versions, the first game in the series never officially left its home region until now. While players in North America may be more familiar with subsequent entries like Culdcept on the PlayStation 2 in 2001 or Culdcept Saga on the Xbox 360 in 2008, the foundational beginning of the franchise is finally accessible on modern Xbox hardware.

Described as a classic fusion of board games and digital deck building, Culdcept The First tasks players with using one or two dice to move around a game board. The primary objective is to gather a target amount of magic and return safely to the castle to secure a victory. The board is comprised of land spaces in four distinct terrain colors that match creature alignments. Players can summon creatures to defend claimed land, upgrade territory for additional advantages, and force opponents to either pay a toll or initiate creature combat when landing on occupied spaces. Participants utilize special item cards during battles to improve their odds, drawing from a deck or "book" consisting of 50 cards from a total pool of over 300.

This new modern release also includes several quality-of-life enhancements not present in the original 1997 SEGA Saturn release. Players can take advantage of quick save and load functionality, a rewind feature, and the ability to earn additional reward cards following a match.