I had been following Cult of the Lamb for a while because based on what I had seen and played I was convinced that it could be one of the best games of the entire year and maybe the best indie game 2022 has to offer us would But all this was just an opinion created without having access to the full game. Do those feelings hold up now that we’re getting closer to the premiere? Well, let me be direct: this is a very good game, one with a very interesting and addictive balance between roguelike action and life simulation elements.
You may be wondering if this combination works. Cult of the Lamb is a game divided into two parts. On the one hand, there’s the rogue aspect, in which you enter dangerous territories to face unimaginable horrors, all to try defeat false gods holding captive the ancient being that gives you your strength and powers. This part plays like The Binding of Isaac and other similar dungeon crawler roguelikes: you have to eliminate your enemies, get new equipment and avoid taking damage to avoid being defeated in the heat of the moment.
Again, the dynamics of the game are crucial as they are directly linked to the other main part: the playing field. life simulation
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The two parts work very well together, as bringing new members and resources with you will allow you to build new things in your cult, improve facilities and provide better care for your minions. Similarly, you can do this Harness the faith and devotion of your followers to get new upgrades for the Lamb to use in his adventures, or upgrades for the cult itself.
The interesting thing here is that you can reach a point where the simulation section becomes independent if you have followers in charge of the farm, clean themselves and produce resources without your help. You must continue to inspire them with daily sermons and rituals to ensure they do not lose faith, otherwise you will have to deal with an uproar among your cult members. Also, minions are unable to feed themselves, so you must cook meals to prevent famine from spreading. Assuming you’ve already taken care of these tasks, there will come a time when you can focus on completing your original mission of killing the False Prophets and rescuing your tutelary deity from their clutches.
It has to be said that while there doesn’t seem to be much balance, it works both ways. At the beginning of the game, your cult requires more attention because your followers do not have the necessary services clean their rooms, cure diseases, cultivate orchards
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Although the days are short in Cult of the Lamb and when you’ve completed your daily tasks, your followers will get ready for bed, but completing these tasks is usually quite a lot of fun. Some come in the form of mini-games and challenge you to press a button at the right time; Others, such as fishing, require a bit more skill to keep a hook within a strip by repeatedly pressing a button. The point is that while this is only part of what Cult of the Lamb has to offer, the life simulation elements are so well presented and integrated into the overall game flow that you can fully immerse yourself in them.
But if you decide to venture into this harsh and cruel world, the system of Combat and action are also surprisingly good facts. The controls are quite simple and easy to master, and yet due to the multitude of enemies and often a large number of projectiles and on-screen threats, you must give it your full attention in order to try to survive.
I have to say that the random nature of roguelikes causes another problem (as with virtually all roguelikes), mainly because you can start off on the wrong foot from minute one due to a bad starting weapon or a drawn weapon tarot cards mediocre during an attempt (these are essentially buffs that make the Lamb more effective, for example by giving it poison damage on its attacks or a percentage chance to negate damage it takes). Of course, this works both ways, and if you’re lucky you’ll get all the gear and items that best suit your playstyle, but in most cases you just have to adapt to what you get.
All in all, this is a really wonderful game overall. It’s cute and terrifying at the same time, easy to learn and play yet challenging, and strikes a great balance between the unpredictable thrill of the roguelike and the tranquility of the life sim. It’s designed to make you want to return to the game to further expand your cult and embark on new adventures into the unknown. Although Cult of the Lamb sometimes asks you to do nasty things like kill an old man because your cult doesn’t like old people, there’s no denying that overall it’s a very cute, playful, addicting game and absolutely brilliant.
