Do you ever wanted to make your own Cult? Set up your own rules and decide how to tread your minions? Don't look further! This game comes with a free power fantasy!

Also don't get distracted by the artstyle. This game gets really dark very fast!



Usually I would now say that I won't spoil anything, but there is not much to spoil. You are a Lamb... A sacrifice made for the old gods! But in the afterlife... In the far distance you can hear the howl of an even older god! Pledge loyalty to your new lord and avenge your death. Kill your tormentors! Create your own Cult! Build up your settlement!

But be careful not make your new "friend" angry! You don't want to be sacrificed again... Do you?



The gameplay is split up in multiple parts!


Build up your Settlement:
Having a Cult is a lot of business. You have to take care of your little friends and keep them busy with work or by praising you! Even feeding them is your job... and cleaning up. In fact they would propably die without you, but in exchange you will get EXP points and other rewards. They even give you ressources and more!

In the end it is like that: Make your followers happy = Profit!

The happier they are the more EXP they will drop when you sacrifice them. Oh... Yes you can also sacrifice them. If you really don't like someone, just kill them on the next midnight mass. The other followers are going to love it, because you are always in the right!

There are even more activities to do, but that would take away all the fun!

The base building is also a lot of fun! Next to useful buildings like tents or woodcutter shacks, you can also decorate your village.


Fighting:
Fight your way through dungeons, unlock new abilities and gather materials for your little village! Some things are also locked behind some levels you need to pass first. There are all in all 5 dungeons, made out of multiple segements. Each run is different and the drops are always randomized! You can get better gear or better drops the more you progress and by leveling up specific skills! It feels like your average rouge-lite!

Next to bossfights you will also have the ability to rescue and hire new cult members and enter an "infinite dungeon" with even more rewards!

Dying is also not really a problem. You will just lose a bit of your loot and thats it. It is pretty fair. This is what I liked about the whole gameplay mechanic. I am not really a fan of games like "The Binding of Isaac", because they are just too brutal. But "Cult of the Lamb" finds the right mix between random events, hard encounters and fun, while being far less punishing!

The combat is fairly easy! You have your dodgerole and your attack. Thats it. You also have a special power! Your weapons and powers are always randomized and always different at each new start!



Really good! The world is very interesting and it makes a lot of fun to explore. You will meet a lot of NPCs, with interesting stories to tell. There are also minigames like fishing and more! Outside of the dungeons, it is a pretty relaxed gameplay. If you don't want to fight you don't have to either. You can spend a few days just chilling in your village or explore the surroundings! The whole world is just feels so alive and colorful!



Exactly what you would expect from such a game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-OWYrQ2pAE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf-CUmxX3GY



I am not a fan of jokes in reviews, but this game gave me diabetes just by being so sweet. It just looks so clean and cute! I love this kind of artstyle.



If you like "The Binding of Isaac" or "Don't Starve", this game is worth a look! Even if you are not a fan of these games you might want to give this one a try! You can feel the love the developers put into this game and on top of that it has the typical "Devolver Digital" quality!

A franchise I was never interested in, because I heard it is heavily focused on grinding and grinding and more grinding. Well it is still, but Monster Hunter Rise (MHR for now on) makes it bearable. Let's see...


Story:
As far as I know this game has the standard MH formula: Village gets threatened by Monsters and you are the chosen hunter saving the day. That is all!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2742903689
Gameplay:
You start out learning how to hunt, collect and craft in just under two hours in a really well made tutorial. This is also the major gameplay loop:

Choose a mission -> Prepare yourself -> Find the Monster -> Hunt it -> Loot Monster Materials -> Get your reward -> Craft new gear using the Monster Materials

You don't have enough materials to craft a new set of armor/weapon? Repeat! I can tell you there are a lot of different Armors so you either play 24/7 or just grind for the one you want to have the most!

This is all you do the whole time. It might sound tireing at first, but every hunt is different. Each monster reacts in a different way and has different attack patterns. If you are not prepared well enough, you might get into some problems in the harder challenges. Traversing on the four fairly large maps is also a piece of cake. You have your trusty wolf who carries you around. The pets you have are also a part that makes this game way more enjoyable and they help you in combat as well!

To help you achieving your goal you have many different weapon types with different styles and combos:

• Sword and Shield
  
• Dual Blades
  
• Light Bowgun
  
• Great Sword
  
• Long Sword
  
• Hammer
  
• Gunlance
  
• Switch Axe
  
• Hunting Horn
  
• Insect Glaive
  
• Heavy Bowgun
  
• Bow
  
• Charge Blade
  
• Lance

For beginners I suggest using the Hammer. Super fun weapon and easy to use! It is also a good way not to get bored, because for each weapon you need to invest a little bit of time to learn new combos and learn how to use them more efficiently. You can train the basics in a special training ground, but to "git gud" you should really check out tutorials on YouTube as well.

Next to the normal hunts there is also the "Rampage" mode. It is more like an (optional) towerdefense game and I am not going to waste my time explaining it. For me it is the most unfun part of the game. There are 2 or 3 Rampage missions you have to do and there are also materials that drop only there. Maybe you like it, but if not, there are also a lot of "cheese" videos on YouTube which helped me getting passed these missions.

Last but not least: Play with a gamepad! If you play bow or guns you can also use the mouse and play the game like a third person shooter (It really makes fun!), but for everything else.... Gamepad!


Coop-Mode:
I played this game together with a gaming buddy and it just worked really well. No issues at all and stable ping!


Graphics
It is a switch port so don't expect a lot here. The game and its regions (especially the village) look breathtaking, but it is by no means "Next Gen".
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2736121347
Soundtrack
There are some catchy tunes and the Monster Hunter maintheme is on point, but what really blew my mind is that each monster has its own Soundtrack. And they are all so beautiful! Nothing to complain about at all.


Conclusion
Worth it! The game is fun and the grind isnt as bad as in any other games of the series. I also heard that it is more arcade and more "easy to learn" than any other MH game (which was a reason for me to give it a try).

Good hunting!