Cultist Simulator

An all around wonderful game. Delightfully difficult and incredibly lore-dense, truly a pleasure to play.

This game is about managing timers, often down to the millisecond. It is also incredibly unclear as to what you are supposed to do in a way that isn't fun.

I don't exactly know what is happening fully (that is part of the game design), but I hit launch, realized I needed to do some laundry and saw 5 hours had vanished.

This is absolutely not a game for everyone, but I find it completely captivating in a beguiling way.

(Watch Mandalore's review if you are at all interested)

The game doesn't really respect the player's time and is fun to explore until you've been exploring for 3 hours straight with no tangible outcome or any really satisfying gameplay moment. Although the concept is interesting I can't recommend it

I drag icons across the screen without the slightest idea of what they mean at my job. I need videogames for something else.

I love this game the writing and the music is just perfect, if you are into experiment and stuff you probably going to like it

Alexis Kennedy may or may not be a medium-shitty person, but no one can do esoteric games of mystery and discovery like he can. One of the more transcendent and exciting gaming experiences I've had.

The game's lack of tutorials provides an intentional lack of information, the use of guides would certainly ruin it. In my furious scribbling to attempt to find logic in the game's systems, I take on the delirium the game portrays.

It might as well be a clicker game. I didn't make it 15 minutes.

The game is very interesting in the early game but is too empty in the late game. It shines when it is telling a story and giving lore but by the end it drastically needs more content and flavour. By the mid-endgame the player just repeats the same actions over and over to slowly build up the currencies needed to make a single instance of progress, which amounts to a sentence of text that isn't really related to the story you've been playing out. Could use a lot of QOL features too

Complex mechanics with a unique game genre.

the weary detective needs a hug

he's so tired, give him his pipe and london news already, suppression bureau!

if you won't then i will give him a painting and the highest forbidden secrets of the hidden lore so he can retire!

I LOVE THIS GAME

Terribly balanced. Sickness and hunger happen too often because time to do things is too long, and you cant even get rid of it because the time to do those is too long. Dev doesnt know ho to properly balance a game. not fun. dont recommend unless youre gonna use mods to remove these horrid balancing decisions by the bad dev

Also, some of the lore when you turn it into a manuscript/investigation, it just drops in level. Mine was level 12. And it became level 4. Every damn time. This "game" is not only terribly balanced, but even more buggy than cyberpunk2077 on release day. I do not recomend, not even with mods. 0/10, will not play again.

the only time the game is fun is in the beginning when you're figuring things out, most of the game play after that revolves around boring loops that take way too long to resolve. raise this skill to that....then use the money to buy that....then rinse repeat. and the amount of checks to determine a losing game state is ridiculous sometimes. in fact, upon further review, i've conlcuded the only truly redeeming quality of this game is the lore and setting. that is what actually drew me in, not the stale repetitive loop of watching lines complete a circle - there is no game play here. it's just click drag and drop. the gameplay is combining different click drag or drop items, but all the fun stuff is in the lore. too bad the best part of the game is stuck behind an absolute slog. also once you figure out a simple early game play loop, there is no rogue lite or dynamic aspect to this game. it is literally just, solve the formula, apply the formula at every new game start, wait until the formula is effective (around 15-20 minutes total) and THEN you can start playing. only $7 so probably worth it, but don't expect much after you've played 2 or 3 times

This game is a bit niche. It's essentially a card game & board game hybrid but you can't really play it in real life because it is very, very precisely timed. The setting is interesting, the mechanics aren't too hard to grasp. the only real disadvantage is that figuring out what you are and aren't supposed to do is the true core mechanic. Luckily if that isn't your thing wikis exist

It's great, and the devs are very cool people

Cultist Simulator is deceptively simple, but its complex web of choices and consequences creates a truly immersive experience. With excellent writing and art direction, it pulls you into its dark, mysterious world. Challenging, atmospheric, and thought-provoking, it rewards patience and careful planning.

THE HIGHER I RISE THE MORE I SEE

A fascinating, poetic, and beautiful path of discovery. Not for those who need/want hand-holding. But if you're a curious soul who wants to explore an unimaginable world full of variety, splendor, darkness, and violence.... welcome.

