Cultist Simulator Reviews

Its been years, but noone was able to replicate this. Cultist Simulator is truly unique.

Absolutely LOVE the gameplay and the depth of the lore underneath it. Exploring how to play through loss gives it a very roguelite feel; one with deep worldbuilding and where reading esoteric texts in the game is essential to progression and exploring the various endings..

Obviously I came late to the party, but seriously...I can't get over the allure of this game. It's all about the lore. This is the first "cult" game I've played that actually captures the feeling of tapping into something eldritch. You need a high tolerance for frustration and failure, because even with the wealth of guides available at this point, a wrong move or a run of bad luck can absolutely snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. You're on the verge of Ascending one minute, and 30 seconds later Notoriety is stacking up faster than you can remove it. Whoops, time to start over. If you love time-management and a game that is 60% Watch Number Tick Down and 40% Tantalizing Hints of Story, and you don't mind the occasional urge to beat your head against your desk, it's well worth the time.

I'm not going to lie, the highs of this game are incredible. The worldbuilding is some of the best I've ever seen in any medium, the atmosphere and ideas present are amazing, and I'm told the research and care taken to replicate real-life esoteric beliefs and practices is mind-blowing in its efficacy. Even the way Cultist Simulator delivers its lore forces us to be immersed in its world since we learn about the fascinating mythology of its universe the same way as the protagonists do, in bits and pieces. I would buy a novel or entire book series based on this world in a heartbeat. That being said, I would not consider this game to be fun or something I would sit down to casually. Its deliberately obtuse and complicated at times to the point where a lot of one's time is spent slotting some random shit to other random shit instead of appreciating its lore. The worst part however, is that once one actually understands how the game is played, it becomes grindy and unfun. Despite the appearance of differing legacies or starts that could lead to a varied story, the fundamental gameplay loop remains the same (excluding the Exile DLC). Many of the description are unchanged. Some jobs/vaults/cults/hunters are obviously better than others. It becomes an endless, predictable grind once you know how the game actually works. Perhaps I'm expecting too much of it but runs feel basically the same with a few cosmetic differences. The Physician can work at Glover & Glover exactly the same as the Aspirant. I think the only exception to this is the Exile though it comes with its own set of issues I won't get into for the sake of brevity. Maybe I'm too used to the RPG genre and not enough at text-based games like this but watching the exact same timers tick down for the 5th time really got on my nerves after a while. This is the type of game where I'll have an inspiration once in a blue moon to absolutely grind for a few days, get incredibly tired of it and then never touch it again until the next solar eclipse. I wouldn't recommend it to the average person in the same way that I wouldn't recommend reading Hegal to someone who barely knows English.

Fun game! It's niche and functionally a bit of a reading simulator to get the full enjoyment. It's got a lot of thought and strategy to it though, and it feels amazing to win when you do.

9/10 Firstly this games is most certainly not for everyone, Its weird, esoteric, frustrating and difficult. But it all comes together in a way that is almost indescribable in its perfection. Very well written, excellent music, If you enjoy trying to unravel the cosmic secrets, and your mind can keep from despair and madness, then this game is for you.

It looks like solitaire but don't be fooled - you are exploring the highest reaches of the mansus and furthest depths of the secret histories. Come for the gameplay, stay because you've become a lantern long

The often great writing does not make up for the generally unengaging gameplay.

If you've ever read an H. P. Lovecraft novel and thought "Wow, slowly losing my mind whilst uncovering knowledge I was never meant to know sounds like a really fun experience!" then this is the game for you. To say too much about the game would be spoiling it. This game is about reading a statement that doesn't make any sense and realizing 10 hours later that it made perfect sense the entire time. All you had to do was change your perspective.

100+ hours in and I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Genuinely the best feeling. Great game, great dev.