Today we're doing a first impression of a game I have wanted for a while:
Like many other games on the market, like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, Cultist Simulator is easy to start but hard to master.
As the name suggests, Cultist Simulator is mostly about starting a cult in a vague 1920's London setting. The game has strong Lovecraft elements, but at 4.5 hours, I haven't seen anything overtly Lovecraftian. Cthulhu has not been mentioned for example.
The game takes place on a table and the story unfolds through verb boxes and cards. Verbs include Dream, Talk, Explore and Study. You can place cards into these verbs, for example you can place a person into Talk and something will happen. You can also put objects or idea cards into talk, which will have their own consequences. The boxes only accept certain cards and learning how it all works is quite satisfying.
Some Verb boxes appear suddenly and can demand specific cards in order to give you a benefit but they can also kill you. Many of my characters have died very suddenly.
Speaking of characters, the game always starts a new save with the Aspirant, but when that person dies, you get to choose a new person. I chose the Detective, and to my surprise and delight, the Detective actually investigated what my Aspirant had done. Likewise, my Doctor studied the case file of my recently deceased Medium. You can name the characters in the lower left corner and I suggest you do in order to recognize them when they appear in the story.
When you first start Cultist Simulator, the game will urge you to explore and experiment. This can be a bit frustrating as you have no idea what you're doing and are supposed to do. But this actually plays well into the central theme. Do you know how to start a cult? I don't, so it makes sense to have to feel your way forward.
Besides the Verbs and Cards there are four resources; Health, Passion, Reason and Money. Health is your life, and this can go down very fast depending on your choices and luck. Reason and Passion are used to fuel different events. Passion can help you create art, but is also used to recruit new people to your cause. If your only Passion card is tied up in painting and you need it for something else, then you are out of luck. Success and failure are all important story elements.
Money is central to it all. You may be a newly minted occultist with big dreams, but you still have to eat. You can earn money through going to work, but that takes time and has its own perils. There is a Verb box called Time, that is constantly ticking, and every time it completes a cycle, it automatically consumes one money. If you run out of money you starve, which consumes Health. If you are out of Health, you die.
This ticking clock brings me to your best friend, the Pause button. As soon as the games starts, PAUSE THE GAME! There is a lovely intro screen for you to read, but beneath it, time is ticking. Some jobs demote you if you don't go to work, even if you're just reading a text box. Pause, pause and pause again, until you know what happens without reading anything. Trust me and take your time or you will never get anywhere.
The reason I didn't pick up this game sooner was because I was intimidated. I love the theme but most screenshots show a full board of cards which look crazy complicated, but it isn't really. You start small and grow slowly with plenty of time to learn. The other reason was the timers. Usually I hate timers but with your lovely, shiny Pause button that is not an issue. Sure, I'm only at the 4.5 hour mark, but I'm learning more all the time and getting better. I look forward to playing more, and I really think this is a fantastic game. If anything I've said seems interesting, check it out! It's even on mobile, if that's your thing.
That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!
