Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster and Devolver Digital is a beautiful game that’s all about creating a cult to help release The One Who Waits. Learn more in our Cult of the Lamb review!
Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster and Devolver Digital is a beautiful game that’s all about creating a cult to help release The One Who Waits. The story starts with you, a sheep, as you walk a corridor and end up in a ritual circle in front of four Bishops. You overhear them saying that you are the last of your kind and that with your sacrifice, the prophecy will be impossible to fulfill. You then end up in another plane, all white, in front of a demon who’s called The One Who Waits. Even though the Bishops wanted to keep you away from him, by killing you, they actually sent you straight to him! He tells you that he can bring you back to life, but you’ll have to start a cult in his name to eventually be able to free him from his shackles. As you come back to the world of the living, you meet with Ratau, who was sent to guide you to safety in a spot where you’ll be able to start your cult. On your way there, you’ll rescue an animal that was about to be sacrificed, and from there, you’ll go down the path of indoctrinating them to make your cult grow.
There are two main gameplay elements to consider: the management of your cult and the destruction of non-believers. When you’re exploring the land of the four Bishops, you’ll be going through a series of screens, sometimes with multiple paths, as you fight non-believers. Your main attack will be executed with the Square button. The Triangle will be used to release a Curse, which consumes energy called Fervour that you can get back from killing things. The Circle button will be used to perform a dodge roll. Once you’ve reached the end of one of these sections, you’ll be taken to a map-like view so that you can plan to find food, rescue new followers, or do some more fighting. Ultimately, the last part of that map will lead you to a boss fight, after which you’ll be able to return to your cult, hopefully with new followers to indoctrinate!
At your cult, your goal will be to manage it so that your followers are motivated to follow you. You’ll make them gather resources, but you’ll eventually be able to also make them worship you at a shrine and do things like tend to your crops. The resources they gather, and the ones you collect during your Crusades, will allow you to build additional buildings to make their life better. Things like sleeping bags will make them more comfortable when they sleep, while your temple will be the place where you can do things such as give sermons to keep their faith or even sacrifice followers when needed. With all the mechanics of your cult in place, your goal will be to make sure they are well fed and that their faith is always high, but also to make sure there’s some proper hygiene by cleaning up after them – otherwise, they could get sick and die!
The game’s visuals are incredible, with colorful environments and creatures, both in your cult and as you go on Crusades. It does clash a bit with the somewhat dark tone of creating a cult, but this is what makes the environments feel great to play in. Those visuals are what struck me at first. Then I was quickly introduced to the different game mechanics. You don’t get everything thrown at you right at the start, so you have time to learn everything, from Sermons to Commandments. I also really enjoyed the roguelike aspect of the game, as each of your Crusades starts with the selection of your weapon and curse, and you can also meet with Clauneck, who will draw tarot cards that will grant you additional perks for your run.
As for the trophies, the list is a relatively easy one to get through in order to have a new Platinum on your profile. The list includes 14 Bronze trophies, 19 Silver trophies, and 3 Gold trophies. A lot of trophies will simply come by progressing through the game, unlocking new weapons, gaining followers, and killing the Bishops. There is a small challenge you consider since you need to defeat them without taking damage, but since you can play on the easiest of difficulties without affecting trophies, it shouldn’t be too hard with a bit of extra practice.
Cult of the Lamb was a really pleasant surprise for me. The combat was simple and fun, sometimes reminding me of the excellent Hades, and the management of your cult is simple yet deep, with lots of features to keep you entertained for a while as you indoctrinate new followers. Cult of the Lamb is out as a Cross-Buy title, so your $24.99 purchase gets you both the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game at no extra cost.
Disclaimer
This Cult of the Lamb review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Devolver Digital.
