Cult of the Lamb Critic Reviews

There's something for everyone in Cult of the Lamb, and every mechanic and feature feels well thought out. The game is cute, funny, and fun. Everyone should try it!

Cult of the Lamb is a unique experience bursting with personality. It looks and sounds gorgeous, and the gameplay loop is engaging, rewarding, and highly enjoyable from start to finish. Sacrifices and rituals to maintain your faith in the game aren’t necessary, given Massive Monster has created such a shining, standout piece of work.

You can keep your Elden Rings and Horizon Forbidden Wests; I’ll be on my cult farm raising crops and occasionally sacrificing my followers for the rest of the year, as Cult of the Lamb is an easy front runner for Game of the Year.

Play length is not, and should never be seen as a value indicator in games, but for whatever it’s worth, I made my way to the game’s conclusion in around 16 hours of real-world gameplay time. However, it’s a title I absolutely will return to, because it’s entirely feasible to create a very different cult with different choices, and that’s one I do want to try out for myself. Massive Monster has also made noises – but no concrete promises as yet – around post-game DLC and possibly even multi-player modes, which could lead to some fascinating post-game scenarios, depending on whether they went for competing or cooperative cult activity.

Cult of the Lamb stands as a true masterpiece of not one but two genres. I just couldn’t find any issues that got in the way of my enjoyment of its various mechanics, and the love I have for my clan will continue long past the final boss encounter.

I can easily see Cult of the Lamb becoming one of the next indie darlings, and it would be utterly deserving of the epithet. It’s a blend of elements that, by rights, shouldn’t really work, but Massive Monster executed it with aplomb. The game lures you in with a lush and lurid art style and the promise of action-packing combat, and then indoctrinates you with a gameplay loop that keeps you coming back for more. I, for one, would follow the Lamb to the ends of the earth.

Cult of the Lamb has the potential to be one of the next big indie hits. The cute art style and comparisons to Hades and Animal Crossing: New Horizons will draw potential players in, but the game truly stands alone as its own experience with an intriguing story, a haunting score, and a world that grows more and more alive the longer you stay in it. The blend of gameplay styles also addresses some of the criticisms of both the roguelike genre and the farm management genres – runs are deliberately shorter so players can spend more time at the homestead, but the homestead isn't so much of a resource sink that players will feel they need to spend all their time cleaning up their camp instead of killing enemy cultists. Cult of the Lamb expertly balances a number of different mechanics, themes, and gameplay styles to create a fiendishly good time, making this game a hauntingly fun escape.

It is populated with characters reminiscent of Jhonen Vasquez’s illustrations, combined with a gothic and botanical bestiary that calls Hollow Knight to mind. The writing, though, is sparse and unsettling, not quite void of humour but nor silly in the way one might expect. The overall effect is darkly, fascinatingly cute: mall-goth meets folk horror, and the perfect set dressing for elegant, sharp gameplay. Cult of the Lamb has already amassed over a million sales in the first week of its crusade, for good reason. There’s little doubt that the flock will only continue to grow.

Even the basic balanced alternation between boss slaying expeditions and tending your sheep will provide hours of fun, maybe even dozens of hours. And there are even more things to do in the game, including mini-games like fishing or playing backgammon.

Cult of the Lamb is a rare piece of art in gaming. It’s probably the best game ever made in Australia at this point and is so because it’s infinitely rewarding. I couldn’t stop worrying about my Followers, or thinking about what they needed next, but I also couldn’t stop abusing my power and letting myself drift into dark places. And I honestly haven’t covered even close to everything. The game is just so full of character and charm and wit and depth. And I can’t recommend it enough -- trust me, I’m a Cult leader.

Cult of the Lamb is awesome.

Cult of the Lamb combines roguelike gameplay with cult management and I simply couldn't put it down.

Cult of the Lamb looks like a roguelike in The Binding of Isaac way, but in reality, it is also a deep god game. The message behind the title is: you have to be afraid of losing those who the day before you treated as pawns. You feel omnipotent and invincible, but the truth is that you are a slave to others like anyone else.

All of these elements come together to solidify Cult of the Lamb as a standout title in both the rogue-like and simulation genres, as well as a one-of-a-kind entry that exists in the middle of them. Whether you are exploring the dungeons or expanding your cult, the experience is enjoyable, challenging, and more than a bit demented. With how surprisingly dense each of these parts are, the fact that all the pieces come together as smoothly as they do is a triumph.

Cult of the Lamb has the addictive nature of most roguelike titles that will cause you to burn off several hours of the day. You’ll slowly hunt down heretic rivals through roguelike mechanics with the added layer the customization found in the village sim systems. As you keep the cultists satisfied, their loyalty grows, and you’ll fight the urge to become the twisted being who executed our poor lamb that started this adventure.

With a stellar soundtrack a tight story and a fresh take on the farm management sim, this is an enjoyable — if short and sometimes shallow — ride. I rolled credits in just shy of twelve hours on normal difficulty, and that was with a fair chunk of time in the middle devoted to my devotees. While your mileage will undoubtedly vary, Cult of the Lamb is an easy recommendation – now excuse me while I get back to vibing to River Boy’s banging soundtrack.

It’s tough enough to make a game that targets one genre, let alone two, but rather than a lamb to the slaughter, Cult of the Lamb commands ownership of both with a hellish ambition that sees it become one of the best games of the year.

A top-tier example of what a roguelike can be when combined with a colony sim, Cult of the Lamb is pure addiction. From managing your minions, to slaughtering the bizarre Eldritch gods that dare defy you, Cult of the Lamb has converted me completely.

Offering a great balance of battling and managing, Cult of the Lamb offers you the best of both worlds and provides you with enough of each genre to make it an engaging experience. Its colony management elements may not be as intricate as you would hope, but it does offer a good amount of customization and freedom to shape your cult how you want.

It is very difficult to imagine a player that wouldn’t enjoy Cult of the Lamb. Its visuals are so beautiful and full of character. Its writing is witty and charming. Its action is simple, but fun and thoroughly engaging. While its weapon selection and combat mechanics may not be as varied or dense as its peers, its unique aspects more than make up for the deficit.