Like so many things in life, starting a cult is better with friends. Now, you can experience that joy without any moral or legal consequences thanks to an update to one of 2022’s best sim games. Cult of the Lamb has released its anticipated co-op update, Unholy Alliance.
If you’re thinking about picking up Cult of the Lamb, you’ll probably want to do that before August 27. Until then, the game has a massive 50% discount, bringing it to just $12.50 on all platforms. PlayStation Plus subscribers are in for an even better deal, with Cult of the Lamb being offered for free on the service as of August 20.
And if you are jumping in for the first time, you’ll have a free new update to look forward to. Cult of the Lamb: Unholy Alliance launched earlier this week, bringing a host of new additions, headlined by the addition of co-op play. While you were previously a lone sheep leading your flock to glory (your own glory, that is), you can now share the thrill of scooping up your followers’ poop and slaying unleashed elder gods with a friend.
Along with that major addition, Unholy Alliance also brings plenty of smaller changes to the game. New traits for followers can turn them into poets who refuse to work but write tales of your exploits, give you the option to pet them, or saddle them with 20 other quirks to keep your cult lively. New abilities and upgrades have also been added, including some exclusive to co-op mode. Other introductions include more cosmetics for your character and new structures to build in town.
Overall, Unholy Alliance makes an already great game even better. Even before its many post-launch updates, its town building and action RPG sides combine to form a compelling loop, bolstered by the humor of playing as an evil cartoon character.
You start off in Cult of the Lamb as a sacrifice to a cabal of shadowy spirits, before breaking loose with the help of a rogue god and dedicating yourself to building a cult in their honor to say thanks. From there, you’ll delve into dungeons in typical roguelite fashion, picking up random weapons and upgrades each time to help you slay enemies on your way to conquer the very beings who once sought to sacrifice you.
Along the way, you run across adorable forest critters like yourself who’ve been ensnared by the gods’ followers. Saving them means you can recruit them into your own cult — just like you can with bosses you defeat on your quest.
Between runs through the dungeon, you take up the role of cult leader, managing every aspect of your followers’ lives. Like any town builder, you’ll spend time placing buildings and gathering resources — or, more accurately, ordering your followers to do it for you. To keep them in line, you need to make sure their needs are taken care of, too, and in return, they’ll supply you with devotion, which you can use to become even more powerful.
The town building layer of Cult of the Lamb is also where its darkest humor comes in. Make no mistake: you’re absolutely playing for the evil side here, regardless of how cute your cuddly character is. As a cult leader, you need to keep your followers motivated by any means necessary, and that often means mind control and imprisonment. You’re also free to sacrifice them as you see fit, or bring them back from the dead, depending on how you’re feeling. The real magic of Cult of the Lamb is how it manages to play with its pitch-black premise without becoming utterly depressing. It forces you to think like a cult leader, viewing your followers as tools to be used in service of your own divine mission. That gleeful approach to a heavy topic results in the electrifying dark humor of knowing that you’re absolutely doing something evil, but having too much fun to stop.
For anyone who already owns Cult of the Lamb, Unholy Alliance is now available in the game for free. As for everyone else, it’s a good time to decide which of your friends would be the best cult co-leader and give it a shot.
