Cultist Simulator

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 41
  3. Negative: 9 out of 41

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  1. BIGTIM69
    Jun 8, 2018
    8
    This is very much a reading simulator as much as it is a cultist. Over all, the world building is superb, the sound design is better than it needs to be, and the writing meshes with the game loop very well. The time sink and grind of the early game can be underwhelming, but sticking through rewards you with a better-than-lovecraft gem.
  2. Mysteryman64
    Jan 17, 2019
    10
    Not a game for the impatient. You must slowly tease out the mechanics and how everything works, but once you do, the game becomes such a fascinating experience. Absolutely worth a play, just make sure you READ EVERYTHING and make sure that you actually pay attention to what you are doing and think about why you are doing it.
  3. Chaotic92
    Jul 6, 2018
    8
    Honestly a great game, the no tutorial encourages trail and error playing, and exploring to find out your messed up much later on, the re-playability is a little low but there is a lot of free dlc's incoming and think it's a real nice tough to indie gaming
  4. FranckyDooky
    Jun 5, 2018
    8
    Really love the game ; Lovecraft,

    (7,5-8) Gameplay (8) for the sounds and soundtrack (7,5-8) for graphics (10) (free DLC for perpetual edition) (10) replayability, many cults foundations to go through. It's a game of patience , you will have to try to complete puzzling crafting cards for restoring your mental health, your physical health and trying to not get cut in your Cult    Really love the game ; Lovecraft,

    (7,5-8) Gameplay
    (8) for the sounds and soundtrack
    (7,5-8) for graphics
    (10) (free DLC for perpetual edition)
    (10) replayability, many cults foundations to go through.

    It's a game of patience ,
    you will have to try to complete puzzling crafting cards for restoring your mental health, your physical health and trying to not get cut in your Cult fanatical research and expeditions.

    Fanatical is the best word to describe this game,
    you will have to go through many attempts to make the game flow.

    This game can be terrifying, when u go through the lore late at night when unlocked some places.

    Like in the Lovercraft universe, u will find despair and horrors. Finishing this game might drive to despair ...... it is really hard.    … Expand
  5. LittleHoliday
    May 16, 2019
    10
    The reviews here inspired me to create an account just to review this gem. Yes it has grind, yes there is no tutorial (which is a good thing for its setting), but Cultist Simulator is, by far, one of my favorite games. This game is niche, but I've never played anything as engaging, enjoyable of addictive. I love games like Darkest Dungeon and X-com for their resource management side andThe reviews here inspired me to create an account just to review this gem. Yes it has grind, yes there is no tutorial (which is a good thing for its setting), but Cultist Simulator is, by far, one of my favorite games. This game is niche, but I've never played anything as engaging, enjoyable of addictive. I love games like Darkest Dungeon and X-com for their resource management side and rich lore but what I love about these kinds of games is that they don't hold you hand and THEY LET YOU FAIL. I love the fact that there are situations where you cannot progress without losing something you've worked for - this is something cultist simulator provides.

    Another amazing part of this game is the lack of a tutorial, which increases the immersion 20 fold, you have to discover what is going on, learn the systems, and find ways to overcome challenges with no hand holding. This is one of the only modern games i've played that has done something like this and it was incredibly refreshing and enjoyable. the systems here are very intuitive as well, there were many times in game when I thought "i should be able to do this" and I was able to do exactly that. There were so many moments where I was simply blown away by the design of this game.

    One of my favorite games ever. Raised the bar for all other resource management games I'll ever play. This game may not be for everyone, but I absolutely love it. (will try to come back and edit this / add more explanation in a bit)    … Expand
  6. Nullick
    May 22, 2019
    10
    There is a lot of reading, but all of the reading is definitely worth it. There is no real tutorial in this game and you have to figure everything out yourself, for the most part. If you play a lot of games and are looking for one which doesn't hold your hand, here it is. The support from the developers is actually really amazing and it's indicative of a passionate team which wants to makeThere is a lot of reading, but all of the reading is definitely worth it. There is no real tutorial in this game and you have to figure everything out yourself, for the most part. If you play a lot of games and are looking for one which doesn't hold your hand, here it is. The support from the developers is actually really amazing and it's indicative of a passionate team which wants to make their game as good as possible. They update the game frequently and, when they do, it's always for the better. The gameplay can be best described as balancing more and more spinning plates as time progresses. You need to keep track of an increasingly different number of things and if you can't keep up you'll lose. There are many different ways to "win" the game, but none of them are easy. You need to read everything you're given carefully, but I think that this game is definitely worth the asking price. It's a unique, polished plate spinning simulator which uses the lovecraftian inspiration brilliantly rather than being weighed down by the cosmic horror. You have to be patient and stick with it but, once the initial learning curve is over, you'll definitely have a lot more fun with this game than many of the reviews calling it a "boring inaccessible grindfest" would have you believe. It's rare for a unique idea to be executed well by a passionate team which continue to support their game in meaningful ways long after it has been released and it would be a shame to let it slip past your radar because of some reviewers got "stuck" or were looking for a more "standard" gaming experience.… Expand
  7. kuehnau
    Apr 3, 2019
    0
    I got Cultist Simulator with last months 'Humble Bundle Monthly' and decided to give it a go.

