Cult of the Lamb (Steam) Hands-On Preview

I Think I’ve been Indoctrinated into a Cult

Head at the chopping block, awaiting execution as the last of its kind, the lamb is stricken from existence with a single chop of a massive axe. The lamb awakens to find itself in a white room with chains all around, eventually coming face to face with an eldritch being known as The One Who Waits. The being offers an escape from death, provided the lamb builds a cult in their name.. Empowered with a red crown, the lamb returns sword in hand to upset the status quo in the name of a mysterious power. This is the start of a recently shared demo of Cult of the Lamb, a new action roguelike title from Massive Monster and Devolver Digital. 

There’s a level of design flair that is immediately striking in Cult of the Lamb. It beautifully blends cute animals with Gothic beasts and sinister concepts. Players explore various dungeons, much like in The Binding of Isaac but outside of the dark adventure a cult must be nurtured. Throughout the levels, players will rescue new animals that can be indoctrinated into the cult where they’re warped back to a home base that requires grounds maintenance such as clearing trees and rubble as well as cleaning up the waste of the critters and keeping them well-fed. Taking care of something while doing a roguelike gameplay loop is something that I found immensely compelling in Void Terrarium and I quickly found myself engaged with the simple systems in Cult of the Lamb. 

The game’s art direction and soundtrack put it in the same tone as something like the Gremlins film. Cult of the Lamb is swollen with mischief and devilish fun. The action is similar to the classic Legend of Zelda games, involving a top-down perspective and swinging various weapons with a few special attacks. Players of the aforementioned The Binding of Isaac will feel right at home. There are upgrades and equipment to find, random elements, bosses, and probably tons of secrets. The preview build that was shared with media, following a surprising amount of attention the game received during PAX East, is a timed one so I could only play up to a certain point. This was only a snippet of what to expect. The game is slated to release later this year and the game already feels extremely solid so I expect we’ll be able to play more soon. 

Live out cult fantasies without the mess!

Gameplay was simple and sometimes challenging but the presentation kept me playing. It will be exciting to see just how deep the mechanics previewed end up but regardless I think this will be a fantastic title to replay from time to time. This is definitely the sort of game that could see lots of exciting updates and it could have hidden wonders to discover. Hopefully, everything goes well with the final release because this was a strong demo. 

In less than an hour of gameplay, I have been coerced into joining the Cult of the Lamb and I couldn’t be happier to oblige.  

Learn more about Cult of the Lamb on the official Steam listing. The screenshot gallery below included images that were taken from a preview build via Steam functionality while the rest were shared in a press kit. The game will release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.