Shadows of the Tusk #BestOfSaturn

Having already experimented with the Saturn’s online facilities with Saturn Bomberman, Hudson Soft saw fit to unleash the card strategy game Shadows of the Tusk on Japanese gamers in mid-1998.

A deck-building game with very distinct character art by Susumu Matsushita, battles are contested on a 5×5 grid where your characters (your cards) go up against an opponent’s. Use attacks, magic spells, and your wits to overcome your opponent and defeat their leader. As you play you have the chance to win additional, stronger cards in either the single player or ante mode, or if you’re feeling powerful, jump online with NetLink and search for real-world opponents to bash.

Colorful, vivid visuals and a solid soundtrack accompany you as you play. Cards collected become part of your deck, allowing you to deploy more diverse and more experienced cards as you make progress. When playing online, you can even win cards from your human opponents!

This Japanese release already featured some English, but in 2024-25, Knight0fDragon believed in the heart of the cards and translated the remainder of the game for our online enjoyment. Excellent.