Superb writing, lore and atmosphere
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews
“This is the best writing in video games in two decades”
Steam review · 43.6 h played ↗
Cultist Simulator
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 82%Very Positive · 82%Weather Factory2018Card Game · Roguelike · Simulation
$19.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 5 h ago
The verdict
A deeply atmospheric, cryptic occult card-and-timer game with superb writing and hard-won discovery. Skip it if you want a tutorial, tight pacing or low RNG.
Great for
Patient players who love lore, trial-and-error puzzles and Lovecraftian atmosphere
Main risk
No tutorial plus long, grindy, RNG-driven runs that can end in death after hours of play
What players love
Rewarding self-discovery with no hand-holding
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“The thing is, when you *do* figure things out on your own, it feels so rewarding.”
Steam review · 80.5 h played ↗
Addictive, immersive occult obsession
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“I'd imagine the addictiveness of this game is what it'd be like to be pulled into an actual Lovecraftian occult obsession.”
Steam review · 24.8 h played ↗
Deep, unique, replayable systems
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews
“this game has an extraordinary amount of depth”
Steam review · 123.5 h played ↗
What players complain about
No tutorial, opaque and confusing
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews
“it shoots itself in the foot by not explaining basic game terminology, let alone mechanics.”
Steam review · 20.9 h played ↗
Grindy, repetitive and tedious
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews
“In a word: tedious. The game has some interesting mechanics and neat writing, but they are in no way worth the immense, mind-numbing tedium.”
Steam review · 13.1 h played ↗
Constant timers and waiting waste your time
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“Do you like watching timers count down? No? Then hard pass on this one.”
Steam review · 52.4 h played ↗
Heavy RNG ruins runs
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews
“it is PURELY RNG at its core”
Steam review · 98.1 h played ↗
Long permadeath runs with no saves
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“A single run in this game could take you 40 real hours, so if something unexpected happens to ruin your run 30 hours in, it would take you 30 hours to start a new game and get back to where you left off.”
Steam review · 33.6 h played ↗
Wiki needed, spoils discovery
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 negative reviews
“which then starts to spoil the actual game because then it just becomes wiki reading simulator.”
Steam review · 9 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Verified500 MB
Minimum
OSWindows 7 or later
Processor2GHz or better
Memory1 GB RAM
Graphics1280x768 minimum resolution, post-2012 graphics hardware
Storage500 MB available space
OSWindows 7 or later
Processor2GHz or better
Memory1 GB RAM
Graphics1280x768 minimum resolution, post-2012 graphics hardware
Storage500 MB available space
More games to check
Other games we’ve read the reviews for
the cabin game
Very Positive · 88%
+ Great with friends
− Game-breaking bugs and softlocks
analyzed 17 d ago
−34%
Burn With Me
Very Positive · 91%
+ Atmospheric art, music and voice acting
− Too short for the price
analyzed 5 d ago
Reigns
Very Positive · 87%
+ Simple, addictive swipe mechanic
− Repetitive and gets boring fast
analyzed 3 d ago
Duelyst
Very Positive · 83%
+ Gorgeous pixel art and animation
− Pay-to-win and expensive cards
analyzed 4 d ago
Weekly digest
Fresh games worth a look, in your inbox
The most interesting games we’ve just analyzed, once a week.Once a week we send the most interesting games we’ve just analyzed: the verdict, top pros and cons, and what changed. No spam.
One email a week · unsubscribe in one click