    The game has very little options and as soon as you start a game, it just throws you in to the deep end without actually explaining anything. It appears to be a single player card game of some sort, based around the hp lovecraft mythos. You build a story based around actions you perform, all    I got Cultist Simulator with last months 'Humble Bundle Monthly' and decided to give it a go.

    The game has very little options and as soon as you start a game, it just throws you in to the deep end without actually explaining anything.

    It appears to be a single player card game of some sort, based around the hp lovecraft mythos. You build a story based around actions you perform, all of which are done via cards.

    That is about as much as I could come to understand. The fact of the matter is, the game has almost virtually no kind of in-game guide or tutorial for new players, leading me to simply picking up and dropping cards until I find one that fits. The game's tooltips and UI are incredibly unhelpful and clunky to the point of being worthless.

    I've been given the impression that a large majority of the players who enjoy the game had to rely heavily on the wiki and 3rd party guides and walk throughs to be able to make any sort of headway.

    A waste of time and money, they should have put significantly more effort in to making this game more approachable for new players without having to rely on outside help to play what is supposed to be something as simple as a single player card game.

    Don't bother.    … Expand
  8. cemzar
    Jun 10, 2018
    5
    I play this game around 20 hours. First it look fabulous, but later it turned that mechanism dont work like they should be. Especially in early game mechanism connected with Hirelings and early followers they - they do not actually work with hunters and evidence ( on level 5 very rear successful , on level 2 no successful). When I play I have feeling that nothing I can do with hunters andI play this game around 20 hours. First it look fabulous, but later it turned that mechanism dont work like they should be. Especially in early game mechanism connected with Hirelings and early followers they - they do not actually work with hunters and evidence ( on level 5 very rear successful , on level 2 no successful). When I play I have feeling that nothing I can do with hunters and evidence using mechanic connected with hirelings and follower. Only fast "tech" is one right way to deal with this.

    My advice for this game wait for game balance and future DLC it has potential but right now its partly broken.

    And one more thing - no wiki about this game and mechanism is very big disadvantage.    … Expand
  9. EustaceCS
    May 10, 2020
    4
    The idea was great - rich build-your-own-narrative slow-paced adventure.

    The execution is... ruined by weird controls, repetitiveness and other means to prevent the player from enjoying robust plot. Scrap the narrative, make actual gameplay more manageable and less slow/less reprtitive (there are game modifications for this) - and you'll get a solid timekiller for an evening or two.    The idea was great - rich build-your-own-narrative slow-paced adventure.

    The execution is... ruined by weird controls, repetitiveness and other means to prevent the player from enjoying robust plot.

    Scrap the narrative, make actual gameplay more manageable and less slow/less reprtitive (there are game modifications for this) - and you'll get a solid timekiller for an evening or two.

    But that's not how this game is advertised...

    Difficult to learn, difficult to master, difficult to enjoy.

    2 extra points for crazy soundtrack. Not for everyone - but OST alone (with a price of OST alone) may justify purchasing it.    … Expand
  10. Sepherim
    Apr 2, 2021
    4
    La idea de Cultist Simulator está guay: ir gestionando la vida de un personaje y su culto y todo eso y, a medida que lo haces, tus decisiones y acciones van generando la historia. Sin embargo, la falta de un tutorial claro que permita entender cómo jugar y el hecho de que la interfaz es relativamente poco clara, hacen que el proceso de aprender a jugar y tomar el control de la vida delLa idea de Cultist Simulator está guay: ir gestionando la vida de un personaje y su culto y todo eso y, a medida que lo haces, tus decisiones y acciones van generando la historia. Sin embargo, la falta de un tutorial claro que permita entender cómo jugar y el hecho de que la interfaz es relativamente poco clara, hacen que el proceso de aprender a jugar y tomar el control de la vida del personaje es una sucesión de pruebas y errores hasta que poco a poco vas viendo cómo funciona. Y, por el camino, personalmente, a mi me aburrió todo, se me hizo demasiado repetitivo y eso que ni siquiera he jugado tantas horas.

    Gráficamente el juego es pobre, con un diseño gráfico para cartas y demás que es más bien rudimentario. El sonido le ocurre un poco lo mismo. Y, al menos en mi tiempo jugando no encontré ningún bug.

    El resultado es que me parece una buena idea, pero pobremente ejecutada. Un 4.    … Expand
  11. SuperLambda
    Jul 7, 2020
    2
    Cultist Simulator is a card RPG game.
    In this game basically you need to use the card you have to make a living, obtain new cards, upgrade your old cards, upgrade your cult knowledge, become a cult boss.
    The game concept is pretty good, however what ruins the game is it's game-play. Firstly, it has no tutorial, no guide, nothing. The only thing you can rely on is the text description    Cultist Simulator is a card RPG game.
    In this game basically you need to use the card you have to make a living, obtain new cards, upgrade your old cards, upgrade your cult knowledge, become a cult boss.
    The game concept is pretty good, however what ruins the game is it's game-play.

    Firstly, it has no tutorial, no guide, nothing. The only thing you can rely on is the text description on the cards. I mean, if the card description is good, then this is okay. However, the description text of the cards is also very ambiguous. I basically couldn't understand anything in my first play-through, My character just lost his all health, and I just didn't have a single idea about what the f**k happened.

    Secondly, this game is so weird that you just won't be able to understand anything if you don't play it for 50 hours in advance. The description, the game-control, the story, the plot, I mean, everything is so hard to understand, and the worst part is after so much struggle to understand the game, when you finally have some idea about how to play the game, you will be already very bored with the game.

    In my opinion, the game design of a game should be as clear and understandable as possible. That's why so many games would make a tutorial before the main game starts, and that's why so many games have very clear guide and instruction during the game-play.

    A game, should be fun to play, instead of to be another struggle in your life.

    This is why I give Cultist Simulator 2 out of 10.    … Expand
  12. nilsy
    Jul 22, 2020
    2
    Never got anywhere.
    Its all about paying attention while doing trivial and repetitive actions.
    Its the combination of tedious repetitive actions and needing to pay attention at all that time or the card house your building falls down. It basically made me feel dumb for missing the obvious and bored when got it right. Id just wanted some Chutulu roleplay but was bound by a boring    Never got anywhere.
    Its all about paying attention while doing trivial and repetitive actions.

    Its the combination of tedious repetitive actions and needing to pay attention at all that time or the card house your building falls down. It basically made me feel dumb for missing the obvious and bored when got it right.

    Id just wanted some Chutulu roleplay but was bound by a boring gameplay that hid everything i found intresting behind walls of tedious tedious gameplay.    … Expand
  13. lilboa
    Oct 27, 2022
    8
    It could be 10 if the dev can make the pacer faster. Now it costs too much time to finish a round of game.
  14. Sap1ens
    Nov 27, 2020
    9
    Let me start with the negatives, because there are a couple.
    - There is quite a grind, which never lets go. Work, reducing Notoriety, waiting for things to expire or be available... It gets a bit tiring. - Many things will be repeated over and over in different playthroughs with little variation. Sure, starting as a Dancer or a Priest changes some things, but making a cult and going into    Let me start with the negatives, because there are a couple.
    - There is quite a grind, which never lets go. Work, reducing Notoriety, waiting for things to expire or be available... It gets a bit tiring. - Many things will be repeated over and over in different playthroughs with little variation. Sure, starting as a Dancer or a Priest changes some things, but making a cult and going into expeditions is always a bit samey.
    - On a second playthrough some of the mystery is gone, so it's a bit of a one-play wonder. Now the good:
    - Alexis Kennedy's writing baffles my mind every time. I have no idea how so few words can ever convey so much. He could write the weather forecast and have readers wonder at his wordsmith's prowess. - The atmosphere is top-notch, due to the visuals and the music and the everything. It's a very minimalistic game and yet makes you feel so immerse.
    - You really do learn. You learn of the Hours and the Names, and you will learn of a Thunderous Secret to grasp at the secrets of the unceasing beat of Heart. You immerge yourself in Secret Histories and call forth a Maid-in-the-Mirror to do your bidding. All of it conveyed through the same nebulous language that was of the Hermetic Society.
    - It is addictive. I write this as I have played two days almost straight, following my yearning. And even if the grind I mentioned is real, the progress is slow and steady. I feel a stubborn desire to wrestle this game to its knees, despite all the dread and the visions and the struggle and the rivals.
    - It inspires me. I want to write a gothic short story. I want to create a game with similar ideas. I want to run a horror D&D campaign. Cultist Simulator does so much with so little that it has influenced my thoughts much more than most games with their big budgets and fancy graphics. And it did it all with just simple cards, brilliant words and a haunting soundscape.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 31, 2018
    60
    An inaccessible and difficult-to-use card game that hides a genius core underneath the questionable design decisions. It reveals the its unexpected depths and can keep the attention of only the most patient players. [Issue#287]
  2. Riot Pixels
    Dec 2, 2018
    55
    Lovecraft-inspired, one-of-a-kind, original-looking… boring grindfest.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Aug 2, 2018
    80
    At first glance Cultist Simulator looks like a card game, but in fact it’s a fusion of a puzzle game with a text adventure game. With its extraordinarily atmospheric writing, ability to merge simplicity with depth, and different paths it’s fun for hours. It’s a shame the later stage relies on grinding too much and can become tedious. [07/2018, p.80]
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