REVIEW – The shortest way to define this cult is to take the gameplay, visual style and almost disgusting elements of The Binding of Isaac (since the simulation part of the game will have the player dealing with a lot of faeces) and combine the mix with Don’t Starve. The result would be something like this: it would run out of steam as our camp size grows.

Steam synopsis: “Start your cult in a land of false prophets, venturing out into diverse and mysterious regions to build a loyal community of woodland Followers and spread your Word to become the one true cult.”

Building a satanic cult with all its side effects

According to the story, four deities (Bishops) rule the world and its people, and behind them stands The Old Faith. However, a fifth one is effectively banned (The One Who Waits Below) beneath the surface of the earth. Locked here by the sibling, we, a nameless lamb, will have a role in turning the world upside down, for prophecy has it that such a fluffy animal will be responsible for changing the status quo. This lamb will die, but the chained god number five will give it a little of his power so that we will begin the formation of our cult. This aspect cannot be neglected: we need to build as large a following as possible, cook for them, resources need to be gathered, speeches (sermons) need to be held, but there are weddings and sacrifices to be made, not to mention farming. We need to watch our members’ faith, health and hunger, and these can be kept high by our speeches, cleanliness, and food. And if they are not loyal enough to us, these members can create trouble and need to be intervened. We can keep them at bay with the newer rules (Doctrine).

The problem is that this will result in repetitive gameplay (although this aspect of Cult of the Lamb could be described as fun in principle), and even with the larger group of followers, we will sometimes have to do the grunt work. However, there could perhaps be a greater degree of autonomy. Luckily, the interactions and animations in this game area were good, and there are side activities to look forward to. You can fish, and there are several types of shops, but the dice mini-game can also be mentioned in addition to the sidequests. These can be used to strengthen our crown (as it is the link between the fifth god and us) and crank up our followers’ faith in us. In this way, without weapons (of which there will be several), the game’s art style is somewhat cute but also dark and nihilistic. It’s brutal, but it doesn’t feel that brutal at first glance, and that’s coupled with our power: although we don’t look life-threatening, our character does become dangerous when he goes on a crusade (but it’s a Satanic crusade… so can it be called that?). That’s when the gameplay turns roguelike.

The defeat of the gods and the slaughter that goes with it

There will be four procedurally (randomly, a la No Man’s Sky) generated areas, one per god to defeat. You can’t just go into all of them because you have to increase the size of your cult to get access. Unique environments, resources and enemies await us. Aside from the weapons (from swords to hammers to the usual melee tools), don’t forget to use the dodge roll, and we can use curses. They cannot be used indefinitely, as you need to have the Fervor to draw from your opponents. Our starting weapon and curse will also be random. If we collect tarot cards (this is where the Binding of Isaac effect kicks in), special hearts, and find unique rooms, we can use more powerful weapons and curses.

And there’s plenty to explore because it’ll take more than 22-23 hours to do everything, but you can finish the plot in about 11 hours. The battles are well-executed, fast-paced, and get more challenging over time (even in the regions of the already defeated gods). But the problem is that these campaigns aren’t correctly balanced regarding gameplay time. In other words, they are too short because you have to take care of your community. The rituals can’t help much either; our followers drop like flies, plus the game may feel buggy. There have been instances where a temple that has been built (which is essential since feasts, speeches, loyalty marriages, and sacrifices have to be held in it) has disappeared without explanation, as there has been no riot. There will be a shortage of resources at the beginning of the game, while towards the end of Cult of the Lamb, don’t be surprised if you often use the same weapons and curses due to the imbalance.

The sheep are silent

Because of its lack of balance, Cult of the Lamb cannot get a more substantial rating, such as an eight out of ten. Getting seven and a half falls away when the butchery is pushed to the background, as we have to concentrate too much on building our cult. If the game had achieved a more appropriate ratio in this one (maybe a majority, but not that much), the gameplay would have been more dynamic. And perhaps this dry bunch of characters, too.

-V-

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Developer: Massive Monster

Style: Roguelike, action-adventure

Release: August 11, 2022.