Just finished my first standard victory. This game is bewildering, frustrating, tense, yet nevertheless draws you in. I'd look up and find that three hours had gone by. It somehow feels like an occult fantasy even if you don't pay a whole lot of attention to all the lore, although doing so will enhance your experience. It's not for everybody. If you're looking for action you won't find it. There's lots of excitement but it's cerebral rather than twitchy. If you want to play the game straight with no spoilers be prepared to take lots of notes about everything that happens and what results in what as well a reading every bit of lore. For the less ambitious you'll probably have lot of tabs open in the wiki.

I played this after playing through Book of Hours a few times. As Book of Hours itself states, it's a gentler game. The two games take place in the same(ish) world and I'd recommend playing that first before tackling this one.

10/10 absolute banger of a game. the higher i rise the more i see.

Is good.

What the hell am I doing.... I have no idea, doesn't stop me trying.

This game is endlessly amusing, i am staggering through it like a person living in a dream.
However, lots of fun, just remember, try everything.

The writing in this one is amazing! The game makes you feel like you are really diving into the unknown to find the secrets of the world hidden behind out simple reality. It is confusing on purpose and the more you learn them more it makes sense, like, you know, exploring the forbidden knowledge ;) I have not mastered it but return to it at least once a year to play a bit, learn something new and keep that for my next playthrough. The fact that your character dies and that you start fresh after makes it easy to experiment without wasting your time. Highly recommend for the lovers of mistery and cosmic horror as well as card games, I can say that this game is something kind of unique!

Eu, normalmente, não gosto de jogos de cartas, eles me parecem um modo barato e sem inspiração de jogabilidade. Este jogo é exceção. O mundo e o fundo são apresentados por meio de cartas e suas ações. Nunca imaginei possível uma exploração tão rica contada por pequenos textos em cartas. Um dos melhores jogos que tive o prazer de jogar nos últimos anos.

This game makes ZERO Goddamn sense.

I fucking love this game

I have never smoken more opium in any other card game

Exceptional lore and strangely addictive gameplay that routinely keeps me up until 2AM.

Great game

as far as games go its a bit of a slog. It relies on keeping the player on the edge of destruction to maintain engagment, but it feels like i could be having more fun playing something else and I only continue to play because I've overcommited myself already.

This game has so much depth to it. When they tell you it requires lots of trial and error they MEAN it. The game generally plays a lot like Stacklands, with a lot of managing timers and heavy use of the pause button. My one issue I would say is that progress does not get rewarded with automation but with more timers and shorter timers, which means things can get a little bit overwhelming and progress can feel very slow sometimes.

I love that there are so many different ways to start the game. Every time I die and choose a new life it really feels like a whole new experience. This really adds to the trial and error aspect, not only do you have to try putting every combination of things into every slot in order to progress but you have to try multiple lives too. There is so so so much depth and lore in this game i feel like i will need a lifetime to explore it all.

I think the vibes and mechanics of this game are super cool. It's just a bit too cryptic and full of fail states for my tastes.

Like a solid 6/10. I think the start of this game is great, but once you've figured out the basics it feels like you get caught in an rng loop where you just wait for the right cards to pop up. The opening is great though, sifting through card descriptions and feeling yourself go insane like you're actually learning cursed knowledge. Note: don't get the switch version!!! I played the majority of my time with this game on switch and wish I had it on PC. The layout is so much nicer. I'm sure there's more I'm not getting from this game, but I'm frankly at my limit.

很难说是游戏好玩还是设定（故事）好看

incredibly addictive gameplay. i'm not good at card strategy games, so it did take me 40+ hours to make it to a 'win' ending, but god was it rewarding. it's all about learning by doing.

I felt like I had to post a positive review for this game, cus like... It is a crazy great game. And there are a lot of negative reviews for it. And... I would guess that it is because this game refuses to hold your hand... But like... You are just a person.... stumbling around and interacting with forces you cannot comprehend.... So like... The game fully delivers on its premise. This is hands down the best occult simulator on the market.

This game takes patience to play, and discipline to master. But it is an impossibly deep game. The one huge negative of the game is that it is extremely punishing. Unnecessarily so. You have to build up stats or lose. So you spend a lot of time building resources. Then if you lose after building up those resources, you have to start from scratch again. And while you should have learned new info from your last run.... So, your previous runs aren't a waste of time, per say. Rebuilding your entire character AND cult is... taxing. Leading to an on/off relationship with the game. Which kills the pacing and erases game knowledge.

