Dec 12, 20224 min read

Cult of the Lamb - First Impressions

Time to try out one of the most popular indie games of 2022, Cult of the Lamb.

Pitched as a mixture of Hades and Animal Crossing with devilish undertones, I've been wanting to play this one for a while.

About Cult of the Lamb

In this game, you play as a Lamb that has been resurrected by a mystical being known as the one who waits .

However, this second chance at life does come with a catch. As a repayment for your life, you have to start a cult in their name and recruit followers to the cause.

On top of this, you will have to eliminate the mythical entities of rival cults by slicing and dicing your way through dungeons.

After venturing through your first dungeon, you'll meet Ratau, who helps you understand the world and gives you the basics needed to start your cult.

Building the Cult

After meeting with Ratau, he will lead you to your base. This is where you will build structures for new cult members , source materials, and grow your following.

Your base is also where you can find new recruits that you have rescued during your ventures into the underworld, known as crusades.

Each recruit can be given a custom name, form, and colour scheme. I like to keep my members as they are for the most part, but it's a nice option to have- and also adds to the cult vibe really!

Once members have been recruited, you can instruct them to do certain tasks, or even read their minds to see what they think about your cult.

The options are pretty simple to start with, but more options become available as the game progresses.

As you'd expect from a building simulator, the mechanics are pretty simple. However, it does get rather twisted later on, but I won't spoil stuff here.

A unique aspect that acts as the driving force for much of the game is worship and devotion.

Having a loyal following results in increased devotion, which leads to increase divine inspiration points.

These points can then be used to unlock upgrades for your base, which leads to easier production of materials and devotion.

One thing that does stand out early on is the music and visuals. This game constantly looks and sounds great!

Crusades + Upgrades

Once you are satisfied with the current status of your camp, it's time to go out into the woods for a crusade!

There are a number of areas to tackle, each with a different rival entity to defeat, starting with Leshy in Darkwood.

Crusades involve crawling through multiple dungeons in an attempt to progress through as many levels as possible.

If you run out of lives or get as far as you can for that run, you will be sent back to your cult to upgrade your base with the rewards gathered whilst out on your ventures.

Crusades is definitely where the visuals and smooth gameplay in Cult of the Lamb truly gets its chance to shine!

Hacking and slashing through hoards of demonic enemies is really fun, and the rewards such as new recruits and materials helps to connect the two contrasting games styles into one cohesive unit.

While there are plenty of bonusses to pick up for camp along the way, cards will add boosts to your current crusade, in a similar way to boons in Hades.

This is another great example of how the base and crusades are interconnected, as completing missions available at the base from cult members unlocks cards to use whilst out on a crusade.

Once your crusade is complete, you will receive a review that will offer a look at your performance statistics from that run.

This will be a nice screen to reflect on after a successful run, but will also act as motivation when a crusade doesn't go to plan.

Finishing a crusade will send you back to camp, which provides an opportunity to upgrade the base and grow the power of your cult.

Then, you can go on another crusade and the cycle continues.

Whilst there will always be subtle changes that gradually push the narrative along, this cycle is the basic principle of this game.

First Impressions

Overall, Cult of the Lamb is a game that mixes two genres with great effect thanks to the solid execution of gameplay and atmosphere in both the major sections within the game.

I've found what I've played of it so far really fun with the progression feeling natural and rewarding.

On top of this, the dark humour that is juxtaposes the cute cartoon appearance still leads to lots of funny moments that will have you struggling to retain any chaotic tendencies.

What makes this game a truly enjoyable experience is the freedom it provides for each aspect of the game.

If you want to an absolute b*stard to your cult members, you can be. Or, if you want to focus on crusades, there's not much here to stop you.

This freedom lets the player control the narrative to a way that suits them. And whilst there are some unavoidable moments, the game only does this to unlock more way to branch into an experience that will be unique to you.

Cult of the Lamb has reminded me of Hades a lot -a game that I have given a 5 star rating by the way- but it also has so many intricacies that make it truly stand out.