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My writing is a bit sloppy as I have not done it in a while so please forgive me if some sentences don't make sense. Now, onto the review.

When I preordered this game, it was solely based on the name alone, as I had literally seen nothing about it other than Youtube thumbnails showcasing it. I did that on purpose as I did not want to spoil any of this game before I played it for myself, and man I'm sure glad I didn't have it spoiled. All I really knew before I played is that it was not only getting a lot of attention on the internet, but it was also highly anticipated even before it garnered the attention it did. Seems like something that would've 'just' slipped under my radar, however I dove in as soon as I could, and of course as soon as I heard it was a brand new roguelike. I like roguelikes.

Cult of the Lamb at it's core is a roguelike ala Binding of Isaac, Hades, etc. The combat is your typical hack'n'slashy type deal, with a variety of different weapons and sub weapons to use at your disposal throughout each run. You get upgrades in the form of tarot cards, and some weapons are stronger than others and can be leveled up to be even stronger. It's nothing too hard to grasp, especially if you've spent many countless hours on Hades. The combat is very similar however a little simplified in Cult of the Lamb, which for me, is honestly aiming more towards a positive and not a negative. I like simpler combat when it allows for more creativity in the forms of upgrades, etc. Tough combat is still appealing as it can be very satisfying to finally hit a tough combo, but I don't necessarily hate a simpler combat style either. It works very well here, at least I think so.

On the other side, while it is a roguelike at it's core, with upgrades and all that fun stuff, it also doubles as a farm sim ala Don't Starve. As the name would suggest, you are the leader of a cult, and while you are progressing through rooms and levels in the roguelike aspect of the game, you are simultaneously building up your cult with building upgrades and doing quests for your followers to increase their loyalty to you, their faithful leader.

While that sounds simple on paper, the game really shines with how deep and refined the farm sim aspect truly is. Everything you level up has a skill tree, or several skill trees that allows you to unlock new buildings or upgrades that help your cult progress through the days and nights, or helps you in your combat escapades in the dungeons. You can sort of prioritize your upgrades to help you more in combat, or to help you more in your cult. I personally have been focusing more on my cult, and less on the combat side. But both are a joy to lose time in.

The thing that really allows this game to shine, at least for me, is how fun and addicting the game is to play. Never feeling like your rushed through one aspect of it to get to another. It's all laid out in such a way that you can take your time with it, while also constantly feeling the pressure of the health of your cult, and also making sure you're taking on the bosses in the dungeons. Both are rewarding in their own ways, and both never feel rushed. I've lost count of how many times I've sat for hours just decorating my cult and doing quests for my followers. The gameplay mechanics, the graphics, everything comes together in such a way that everything feels like progression even if you're just putting a potted plant somewhere.

More on the building side of things. If you're into games like Starcraft or the like, this game does things those games do by giving you buildings that allow you to collect resources at your cult. You can tell your followers to harvest them for you while you go and fight in the dungeons. Resources like lumber and stone tend to be the most important resource for basically building anything in your cult. And simultaneously, you can path your way through the rooms to collect even more resources if you want to, or you can just go fight to fight and beat the rooms that way. Or...you can just tell all your followers to worship your shrine and upgrade your cult that way. It's your choice, faithful leader.

Now, the followers are not always convinced that they should be a part of your cult. Sometimes you'll come back from the fighting, and one of your cult members has been shouting profanities about your cult and it's up to you to deal with it. You can either convince them to believe in you again, or you can just throw them in prison and let them deal with it that way. The choice is yours. Or...just sacrifice them. It benefits your cult. So yeah, the game basically tells you to do it. So...do it, faithful leader.

If for nothing else, Cult of the Lamb takes two genres that I personally never thought would have worked together, and blows those opinions out of the water. This game is certainly better than I expected, however going in with no expectations makes that rather easy to do. But at the same time, the game in general has been getting very positive reviews and I would highly recommend it for people that are in the mood for another roguelike. It's been a bit of a dry spell since Hades but this one is very good.

The important thing to remember as well is while it does take a lot of inspiration from games before it ala Binding of Isaac and the like, it still manages to stick out as its own with cute yet creepy graphics and an arsenal of upgrades and fun interactions to have with your followers. Don't get me wrong, Hades, Dead Cells, Binding of Isaac, they're all great. And so is Cult of The Lamb, oh faithful leader.