Is it a perfect game. No.
Is it worth 20$. If you have 6+ hours a day to play, are willing to commit a few weeks to the game and don't mind insanely repetitive and unrewarding grinding. Then hell yes. Otherwise. HELL NAH!
Does it have a comprehensive wiki. Yes. And while it goes against the spirit of the game to use it, if you REALLY can't stand to lose this run. Might as well.
It also has mods that... 'reduce' the... 'mystique' within your decision making. (It tells you what happens when you put x in y.)

Cus this game is ultimately an exercise in intellectual exploration. So like... Outer Wilds or Firewatch are like these visual exploration games with walking and sight seeing. This is that. But mentally. Cus you gonna spend the whole game looking at a table, trying to figure out what cards you need to put into which square to cause a spirit to pull itself out of a mirror so it can dissect a pesky detective who may or may not be getting too close for comfort. Then using his body as a ritualistic sacrifice to get one step closer to immortality.

Or maybe you could seduce the detective, convert them into one of your flock, have them burn their evidence, then sell them to an old lady for cold hard cash.

Or you can get a 9 to 5. Summon a sleep paralysis demon to drive your boss insane. Take his job. "Open up" a spot on the board of directors and wouldn't you know it? You are available for the job! How fortuitous.

You can also be a detective, hunting down other cults and taking their stuff for your own use. Or a doctor performing the most horrific and heinous experiments on yourself... and others.

Honestly. Fantastic game. If it wasn't for the massive up front time investment before you are actually allowed to start playing the game It'd probably be more popular. I really want to give it a 10/10. Tsk... But the mechanics just aren't developed enough... Eh... Prolly like an 7.5/10. There is too much clerical work and busy work involved in the start up, each, and every, time. Making it a rouge-like with no sense of reward or progression for failed runs... Which will be most of them. Cus the game is out to get you. This is just the first game where they have 100+ hours of lore justifying it. Respect.

Little things that would make all the difference:
The lore you use to attract members having a corresponding chance to reel in the same kind of follower.

In game tips hidden in game lore.

Better/more helpful NPC's. Specifically, the talk action.

More customization. Why can't my character like pain (acquired traits, the game can feel stale quickly)- injuries generate contentment. My character can't gain any of the stats? Why can't I be an 'Edge'-lord? Nailed it. Why can't I have my followers dig a pit in my base? etc. Needless, senseless rng that only adds grind... TO A SINGLE PLAYER GAME!!! You know what... I'm taking another point off my score... I don't know where this gaming "STAPLE" came from. But it is infuriating. And I'm done with it. Rng isn't challenging. It doesn't make your game harder. It just makes it less fun. You aren't even a freemium game. QUIT APPEALING ONLY TO ADDICTS!!!!!!!! There isn't enough bright colors and loud sounds in this game. Stop. I need to calm down.

...

Everything else is pretty great, Get it on sale, seems to go on sale every summer... Maybe ignore the DLC. Idk. I did. It isn't necessary and I don't feel it adds enough for the pricetag. What can you do? Hope this helps.

This game is a passionate love affair I keep coming back to. It's not something I recommend to everyone (honestly I don't think any game is, but this one is more "has a highly specific target audience" than most) - you have to be some combination of a fiddly detail obsessive, wiki-diver, and opaque lore-enjoyer to really get the most out of it.

Watching the previews will give a decent sense of the actual gameplay, which I would have difficulty describing, but the *feeling* of playing the game can't really be communicated as easily, I think. Cultist Sim is incredibly atmospheric, and a lot better at creating interesting tension than a few gameplay clips can really convey. The timer progression is such an integral part of not just the mechanics, but the mood. Is your current Dream action (20 seconds remaining) going to turn up the card you need to dispel part of the Fascination counter (45 seconds remaining) currently spelling your doom? etc.

Also, it pays to actually read the descriptive text on things - it will all sound like pretentious bullshit at first, but there is a kind of shockingly cohesive, deep, and interesting setting and story going on, here, behind all the timer-watching.

My one main criticism is that it is really, really bad at teaching you how to play it. I'd recommend spending a few minutes on youtube to help get the basics down; there are a lot of aspects of the game that are satisfying to find out in an exploratory manner, but the basics of stuff like, how to recruit and promote Followers are not that. Thankfully, the fan wiki is also excellent, and basically an essential resource if you get in deep.

Simply speaking one of the greatest games ever made.

It's in it's own genre and within the niche it reigns supreme.

Enticing and addictive.

It really makes you feel like a cultist that has to start from scratch. It's fun trying to figure things out and the lore is suitably eldritch.

