‘Cult of the Lamb’ Review: The Right Amount of Evil
Cult of the Lamb has finally been summoned to PC and consoles, and I’m happy to report it’s everything we expected and a bit more!
Indie studio Massive Monster, who already made a name for themselves with off-beat (and sometimes downright weird) titles such as The Adventure Pals, have packed quite a lot of elements into Cult of the Lamb, which hits the ground running with a simple but highly enticing premise: a lamb (you) meets a grisly demise at the hands of a dark cult controlled by four entities, but The One Who Waits (an even bigger and older dark presence) resurrects the little animal and commands him to start up another cult which will be the real deal… and to kill those dirty usurpers, of course.
One of my biggest worries going into Cult of the Lamb was that its narrative efforts could be limited to just the beginning and the conclusion. Many roguelikes simply use their story as an excuse to create cool settings populated by very specific characters — which is okay — and forget to explore the many possibilities such a non-linear, repetitive-but-not-really structure can offer. Hades may be the best example of a story expertly told and weaved around the modern roguelite structure and systems; it actually felt like a big step forward for the genre, and signified this type of game could contain top-notch narratives. I really wanted that for Cult of the Lamb, which has been sold by focusing on its (attractive) mix of roguelite and Animal Crossing-like town management. Thankfully, Massive Monster has nailed that aspect of the game… and pretty much everything else.
The idea of “Animal Crossing but dark and gone terribly wrong” was really easy to sell, especially when Cult of the Lamb looks so cute on the surface. Even the darkest deeds and most disgusting demons feel like something straight out of a Cartoon Network classic. Probably more upsetting is the tone and actual discourse of the game, the latter of which quickly goes down a rabbit hole of closely examining how absolutely deranged religion can become under the right (wrong?) set of circumstances. It’s all fun and games, sure, but Cult of the Lamb never loses sight of the real history and events it’s making fun of. Like… it’s not the goal of the game to make you feel bad about the dark shit going on, but it all sure hits differently when you’ve done your homework. Good stuff.
The management sim part of the game is where most of the highly comedic and/or dark bits take place, as it’s the one during which you’re interacting with brainwashed cultists and neighbors who are totally cuckoo. Cult of the Lamb doesn’t limit its non-roguelike side to a generic base of operations, gradually opening up new locations full of memorable secondary characters and simple-hearted activities. With a day-night cycle that never stops, I quickly found myself developing a routine (expand the village, check on — or maybe sacrifice — my friends, perform the daily mass…) for whenever I wasn’t adventuring.
Another major pitfall that Cult of the Lamb manages to avoid is that of annoying players with too many boring chores; controls are uncomplicated, animations are quick and snappy, and the overall pacing of the game never feels dull, since there’s always a new narrative development happening or an advanced town upgrade you want to acquire/build. You can go through an entire adventure-management cycle in 15-20 minutes, and with so much stuff to unlock, power to brandish, and new objectives to conquer (all supported by fun storytelling), it’s hard not to be trapped by Cult of the Lamb‘s well-oiled systems a couple of hours in.
The roguelite adventuring is solid as well. Veterans of the genre may think Cult of the Lamb doesn’t go as hard it could on the combat and items — and that’s a sentiment which I partly share — yet it feels exactly right for this specific game and how it’s been built. Every piece comes together beautifully because it’s designed for this particular package. I don’t need more numbers or passive effects on my super-awesome level 5 vampire blade because the enemy progression and the combat don’t ask for it. Could this entire part of the game be upgraded in the future? Sure (free updates are coming), but Cult of the Lamb shouldn’t try too hard to become The Binding of Isaac when it’s already so many other things that somehow fit together like clockwork.
In fact, I’m sure people will be spending more time raving about the other side of Cult of the Lamb rather than discussing its more traditional and combative half, which exists to push the story forward but ultimately allows the “cult simulator” to flourish while avoiding repetition. Again, this balance may change as post-launch updates begin to arrive and reshape the game to some degree, but right now, the main idea and goals behind Cult of the Lamb are crystal-clear. If you’re looking for the next “roguelike of the year,” keep searching. Massive Monster’s game is a different, more playful beast.
The electronically ominous soundtrack by Narayana Johnson gives Cult of the Lamb an extra edge to its violent delights and additional cuteness to its woolly side. It never sounds too weird, but it’s not a mainstream composition either. And that’s exactly how I’d describe the game as a whole, so I’m guessing it’s a perfect fit. In the same way, the sound design work is both predictable and perfect for blood-covered, demon-worshipping critters that once were adorable.
I’ve consciously chosen not to go into the specifics of how Cult of the Lamb works and plays, because it’s pretty much the game you were expecting, and what’s really cool is how everything blends together and fills the gaps between cult-slaying battles and major plot points. Likewise, I’d rather not spoil the story nor its main players past the opening minutes. This game could’ve gone wrong in so many places, but it’s a really polished experience that feels better than the sum of its parts. With a full playthrough clocking in anywhere between 12-20 hours, flexible difficulty settings, and more charisma than anyone can handle — plus availability across every modern console and PC — Cult of the Lamb is one of this year’s easiest recommendations so far.
Cult of the Lamb is now available on PC (Steam and GOG), Nintendo Switch, Xbox systems, and PS4/5.
Thanks to Devolver Digital and Tinsley PR for the PC review code.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
