Start your own cult in a land of false prophets, venturing out into diverse and mysterious regions to build a loyal community of woodland worshippers and spread your Word to become the one true cult.
It has been a low-key dream of mine for many years to start and lead a cult, so something about Cult of the Lamb appealed to me…
I loved this game. It felt like a blend of Don’t Starve, a Tamagotchi and a dungeon crawler. Which are all things I enjoy and it blended these things in the most perfect way possible to create a fun and challenging path to victory. It also has a definitive end which doesn’t take too much time investment to complete, so is perfect for those of us who like to dabble in games in our limited free time.
Dressing the content up with an adorable chibi-like art style, and having game mechanics reminiscent of your first Tamagotchi does not change the fact that this game is pretty bloody dark and covers some intense cult practices. If literally making your worshippers eat shit and then sacrificing them on an altar while blood pours from your little lambie eyes is something you feel uncomfortable reading, let alone actioning yourself, then this may not be a game you want to invest your hard-earned money in.
I don’t want to give too much of the journey away, but essentially you are a possessed lamb, exploring lands filled with hostile followers of other cults who you MUST destroy. There can be only one cult after all. You must recruit followers for your own cult, keep them housed and watered, perform rituals, give sermons and lead them through various doctrines, which you unlock along the way, by nurturing their loyalty. You also get to do little mini quests, give them gifts, get married and more to make sure they remain your loyal followers who spend their days in total adoration of yourself.
You also get to develop your beautiful little cult HQ by making sure your followers have enough beds, places to poop, farms to grow food, shrines to praise you at and plenty of items to make it eye-pleasing if that’s your jam (clearly it wasn’t mine). Different buildings and upgrades are unlocked through the devotion of your followers. So the more critters you recruit and have worship at your statue, the faster you can be pimping out your base. I’m a sucker for a skill tree and getting to choose which building developments to invest in and being able to ignore certain skill paths altogether gives the game enough variety and strategy for a second or third playthrough
The dungeon crawler element of the game is referred to as ‘crusades’. This is when you send your little lamb on what is essentially an endurance run filled with relentless combat. You discover new weapons and spells and can gain limited health along the way, while gathering bonuses and upgrades through randomly selected Tarot cards you discover. This is also an essential way to gather food and convert more followers to your cause.
There are plenty of little mini games and interesting characters you will encounter along your journey, some being extra disturbing and some being almost sweet. But I will leave those treats for you to discover yourself when you inevitably decide to play this epic game.
But remember, if you’re thinking of starting a cult and you’re not ready to kill and eat the elderly, Cult of the Lamb may not be for you.