Pros:
Pretty good writing,
Multi-tasking,
Pretty good mystery
Multiple endings
Calming mysterious music

Cons:
Absolutely NO help, literally got stuck on a screen because I didn't know what to do at first.
The board state will inevitably be filled with 500 random cards that aren't needed for anything at the moment, and no, you cannot sort them meaningfully.
Most actions involve brute-force to figure out.

Conclusion
The achievement for opening the second screen of the game, which is desperately vital for progression, is at around 50%. That should tell you how esoteric this game is. If you enjoy those kinds of games, which I do from time to time, then this is worth it. However, 20 dollars is a bit much, (Especially since content is locked behind DLC), so I'd recommend catching this one on sale.

Trying to 100% this game. Probably going to take me 3-400 hours though. Great game. Hard at first, but as you learn through trail and error it becomes kind of a fun puzzle game that seems unforgiving, but has many hidden ways to overcome things. 10/10

I love this game a lot, even though I feel I've only scratched the surface of it. The slow-drip feed of text matches well with the games timer, letting you slow down to read and enjoy what you're playing with.

A good idea, poor execution. Zero understanding of what to do, minimal hints, and a million repetitive actions that are just boring.

I have greatly enjoyed figuring out this game and have trouble tearing myself away from it once I start a new run.

Pros:
Lots to explore, 12 hours in on first playthrough i probably touched the surface
Interesting worldbuilding and cool systems
Can be very addictive once you've gotten used to the system

Cons:
- Many tasks feel like grinding. A lot of repetitiveness, be it work, reading books or studying skills. E.g. to improve your "reason" skill you have to combine 8 "Erudition" which takes 60 seconds each to combine, and 60 seconds to make, all on timers before they run out...

- The way cards get added to your field sucks ass and is beyond annoying, just dumping them wherever with no possibility to have a dedicated place for a certain type of card. Let me have all books in one place, all vitality in another etc... being unable to stack cards with different timers is also extremly annoying and creates a mess all the time.

Overall, a 6/10 which would be probably a 7 or 8 if the quality of life wasn't so miserable at points.

If you like management in games

Lost the taco stand and had to do some unspeakable things to get it back from the light.

OVERALL: 4.5/10
MECHANICS: 3/10
STORY: 5/10
MUSIC: 5/10
VISUALS: 4/10

I have a like hate relationship with Cultist Simulator.

This game extremely long, tedious and repetitive. You can lose DAYS of progress in minutes if you are unlucky, misread text, or forget about something on your board. And not only is the game very punishing, but also luck dependent and confusing. The amount of times I had to restart a run because I died of bad luck alone is... concerning. And when you are about to die, this will have you STRESSED trying to survive... I was within MILLISECONDS of dying many times.

Other players say that when you are stuck, click around and see all combinations that are possible, and try until something works. This is the unfortunate truth, and it gets exhausting after hours of being stuck or repeatedly dying. Except for a few obvious hints for some parts, there is a painful amount of trial and error players must go through unless you are very good with literature, because recognizing most of the hints feels like understanding Shakespeare. They say patience is a virtue, but it is a NECESSITY for this game.

The redeeming quality of the game is how the story is developed. There are many beautiful quotes, the storyline is unique, and there are a lot of darker themes that are not too dramatic, but still impressive. The problem is there are many characters and given the amount of grinding needed to win, it is too easy to forget about the characters and how they relate to each other. I had to read the wiki and Reddit to really understand the story.

The music has a unsettling melancholy feel that matches the game perfectly. However, for the amount of time it takes to win a playthrough, the OST gets tiring too quickly since it is 40 minutes long in total. For other games I have played where I died HUNDREDS of times (examples are Celeste, Hollow Knight, Dark Souls 3), I still enjoy listening to the OST. If I heard the Cultist Simulator OST, I would not feel enjoyment. I would get flashbacks to all the tedious grinding and painful deaths because the soundtrack is not good enough to save the other aspects of the game.

The same goes for the visuals. The art is distinctive, but as soon as you die or play the game for a few hours, there is nothing impressive about it.

This game is very difficult, mentally draining, and not for the faint of heart. But it does encourage quick and creative thinking, and if you get through the steep learning curve, Cultist Simulator offers a well crafted and hauntingly beautiful storyline.

one of the best card games, very charming

I have wrestled the endless timers to their knees. I have grown old.