I’m a big fan of roguelikes. As a genre, they usually have a simple but intriguing play loop that, combined with the randomness of runs and the dangling carrot of unlocks, leads to a lot of enjoyable play for a solid price. I’ve enjoyed games like Slay the Spire and Enter the Gungeon, and have been slowly grinding towards finishing The Binding of Isaac since last DLC hit. So, when Massive Monster and Devolver released Cult of the Lamb, I was hyped. A 16-hour completion later, I’ve got some thoughts.
Cult of the Lamb, at its core, is two games that affect each other. On one hand, it’s an action roguelike game with random rooms, enemies, and pickups. On the other, it’s a simple village simulator in the vein of Graveyard Keeper. It’s a weird tightrope to straddle. Sometimes, you’d like to be crusading against the Old Gods, but your cult is in need of food and cleaning. Sometimes, you’d like to perform rituals or build new structures for the cult, but a lack of resources drives you to get back to crusading to grab materials. There’s a stress in managing those two elements, and that becomes a bit more complex when the overworld map opens up, introducing you to new characters and side missions to take more of your already precious time.
The village simulation elements are simplistic, “sliders go up” gameplay. Feed your cultists, or watch them starve and lose faith. Keep them faithful through inspiration and church sermons, or they’ll dissent and leave. Keep the grounds clear of waste, or cultists can get sick and die. In the early stages of the game, it can be a tricky balancing act, but it becomes less tricky as you develop your cult, gain access to new buildings, and automate some of the resource gathering process. I’m proud to say that in my cult, LaDelphinus (named after an ability in Hyperdimension Neptunia that has remained inexplicably stuck in my head), the only unintentional cultist deaths were from old age.
The combat in Cult of the Lamb is simple and familiar to anyone who has played other action roguelikes. You start with a random weapon and curse, and traverse randomized 2.5D dungeon rooms, eventually reaching a boss. Weapons and curses (the game’s magic system) look and feel great, and the variety of attacks available helps to keep things fresh over multiple runs. Dungeons end one of two ways; with a miniboss that can be indoctrinated into your cult when defeated, or with one of the Old Gods, the main antagonists of the game. Boss mechanics are fun and largely interesting, though some rely too much on spamming extra mobs to contend with. Dealing with waves of mobs instead of the boss was strangely reminiscent of bosses in the Destiny series, both in their aid making fights more difficult and in the irritation that comes with mobs feeling like extra HP for the (already kind of spongy) bosses.
Aesthetically, Cult of the Lamb might be my favorite release of the year. The game uses a fluffy exterior to help juxtapose the gruesomeness of the cults and the Old Gods. You’re playing a happy, fluffy sheep whose eyes glow red when sacrificing your (also-cutesy) cultists to The One Who Waits below. The cartoony aesthetic does a good job both hiding and emphasizing that every cult, yours included, is built on a foundation of violence and blind faith. I could see a version of this game that got more into the blood and guts, but this middle ground seems like a Goldilocks situation.
I’m glad I bought Cult of the Lamb. I’m always excited for a good new roguelike, and it definitely hits the spot in that regard. I binged it for the 16 hours I played; whenever the roguelike part was starting to lose me, the cult mechanics picked me back up. And whenever I got tired of keeping the cult satisfied, I made a bunch of food and ran off to crusade. The game is shorter than I expected, but free updates are already promised, so there should be something to come back to in the near future. You can continue the game after the credits roll, crusading and managing to your heart’s content, but aside from side quests and achievements, there currently isn’t too much more to go for. I’ve put Cult of the Lamb down for now, but I’ll be excited to pick it back up when a content update drops. The gameplay loops are really fun, and I’m interested to see where future content takes them.
Game: Cult of the Lamb
Developer: Massive Monster
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Tested on: PC (Steam)
Rating: Teen
Price: $25
Would Recommend
Pros: solid gameplay, switching from village sim to action roguelike helps keep things fresh, excellent aesthetic
Cons: gameplay is very simple, bosses can be reliant on mobs to be difficult, pretty short for a roguelike