Cultist Simulator

I wish there was a neutral option because this is one of my favourite games of all time in so many ways but can completely fall apart gameplay wise the further in you get. Once you finally figure out what you need to do to accomplish your goals it kinda dawns on you that the entire loop of the game can end up as constant restarts in hopes that the RNG allows you to do what you're trying to do. If you can tank it this game has so much to offer in the writing, art style, music, etc. it has made such a lasting impact on me in ways I was not expecting but, as a game, it just dissolves into such frustrating slog after a certain point.

Возможно по гайдам пройти можно, тыркался пару дней без них. Бесполезно. Низкий уровень обучения, если таковое вообще возможно. Зациклится на одном месте, как то бессмысленно. А в гайды лезть принципиально не хочется.

нашла кучу последователей, запикапила х3р4 с работы для повышения по карьерной лестнице выживала 5 часов чтобы мне сказали срочно найдите ужас и вырубили все одним щелчком пальцев. Жизнь несправедлива как эта игра

上手难度较高的一款游戏，但掌握基本操作后真的很爽，两天玩了20个小时。喜欢神秘学相关内容的可以尝试，感觉是很宏大的世界观，文字营造出的陌生感与神秘感不随着游戏的进程而消减，玩的时候自己脑补一些设定和剧情很快乐，哈哈。

it finally clicked but then clicked so badly that I played 25 hours in 3 days, send help

I really love this game, but it is very difficult to recommend to almost anyone. Cultist Simulator knows exactly what it wants to be, and executes that vision exactly the way it wants to- but it does not have mass market appeal. There aren’t many games I can think of to compare to Cultist Simulator directly. I am told the basic mechanics are similar to Sultan’s Game, but I haven’t played that so I can’t corroborate it. What I can say is that almost everyone who hates this game has very valid criticisms- there is little to no tutorializing, the gameplay loop is simultaneously tedious and stressful, and the writing does a good job of implying a deeper world and story without ever giving you the satisfaction of actually seeing or knowing anything for sure- these things are all true. Maybe most insulting of all is that victory is never, ever assured- even when you feel like you’ve mastered the game, random chance can start a cascade of disasters that abruptly end an otherwise promising run. Yet I love it anyway. Why is this? I think because, for me, once I started to get the hang of some of the main gameplay loops, the deliberately-obtuse user interface melted away, and I was seeing characters and settings clearly in my mind’s eye as though I were reading a book. Instead of being someone in 2026 sitting in front of my computer, I was now a shadowy figure in the back of an abandoned bookshop instructing my followers to carry out dark deeds to further my goals of discovering forbidden knowledge and summoning demonic entities. The tedium in continually dragging the Job card over to the Work verb works well as a representation of how, even while I’m leading my secret cult to new heights, I still have to work my 9-5 or else I’ll starve. The obtuse way in which the game meters out information to you is vital in the way it makes you feel like you are pouring over illegal tomes in search of secret knowledge. Yes, I’m afraid going to the wiki will ruin the experience, but for anyone who’s truly stumped I do strongly recommend looking up a spoiler-free beginner’s guide before you decide it’s truly not for you. Grab a notebook and pencil to write notes in while you play- your fevered occult notes. Discuss and ask questions on the Steam Community and other social media- your fellow cultists. Maybe its a little annoying that everyone else is always in character- but that’s just how much the game gets inside your head, if you let it. I sincerely hope that everyone who could possibly enjoy Cultist Simulator gives it a try- but I can’t expect anyone who takes notice of it to show any mercy to its clunky and obtuse nature. After all- Where Is Mercy Found?

Having now, after 54 hours, finally reached my first "proper" ending, and embarking on a new run: This is not a game for everyone. But what it does, it does extremely well. At its core are two elements - Worldbuilding and Discovery The world and lore feel organic, in a way where the occult concepts feel like an integral part of its reality, not a tacked-on "magic system". The snippets of lore weave together a truly unique atmosphere. Add a healthy bit of an unreliable (?) narrator feeling, and I must say I have never experienced something so (to me) engrossing in a game world. Now, the gameplay. The thing about this game is that it is a roguelike at heart. It may feel like a "wiki game" but I would suggest refraining from the sweet allure of guides and looking up anything beyond maybe the basic controls. Take chances. Take notes. Every time you fail, you will return wiser and more prepared. The notes you take are the meta progression. Losing is fun. Winning feels earned.