I like Cult of the Lamb. In fact, I like it so much that I rated it one of the best games of 2022. Sure, it had its problems. Sure, it relied too much on silly poop jokes. Wait, why is it a bad thing again?
Anyways, the game got a long-awaited update, titled Sins of the Flesh — or “the sex update,” as the fans lovingly call it. It’s a good way to “sell” the update to the masses, but in reality, it’s much more.
Let me first tell you a personal story. It’s a story of woe and heartbreak. When I first played Cult of the Lamb, I did it for myself, not for a review. I had a disc, and after about 40 hours of frantic fun, I was all done. That disc went on to someone else and I decided to buy the game again come the next update. And now that it did, I was excited to go back, especially after the publisher was kind enough to provide me with a review code. I did not expect the review process to take long since I already mostly finished the game — as much as you can “finish” a roguelike. But upon starting the game, I learned of the harsh truth — my save file was incompatible with the digital version. I don’t know what exactly went wrong, but the blame lies with PlayStation.
As you can imagine, I was majorly bummed out. All my cult, wiped out. I had to start over! And… I did. Which speaks a lot about the nature of the game, which can be fun even upon replaying it.
To access the bulk of the new stuff, you have to play for quite a bit. First, you start noticing new types of poo — and if you already played the game, you know exactly how much poo there is in the game. Well, now there are different (six, to be exact) kinds, with different colors and perks.
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There’s also a new type of currency, and, surprisingly, it’s not poop-based. It’s called “sin,” I had quite a lot of it since my cult is always up to no good. The new currency added another layer of complexity to the game, allowing you to research new doctrines and exploit your animals in new unhinged ways. It’s all very good. I like this game.
There are also new structures, like the Drinkhouse and the Mating Tent. Yes, now we’ve finally come to the sex stuff. It’s nothing too obscene — the game always could find that thin line between being disgusting and just somewhat adorably cruel. You, the Lamb, cannot mate with anyone, but you can matchmake and suggest the others to do the deed so that their offspring could inherit their traits. Sometimes the followers are not into it and refuse your commands, which is fine. Weirdly, this game still remains weirdly cute despite all the sacrifices. It’s not any more crude than it was, and even the “sexy” update did not ruin the careful balance it had between unhinged and wholesome.
I won’t go into more details since it’s all worth experiencing for yourself. All I can say is the game feels more complete now, with new pieces of lore, weapons, and creatures.
Verdict
Cult of the Lamb is a unique game that just keeps on giving. The new update is fantastic, with tons more to do even if you think you’ve seen everything. I still can’t quite believe that this update is free.