With Cult of the Lamb's exceedingly popular Steam Next Fest demo, more players than ever are taking notice of the upcoming indie game being made by Massive Monster and Devolver Digital. The game's beautiful art style and odd mix of gameplay systems make it one of the most promising new roguelikes.
Indie games are often masters of blending different genres together, and Cult of the Lamb is no different. The themes and gameplay mechanics are very similar to two other indie game classics, The Binding of Isaac and Stardew Valley, but the game still manages to feel unique. Cult of the Lamb's gameplay comes down to two main systems: roguelike dungeon crawling and resource-oriented town management.
Cult of the Lamb Features Room to Room Roguelike Rampages
Cult of the Lamb begins with the player being sacrificed by ominous bishops, who hope to preserve their old faith by preventing a vague prophecy. Thankfully, the game doesn't end there, as a trapped deity named "The One Who Waits" revives the player on the condition that they become the leader of its cult and attempt to free it from its shackles.
The action gameplay loop in Cult of the Lamb is very similar to roguelikes before it, with dungeons being an assortment of randomly generated rooms stitched together with a boss at the end. This, combined with the cartoonish art style and satanic theme makes comparisons to The Binding of Isaac obvious, as it is the original satanic roguelike with room-based dungeons.
While the gameplay may seem identical on paper, in practice there are noticeable differences. The combat in Cult of the Lamb is snappier and more reactive when compared to the methodical gameplay of The Binding of Isaac. This is mainly due to the addition of a Dark Souls-style dodge roll and a larger focus on melee attacks, both of which encourage quick decisions and precise movement.
Another addition to the combat in this brutal roguelike is spells, which could be compared to the active items in The Binding of Isaac. The game also features several weapons, all of which feel different to wield. Mixing a variety of spells and weapons makes for a higher skill ceiling and more gameplay variance, which are both hugely important for a roguelike's replay value. When out crusading in dungeons, players can find extra resources which will help them with the other main gameplay system.
Cult Building and Management Made Cute in Cult of the Lamb
Where Cult of the Lamb differs most heavily from other roguelikes is in its resource gathering and community management gameplay, which is reminiscent of Stardew Valley if it were set in a small town run by a satanic cult. Players will recruit new followers into their cult through crusades. They will then be able to customize and name their new followers before putting them to work in order to make a thriving community.
Cult of the Lamb features mining rocks, chopping down trees, and even collecting berries to cook food and create buildings just as in Stardew Valley or Little Witch in the Woods. The games share the mechanics of building up a base, interacting with community members, and staying the most useful member of the society. Having out-of-dungeon progression is a great way to mitigate the often harsh difficulty curve of roguelikes. A town management system is a brilliant addition to the genre that has only been briefly explored in games like Rogue Legacy.
Where Cult of the Lamb differs is in how involved the player becomes in keeping their community members healthy unless, of course, they are being sacrificed. Players must feed followers to "The One Who Waits" regularly and clean up their blood, waste, and even corpses in order to maintain a sanitized camp, mechanics that the much lighter Stardew Valley thankfully lacks.
Cult of the Lamb's recent demo has made the upcoming indie game garner even more hype. The sound effects are impactful and satisfying, the music is thematic, the art style is gorgeous, and the gameplay is responsive. Any fan of roguelikes or town management games, especially those who enjoyed The Binding of Isaac or Stardew Valley, should be on the lookout for this Cult of the Lamb's release in August.