Games of the Year 2022: Cult of the Lamb
Cult of the Lamb was surprisingly gripping. It's a cute/horrifying roguelike with town building elements. There's a lot going on with it and I'm not quite sure if that description does it justice. There are almost two distinct games in Cult of the Lamb, but they each inform the other. One of these two elements is a top-down action roguelike experience with semi-randomly generated maps and levels. The combat is solid and no one run ever overstays it's welcome. The second main element is a town building (cult building) game that is both cute and disturbing. Everything is presented in a cutesy aesthetic but it's dealing with real cult-like ideologies and behaviors. The discrepancy between the two is one of the compelling parts of the game. In this second piece of the game, you're recruiting followers, getting resources, and building out your town amenities. If Cult of the Lamb had leaned too hard one way or another, I'm not sure I would have liked it as m