Cult of the Lamb

Cult of the Lamb - Much More Fun Than a Real Cult!

A Possessed Lamb's Mission to Create an All-Powerful Cult

The Start of a New Cult

At some point, who hasn't wondered what it would be like to lead a cult? In Cult of the Lamb, developed by Massive Monster and published by Devolver Digital (the game label behind Death's Door, Loop Hero, and My Friend Pedro), you finally have the chance to experience it yourself.

Cult of the Lamb is a surreal roguelike action game brimming with dark humor. The strange, unique indie game is available for PC (macOS and Windows) via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Playing Cult of the Lamb, you'll quickly realize being a cult leader may not be quite what you expected.

A Land of False Prophets

Cult of the Lamb takes place in a randomly generated world in a land filled with false prophets. You take on the role of a possessed lamb who was saved from complete decimation by an ominous stranger. To repay your debt to the stranger, you have the task of building a cult in his name and developing a loyal following.

Gaining a following of loyal believers won't happen instantly or automatically, though. To build your cult, you'll need to venture out into the game's four regions, launching crusades to defeat non-believers and increase the size of your cult.

Collect and use resources to build new structures, perform dark rituals to appease the gods, and give sermons to reinforce the faith of your flock.

Cult of the Lamb has a roguelike style, so running your cult includes tasks like gathering resources, building structures, cooking food, performing rituals, and making sacrifices. Suffice it to say that you can expect quite a few responsibilities to juggle as a cult leader.

Concept Rating: 4/5

Don't Be Fooled by the Cuteness

At a glance, Cult of the Lamb's graphics looks as though you are playing a cute game for kids. While the game's cartoon-like characters are indeed adorable, there are also some dark, twisted themes lurking under the surface. As a result, there's a fascinating contrast between the game's visuals and subject matter.

The game's visuals can quickly turn dark when creepy rituals and sacrifices happen, giving the cartoony world an eerie vibe. As for the soundtrack, it's a strange blend of upbeat and creepy, which is most certainly a good fit for the game. The music is also very catchy.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 4/5

Spreading the Good Word

A big part of Cult of the Lamb's gameplay revolves around finding ways to expand your cult's influence. And the larger your following grows, the easier that task becomes. You can increase your group's power and gain new followers by venturing out into different regions and defeating rival cult leaders, absorbing their power in the process.

Cleanse the non-believers, spread enlightenment, and perform mystical rituals on the journey to become the mighty lamb god.

The larger your cult becomes, the more opportunities you have to strengthen and expand it. Not only does more followers equate to more power, but also an increased capability to complete tasks and grow your base.

Going on Crusades

Whether you're taking down other cult leaders or battling hordes of non-believers, there's plenty of fighting to enjoy in Cult of the Lamb. The actual combat is relatively simple, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun and engaging.

When taking on enemies, you have a few basic abilities, including the attack button, your unique "curse" ability, and a dodge-roll technique. There are only a few options to choose from, but as you play, you learn how to maximize those three abilities to their full effect.

To spice the combat up, you'll encounter different weapons, curses, and buffs as you progress. As a result, you have the opportunity to make each crusade slightly different than the last and give the gameplay more variety.

Using Your Followers to Your Advantage

Once you've built up a decent-sized following, you'll spend most of your time strengthening and expanding your cult's base. To do so, you'll need to utilize your followers wisely to keep them productive and thriving. This strategy takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it, your cult's base of operations will be running like a well-oiled machine.

At first, you'll have to do most of the menial tasks manually, such as watering your farms and harvesting crops. However, as your cult grows, you'll have more followers to whom you can assign tasks, and they'll eventually be handling just about everything while you focus on the big picture.

Your base and lamb have technological trees you can progress through, regularly unlocking new structures, abilities, cosmetic upgrades, and much more. The more you progress in the game, the more options you have, and the more creative you can get with your base.

Monitoring the Status of Your People

Like any good cult leader, you must take the time to attend to the needs of your followers, including monitoring their faith, hunger, and cleanliness levels to ensure they stay content and committed to the cause. Managing your cult followers can get a bit more challenging as your numbers expand, but upgrading to better facilities and improving your base can go a long way toward keeping your followers happy.

Lots of Diversions

Whenever you need a break from the general tasks of running and expanding your cult, you always have the option to kill some time in one of the many diversions that the game offers. For example, there are several minigames to enjoy, including a fishing activity and a dice-rolling game. There are also shops to visit, side quests to complete, and secrets to discover, giving you plenty of things to do at any given time.

Gameplay Rating: 4/5

Start Building Your Following

Cult of the Lamb launched on August 11, 2022. You can find the game across all platforms for $24.99, which is reasonable for a title with so much novelty and replay value.

A Novel Game With Plenty to Offer

The concept of Cult of the Lamb takes getting used to, and it's challenging to reconcile the cuteness of the characters with the game's eerie content. However, once you let yourself dive in, the game quickly becomes addictive.

Between going on crusades, building your cult, keeping your followers happy, and expanding your base, Cult of the Lamb keeps you occupied at all times. And that's not to mention the many side activities available to the player. The game will keep you busy, and you'll quickly become hooked on trying to grow your following and power. Plus, it's easily one of the funniest games you can play on PC.

Replay Value Rating: 5/5

The Pros

• Novel concept
• Plenty to keep you consistently busy
• Fantastic soundtrack

The Cons

• Somewhat simplistic combat
• Occasional performance issues

TL;DR

Cult of the Lamb is a surreal roguelike adventure that pulls you in with cute animation and hooks you with the allure of building a powerful cult.