Cult of the Lamb is set to be the next big indie hit

Thought you were tired of roguelites? Cult of the Lamb is coming to wake you right up. In it, you play as a sacrificial lamb that just won’t stay dead. The last of its kind. 

It’s no wonder counting sheep isn’t an option when you’re playing, eh? 

After being killed by cultists, the lamb makes a deal with the devil, comes back to the land of the living, arms itself with a variety of weapons, and heads out for revenge.

Combat is much like the old-school Zelda games. You attack when there’s a window of opportunity and you dodge-roll away just as the enemy strikes. Simple enough, but crunchy sound design, tight controls, and generous screen shake make every swing of your weapon feel satisfying. 

It’s not the combat that makes Cult of the Lamb stand out, though. Where Hades hooked you by constantly sprinkling in the story, even when you failed and tried again, this hooks you with a dollop of base building. 

While you’re out in the world, you come across other animals. You can recruit them into your cult and indoctrinate them back at base. Once you’ve set their appearance and accepted their various traits – negative and positive, both of which will impact your holy site – you’re free to boss them around. 

Once indoctrinated, you can assign them to certain tasks: worshiping you, chopping wood, or mining stone, for example. As long as you keep their needs met, they’ll keep worshiping you, grabbing resources, and helping you build for as long as you want. From worship, you can upgrade your abilities. From resources, you can build up your base. 

There are layers and layers to this. Everything unlocks something, which unlocks something else. Places of worship, campfires, beds, idols… It’s the perfect recipe for a roguelite, a genre where “just one more go” is part of the doctrine. 

If you don’t keep your cultists happy, they leave. This creates a delicate balancing act where you need to go out in the world to progress, completing dungeons and defeating bosses, but you also have to spend time at your base. Of course, many of the resources you need can only be found while out and about. Keep messing up in dungeons and your cult will fall into disarray. 

I got access to the first hour of Cult of the Lamb and I turned it off after 30 minutes. Not because I didn’t like it, but because it’s too good. It had already delivered its sermon and I’ve branded everyone who isn’t excited about it a heretic.

Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF.