Cultist Simulator

Don't let the simple card-based presentation fool you; Cult Simulator is a deep game of strategy, resource management, and discovery. In Weather Factory's debut game we journey into a world shrouded in mystery, delve deep into arcane lore, and become a master of the secret arts. It is only once you've done this that you will be ready for what lies beyond the veil.

Cultist Simulator challenges the player to discover its rules through experimentation, and as we've mentioned, the simple appearance of the game - a table, a few cards and some symbols - belies its complex gameplay. When you first begin playing Cultist Simulator it seems obtuse, but it's appropriately so. Much like the fledgeling cultist you are, you must find your way through experimentation and sacrifice. Study, meditate, build your reputation and knowledge, but do not succumb to your own curiosity; this experimentation simulates the experience of the uninitiated neophyte.

It won't take long before you're feverishly pursuing your own goals, be it mastery of the dark arts or the noblest of goals: enlightenment. The choices you make and the paths of study you take will open up new possibilities for you, with the abstract gameplay supported by rich chunks of narrative text, dryly delivered, that reveal your journey.

To pursue your goal and build your cult you'll need to manage your resources well. Health, wealth, reason, and passion are critical resources that must be applied wisely, as tasks may require you to choose to pursue them with passion or reason. At its black heart, Cultist Simulator is a game of time management. By playing cards onto verb tokens, such as "dream" or "study", you'll initiate a timed activity, and these activities - which range from working as a doctor to carrying out manual labour or even rhapsodising about ancient and forbidden lore - can result in a boon of other cards and verbs... or prove to be a fruitless venture. Beware though, as any cards used in these activities are locked in whilst the timer ticks down.

This simple mechanic becomes something both devious and compelling when you find yourself with limited resources and seven or eight timers ticking down. Experimentation can bring great reward and opens further paths in which you can experiment, or it can leave you with assets tied up and no reward in sight. This is an excellent example of reinforcing the overall theme with the mechanics, providing you with an experience as reliant upon experimentation as it is diligence.

Our first experience with the game left us baffled, frustrated, and slightly angry, but most of all it left us determined to figure out why we had failed. After three or four games of stumbling blindly in the dark, we found ourselves with an understanding that had previously alluded us. Armed with this hard-won knowledge we set about the game again and quickly discovered that we were actually having a lot of fun.

The game drips with the cultist theme, as the characters, the events, the aesthetic; all of it draws you into the world. You will find yourself visiting jazz clubs where you might meet someone of interest, for example, or perhaps overhear some hushed whispers of dark portents. Venture out to the bookshop and try your hand at studying the great texts of antiquity too, but bear in mind these activities cost money, and to begin with at least, you'll probably need to find some form of employment to fund your study.

This is where the game really shines; in balancing your desires against your needs, pushing your agenda whilst avoiding discovery, delving deeper and deeper into the darkness beyond the veil without losing yourself to despair. Once you've developed enough knowledge and skill you begin to draw in others interested in the occult, and if you have the resources and charisma you could recruit them as a disciple and start a cult of your own. Then the fun really begins.

When you begin the game you start as one of several characters who each come from a different background. Maybe you are independently wealthy but bored, or perhaps a physician who is curious beyond the physical; your origin will determine your starting options and beyond. One of our favourite moments playing the game was returning from the bookshop with the occult diaries of one Alan Partridge, the name of my aspirant character from the previous playthrough.

Players who want to jump straight into the action, or enjoy playing in a well-defined space with clear rules and objectives, may well struggle with Cultist Simulator, but if you're the kind of player that wants to explore and discover, to study and learn, and most of all, learn from your mistakes, then there's a lot of fun to be had. There are stronger titles when it comes to emergent narratives, and deeper games that ask for strategical thinking, but Cultist Simulator balances all its elements into something quite remarkable and unique. It won't hold your hand or light your way, but it will challenge you, it will frustrate you and just possibly, if you have the will for such endeavours, it will present you with a truly rewarding experience.